In wake of US cuts, SA must step up to protect LGBTIQ+ rights in Africa – The Mail & Guardian

US President Donald Trump’s suspension of foreign funding will adversely affect LGBTIQ+ people in Africa.

South Africa celebrates Human Rights Day on 21 March to honour those who fought for democracy and the rights all citizens enjoy today. This is an opportune moment to reflect on the progresses made since the end of apartheid and to highlight the ongoing struggles for equality and dignity faced by marginalised people and communities in South Africa and across the continent. One of the most pressing of these struggles is the fight for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) rights.

In recent years, the global scene for LGBTIQ+ rights has shifted dramatically. Regrettably, these changes have not been for the better.

A few days into his new term as US president, Donald Trump signed executive orders which suspended all foreign funding. This included the systematic disbanding of agencies like USAid. Against the backdrop of Trump calling $8 million earmarked for LGBTIQ+ programmes in Lesotho an “appalling waste”, South Africa — as a beacon of human rights on the continent — must now step up to fill the yawning void left by the retreat of US leadership.

In South Africa, USAid supported programmes — particularly those funded through the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar) — that prioritised HIV prevention, care, and treatment for transgender individuals. In his State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed concern about the potential effect of the US government’s decision to suspend some of its funding for HIV and TB programmes in Africa. Many of the USAid-sponsored programmes helped to mitigate the inordinately high risk of HIV that LGBTIQ+ people face. 

The termination of these programmes marks a potentially shattering blow to LGBTIQ+ health and human rights initiatives. Days after the announcement of the termination of funding, the US government ordered that such programmes would immediately halt their services. Termination notices were sent out to more than 5,800 USAid-funded initiatives worldwide, with more than 40 of these directed to initiatives based in South Africa. Adam Cox, deputy director of the Office of Acquisition and Assistance at USAid, explained in the termination notices that the programmes were “not aligned with agency priorities” and not in the interest of the US, according to a directive from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Among the affected organisations in South Africa are the Anova Health Institute, which runs the Ivan Toms Centre for Health in Cape Town, and the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute in Johannesburg. Both offer HIV and gender-affirming health care to the transgender community. In Zimbabwe, former US president Joe Biden had allocated funds to support LGBTIQ+ initiatives. In Uganda, the programmes of the Africa Queer Network will also undoubtedly be affected. These and other programmes, in different parts of the continent, provided important health and rights advocacy. 

The consequences of these terminations cannot be overstated. Hundreds, if not thousands, of staff members in different organisations face unemployment. Even worse, many beneficiaries of these programmes across the continent, who have relied on them as their only source of healthcare facilities, will be left even more vulnerable, further exacerbating their already precarious situations. 

But the effect of these programme closures extends far beyond healthcare. Many of these programmes also provided hate crime monitoring, safe spaces, mental health counselling and an all-encompassing support system for LGBTIQ+ people and communities. The organisations running them as well as the communities they served have been dealt a devastating blow. Importantly, the termination of these USAid-sponsored programmes could set back the fight against HIV and significantly derail larger efforts to empower and protect the rights of LGBTIQ+ people in South Africa and elsewhere on the continent. 

South Africa, with its progressive constitution and strong legal protections for LGBTIQ+ people, is uniquely positioned to tackle the challenge that the continent faces. As one of the continent’s most developed democracies, the country has a moral duty to lead on issues of human rights in Africa. It needs to recommit to its role as a torchbearer of LGBTIQ+ rights by increasing support for grassroots organisations and advocating for the decriminalisation of non-normative sexualities across the continent. Moreover, it should use its diplomatic influence to hold other governments accountable for the way they treat LGBTIQ+ people.

It is urgent for South Africa to provide leadership in the face of the growing influence of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and policies from global powers, especially the US. In recent years, conservative religious groups in the US have poured money and resources into Africa to support the enactment of homophobic pieces of legislation and spread harmful stereotypes about LGBTIQ+ people. Without a strong counterbalance, such actions threaten to roll back the hard-won gains of the LGBTIQ+ rights movements. Drawing on its history of overcoming oppression and its commitment to equality and human rights, South Africa must stand firm and resist this tide.

This is not just a matter of foreign policy. It is a question of recognising human rights and human dignity. South Africa has set a good example and multiplied its efforts in ensuring that LGBTIQ+ Africans are accorded the same kinds of rights and freedoms that everyone else enjoys. It can continue being a torchbearer in ensuring that LGBTIQ+ people on the continent live without fear of violence, have access to healthcare without discrimination, and are able to live and love without persecution. These, of course, are not radical demands. They are the very essence of human rights.

As South Africa celebrates Human Rights Day, it is important to remember that the struggle for equality is far from over. The loss of US support is a problem. But it is also an occasion for South Africa to take up the mantle of leadership. By standing up for LGBTIQ+ Africans, the country can honour the legacy of its own fight for freedom and justice. It can also reaffirm its place as a continental and global leader in human rights. 

Dr Gibson Ncube is a senior lecturer in the Department of Modern Foreign Languages at Stellenbosch University. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the university.