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When we deny humanity to any group, we deny it to ourselves. Each act of exclusion diminishes us all. Inclusion is not merely tolerance; it is recognition, respect, and celebration of the divine uniqueness inherent in every human being.
Historical Roots and Enduring Legacies
Nearly six centuries ago, the 1452 Papal Bull, Dum Diversas, authored by Pope Nicholas V, institutionalized the Doctrine of Discovery, sanctioning the colonisation, subjugation, and enslavement of non-Christian peoples. This doctrine underpinned centuries of systemic exploitation and cultural erasure, fundamentally embedding prejudices based on race, gender, and sexuality. Its repercussions echo profoundly in the contemporary struggles against discrimination experienced by LGBTIQ+ communities globally.
Pre-colonial Africa celebrated rich diversities in gender and sexuality, integrating these identities within community and spiritual life. European colonisation aggressively dismantled these inclusive structures, branding indigenous practices as deviant, setting the stage for enduring social stigmatisation and systemic discrimination, a reality vividly evidenced by persistent laws criminalising same-sex relationships.
Project 2025 and the Manufacturing of Moral Panic
Today, we’ve seen initiatives like Project 2025, driven by conservative evangelical networks, strategically propagate moral panics surrounding gender and sexuality to consolidate political power, erode civil liberties, and perpetuate economic exploitation. This has happens under the pretext of preserving traditional values, but such movements actively undermine human rights advancements, directly impacting vulnerable communities across Africa and beyond.
I have had personal direct experience of this in Namibia, where the Marriage Act of 2024 serves as a stark manifestation of this neo-colonial strategy. This law denies recognition to same-sex unions, reinforcing divisive, discriminatory colonial norms. Conversely, landmark legal victories such as the 2024 Namibian High Court ruling in Dausab v. The Minister of Justice I was involved in underlining the profound resilience and dignity inherent in marginalised communities’ fight for equality. This ruling emphasised that discriminatory laws “based on societal prejudice cannot qualify as a reasonable justification in a democratic society” (Namibian High Court, 2024).
The Human Toll: Personal Narratives and Collective Trauma
But behind legislative and ideological battles are profoundly human stories. My story is only one such story of the harrowing journey faced by many within LGBTIQ+ communities. To reconcile my Christian faith with my gay identity, I had to experience deep isolation, familial estrangement, and societal rejection. Resilience and advocacy came at a personal cost of exclusion despite the empowering potential of embracing one’s authentic identity .
The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed entrenched inequalities. As the Pan Africa ILGA’s report, “Voices of Resilience in Uncertainty,” highlights, lockdown measures disproportionately impacted LGBTIQ+ individuals, compounding existing vulnerabilities, economic hardship, and health disparities. Despite these challenges, our community demonstrated remarkable adaptability and solidarity, underscoring their critical role in societal resilience and recovery.
Economic Exploitation and Corruption
Anti-gender campaigns are strategically aligned with broader economic agendas, exploiting societal divisions to facilitate resource extraction through corrupt alliances with multinational industries and local elites. Such orchestrated divisions divert attention from rampant corruption and wealth accumulation by privileged sectors, perpetuating cycles of poverty and dependency. These artificially inflamed moral panics affirm harmful stereotypes of African “barbarism,” falsely attributing economic underdevelopment to internal failings rather than centuries of external exploitation.
ODA often neglects historical contexts of colonial trauma, inadvertently reinforcing structural inequalities and dependency. Genuine development necessitates acknowledging and integrating reparative justice frameworks, as advocated by Caribbean nations and the African Union. Reparations represent comprehensive economic, cultural, and psychological restitution, essential for authentic reconciliation and sustainable development.
It also provides safe spaces for healing from colonial trauma and wounds to clear a path for “responding to current challenges from our ‘scars’ rather than our ‘wounds’.
Advocacy through a Trauma-Informed Lens
This is why we need a trauma-informed approach that recognises the deep historical wounds inflicted by colonialism and their enduring psychological impacts. Advocacy strategies, including the work of the Global LGBTI+ Commission, must include:
And we have experience of doing this valuable work. The 2022 multi-stakeholder gathering in Namibia, captured in the report “This House Our Home,” demonstrates a successful model of collaboration among diverse stakeholders towards achieving inclusive governance, social cohesion, and justice.
Towards Shared Humanity and Lasting Change
We stand at a pivotal moment in history. The choice between perpetuating divisive, colonial legacies or embracing transformative inclusion, justice, and healing is ours. This is not only a political or policy decision but an ethical, moral, and spiritual imperative.
This collective journey towards justice and inclusivity demands bravery, honesty, and compassionate engagement with complex histories and contemporary realities. As affirmed by the Namibian Governor of Erongo Region, Neville Andre-Itope, genuine inclusion requires dismantling structures of oppression and promoting dignity, respect, and shared humanity (Multi-Stakeholder Meeting Report, 2022).
“Our struggle for justice and inclusion is fundamentally a struggle to reclaim our humanity from the legacies of colonialism. True liberation is not just freedom from oppression; it is the freedom to be fully ourselves, celebrated, supported, and cherished by our communities and institutions.”
By embracing these principles, we foster a global community reflective of inclusive values, honoring every individual’s inherent dignity and worth. Together, we can forge a future defined by mutual respect, comprehensive justice, and authentic healing.
Editorial Note
The language used throughout this article aims to balance consistency with respect for our partners’ self-identification. While Kaleidoscope Trust generally uses the term ‘LGBTI+,’ we have preserved the original terminology used by galck+ in this article. We believe this approach acknowledges and respects the diverse ways in which individuals and groups describe themselves, helping to ensure authenticity and cultural sensitivity in the representation the global community.
The pressing LGBTI+ human rights challenges of our day can only be solved through collaboration, whether that be with grassroots or international human rights organisations, governments and funding bodies – and people that really care, like you.
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