KARABO KESEGOFETSE 🌄

A ko kgwedi e tlang le iketlele “its 6 months into the year, what have you done so far?” Please life is hard 😔

Being a Queer person does not automatically exclude you from being queerphobic. Some of you in this community are unfortunately proving that every day. I have seen the comments under people’s posts, and your discomfort is very loud. It is evident some of y’all are deeply uncomfortable with fellow Queer people fully being themselves. You have joined the conversation of straight people that says “ha o ba itse ba, kana ba rata go bonwa, ha o ba itse ba le go tseela batho di space” The need to police, control, silence or shrink other Queer people into your own comfort zones is no different from what many straight homophobes do. The only difference is that it is coming from inside the community. And that makes it even more painful to witness. Many Queer people fought hard battles to get to a place where they can live openly, freely and unapologetically. Some survived rejection, violence, shame, isolation and years of self-hate just to finally embrace themselves. So, when fellow Queer people try to shame them back into hiding because their expression makes you uncomfortable, that says more about your own unresolved issues than it does about them. Internalized queerphobia is real and so is projection. And some of y’all need to confront that instead of weaponizing it against others. A Queer person who actively tears down other Queer people disgusts me more than straight homophobes, because you know exactly what this world does to us and still choose to contribute to it. Have some shame.

Homophobia does not come in one form, it is not always loud, violent or obvious. Sometimes it hides behind opinions, conversations, discomfort, jokes, silence or conditions placed on queer people simply for existing. Just because you do not physically attack LGBTIQ+ people, it does not mean your homophobia is harmless. Homophobia is revealed in the things people say, the spaces they create and the way they treat others both online and offline. When someone says, “Gay people can be themselves as long as they are not rubbing it in our faces,” or “They should keep it behind closed doors,” You are creating safe space for yourself yet discriminative of LGBTIQ+ people. It is okay if you don’t want to associate with the LGBTIQ+ people, I don’t think they’d care much about that, however, it is wrong to exclude other people in public spaces just because you are not okay with their sexualities. What you are really saying is, “You can exist, but only in a way that makes me comfortable.” And that is controlling how someone should live their lives for your sake. Why does someone else living openly in their truth make you uncomfortable🤷 Why should queer people shrink themselves, silence themselves or hide their identities just to protect heterosexual comfort💁‍♂️ What is even more ironic is how heterosexual people freely enter queer-friendly spaces and then complain about queer visibility💁‍♂️ You cannot walk into a gay club and act shocked when queer people dance, flirt or kiss openly. Spaces like Zoom Club have always been known to be a Queer friendly space, yet it is often filled with heterosexual men, some of whom harass lesbian and queer women, and somehow the narrative is that LGBTIQ+ people are invading spaces and rubbing their homosexuality on hetero’s faces. It beats me also when parents say they do not want LGBTIQ+ people around them, I wonder what happens when their own child identifies as queer. What message does that child receive, that they are unwelcome in their own home🤷 That they should suppress themselves to earn love and safety💁‍♂️ No child should ever feel rejected over something they did not choose and cannot change. The problem is that many people only recognize homophobia when it is violent or extreme, but fail to see it in everyday language, attitudes and behavior. Telling queer people to tone it down, hide it or keep it private is still discrimination. Straight people are allowed to exist loudly, publicly and freely without being accused of “rubbing it in people’s faces.” Queer people deserve that same freedom. Botswana has made important legal progress, and that progress matters. But laws alone cannot end prejudice. Until queer people can exist openly without being told to hide, tone themselves down, or make others comfortable, the fight for equality is far from being over. Homophobia remains the greatest and last enemy to defeat.

Nah mothaka yole yo reng Batswana ba homophobic ka tswa na batla re mo imota cause he sees himself as different and maybe easily noticeable. Mme rona re kgona go nna indifferent and just mind our own business. Ha gongwe ebile ha go na yo lemogileng gore he’s gay.

Botswana is homophobic.

I’m sure some of you are jerking off to Ai videos and pics

Do men hate lesbians as much as they hate gay men ?