U.S. EMBASSY HARARE: "Some families reportedly subjected men and women to corrective rape and forced marriages to encourage heterosexual conduct"

The Associated Press reported on widespread harassment and also the "corrective" rape of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in Zimbawe. This assessment came in a US human rights review with a strong emphasis on LGBTI people.

Gay Zimbabweans face widespread harassment and some have even been raped by those intending to convert their sexuality, the U.S. State Department said in a discussion of its annual human rights report in Zimbabwe.

Gay men were forced into heterosexual acts and lesbian women were raped, sometimes by male relatives, to teach them to change their ways, said Amanda Porter, political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Harare and compiler of the report.

"Some families reportedly subjected men and women to corrective rape and forced marriages to encourage heterosexual conduct," she said Tuesday.

Homosexuals reported widespread discrimination in 2009, the year under review. But the report notes that the conservative southern African country has long frowned on homosexuality.

Hate speech by politicians against the nation's small gay community fueled social pressures on families, Porter said. And crimes against human rights and sexual abuse against gays were rarely reported to police.

"Victims are afraid to speak out," she said.

Same-sex acts are illegal in Zimbabwe and while there have been no reported prosecutions related to consensual homosexuality in recent years, the offense carries a penalty of up to a year in jail or a fine of up to $5,000. HERE

ON THE GROUND IN AFRICA:African Activist Amplifying Africa's LGBTI Voices

The Africa Team is a group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) activists with African citizenship, living in Africa. The Africa Team will have access to post on African Activist and will eventually rewrite and reshape the draft of the African LGBTI Manifesto. HERE

· Thanks to African Activist, sidebar
· Thanks to Amplifying Africa´s LGBTI Voices
· Thanks to The Associated Press, Africa
· Thanks to The State Department, United States of America
· Thanks to Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, U.S.A.

TAKE ACTION AGAINST BIGOTRY, IGNORANCE and OUTCASTING/SOCIAL ISOLATION: The ANGLICAN UN, United Nations, HUMAN RIGHTS Observer, Mrs Hellen Grace Wangusa from Uganda, has an office and staff provided by the Episcopal Church (USA) at the Church Center 815 Second Avenue, New York, 10017. The direct office line is (001) 212-716- 6263 and the email address unoffice@episcopalchurch.org


Lionel Deimel, Anglican HERO, click HERE,¨No Anglican Covenant¨