An incident involving a teenager was brought to the attention of Rainbow Identity, an organization that deals with transgender and intersex people and their issues. The incident took place at the Princess Marina Hospital’s department of infectious diseases when a young person suffering from gender identity confusion went to seek medical attention from a physician.
A nurse within the department, only identified as Mrs Monareng, came across the young person, Kabo* while on her regular rounds. During these rounds Mrs Monareng usually focuses on counselling and testing for cervical cancer. “I met this young person, Kabo, who was born male and to me it did not occur that maybe this person was a female inside. When I asked what I could do for the client, the client responded by saying: I am referred by a doctor to come and see a physician,” said Mrs Monareng. “When I asked what the complaint was, I was shocked.”
Nevertheless, as much as there is lack of information within government hospitals the client was eventually seen by doctors and in the client’s card, the doctors wrote that the client is “intersex”. However much to their surprise the characteristics they observed were male.
Monareng said, “The sad part is that this client is from a disadvantaged background and even the mother has no idea on how to support the child. As far as she [the mother] is concerned, she gave birth to a boy who preferred to associate with girls. She clearly never knew that a person could change their sex.”
At school Kabo only managed to reach junior level (Form 3) and was forced to discontinue studies because of poor results probably made worse by the difficulties faced at school when one has a gender identity crisis. “When Kabo when was the age of 12 or 13, he told the mother that he wanted to be a girl but the mother did not understand why her son now wanted to be her daughter and had no idea such a thing was even possible.”
Monareng continued, “Kabo’s journey has not been an easy one as no one understood what Kabo was going through. I really salute Kabo for the courage to come all the way from the Kalahari District to Gaborone to seek assistance.”
Meanwhile in another incident, an 18-year-old walks in, dressed in a pink jacket, pants and high heels looking for the Rainbow Identity to assist with answering questions that no one in the village can help with.
This is Kagiso*, an only child who lives with grandparents in a settlement called Hunhukwe, 67km from Hukuntsi, a village in Kgalagadi District.
Kagiso was born a boy but has never felt like a boy. She always played with girls and was more comfortable with girls than she was being with boys.
Staff from The Rainbow Identity, Botswana’s only transgender and intersex organization that focuses on gender identity, met with Kagiso.
Often people are accused of “learning” to be transgender or homosexuals, the staff at Rainbow Identity asked Kagiso if she had ever heard of the terms transgender and intersex before.
“I have never heard of or seen anyone who is a transgender or transsexual before all I know is that I want to be a girl,” said Kagiso.
The society that Kagiso lives in accepts her as a woman and sometimes feels sorry for her as they asked themselves why God gave Kagiso male genitals. Meanwhile her grandparents are looking forward to the day that Kagiso will stop being trapped in the wrong body.
When interviewed, Kagiso’s mother Martha said, “I do not have problem with the way Kagiso wants to be addressed but my problem is why can’t Kagiso wait until she is older to make the decision on her own? The sad part is Kagiso will never be pregnant and have her own kids.”
Not many parents can go through the process when their child needs to reassign their sex. However it took a 38-year-old woman from Hunhukwe to travel to Gaborone to see the doctors at the main government hospital, the Princess Marina.
Here the child was taken into laboratory for hormone tests, an ultra sound and a skin test.
“My mother has been with me in this journey and we want to thank Mrs Monareng who referred us to Rainbow Identity. I had so many questions that even the doctors couldn’t help me, but today I feel more relieved,“ said Kagiso.
These two profiles show how the issue of those who are transgender, and labeled as ‘strange’, may be gaining social prominence. Along with the issue of gay rights, it is bringing something of a new dimension to the question of human rights.
On a continent where homosexuality is a taboo and considered inconsistent with cultural and religious norms and values, anti-gay sentiments are a vote winner.
As a result, many sitting African presidents have elected to remain silent on this issue and the few that do speak, do so only to condemn gays and reinforce prejudice.
Recently however, it seems that former African presidents are feeling the need to speak out in defence of the LGBTI community. The trend began with Festus Mogae whose tenure as president of Botswana ended in 2008.
While in office Mogae ensured that Botswana became the first sub-Saharan country to introduce free anti-retroviral to end mother-to-child Aids transmissions.
After his tenure he joined the Aids Champions and also continues heads the government-supported Aids body, the National Aids Council Agency (NACA).
Since leaving office, Mogae has however become very radical. He did so by saying, like he did in October 2011, that it is time to confront issues of gay rights and prostitution to fight HIV/Aids. It was radical because he said this in a country where the majority of population would prefer that homosexuality was not discussed and many choose to hide under the culture and religion banner.
Recently, there was a report that former South Africa president Thabo Mbeki also spoke about the Ugandan anti-gay Bill, telling a public audience in Kampala that what two consenting adults do in private “is really not the matter of law.”
Junior Molefe , a representative of the organisation, Lesbians Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana (LeGaBiBo) said of Mogae, “I think former president Mogae’s position on the issues of homosexuality came at the right time and as an influential leader it has come to give some people the light/better understanding of homosexuality.”
He added, “This will lend a hand in recognizing homosexuals; it may take long time but at the end of each tunnel there is light.”
Molefe said that in 2012 LeGaBiBo intends to continue to advocate for the rights of LGBTI and see itself as registered organization. He added, “This year LeGaBiBo will undertake the needs assessment which will guide the advocacy strategy.”
Molefe said of Mbeki’s recent comments, “As much as some might say this [speaking out on gay issues] is influenced by donors, I believe that the man has always been a man who has stood on issues of human rights. If I recall very well same sex marriage was legalized during the time he was the president.”
Meanwhile, in Zimbabwe however, the picture remains dark for gays with President Robert Mugabe, who has in the past said that homosexuals were “worse than pigs and dogs” recently saying that if a man is seen in public holding another man’s hand they will be arrested.
In Zambia, there has been intense debate in the past week following visiting United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon’s call for gay rights to be respected. For the most part, his comments touched off howls of protest in a country that has declared itself as a Christian nation.
*From Behind the Mask is a Non Profit media organization that publishes a news website covering news about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in Africa.
