Being gay is not a crime in Botswana - US envoy

Dan82 · Sep 3, 2011

http://www.mmegi.bw/index.php?sid=1&aid=122&dir=2011/August/Wednesday31

Steve Nolan, the former US Ambassador to Botswana who left the country two months ago, has claimed that Botswana laws do not specifically criminalise homosexuality despite the fact that most people in Botswana appear to believe homosexuality is illegal.

"There is no law that makes homosexuality a crime, although it would be fair to say that the average person thinks that this is contained in the law. There is no indication that the Penal Code will be amended to include homosexuality as a specific offense", Nolan claimed in a cable leaked by WikiLeaks.

He revealed that there is nothing in the Penal Code that specifically criminalises homosexuality. Nolan wrote that the perception may stem from provisions of the Penal Code that penalise "unnatural acts," and the widespread belief that this is targeted at homosexuals...

http://www.mmegi.bw/index.php?sid=1&aid=122&dir=2011/August/Wednesday31
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LostandFound · Sep 4, 2011

Would not want to be the person to find out what "unnatural acts" means.

missyjustice · Sep 5, 2011

Interesting. Well as someone who has family that was born/raised in Africa, although not Botswana specifically, I can say with certainty that it doesn't really matter whether or not it is stated in law. By that I mean, people can and are killed/punished for being gay. Perhaps not specifically by the law itself but by the people in their communities. It would not be seen as completely inhumane for a homosexual couple to be executed if caught engaging in homosexual/"unnatural" acts

Being gay is not a crime in Botswana - US envoy

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