The seemingly conservative nation that is Batswana have been knee deep in derogatory and discriminatory exchanges all over social media regarding Tshepo Kgosidintsi’s upcoming court case which was scheduled to be heard and argued on August 4th 2017.
Kgosidintsi was challenging the Attorney General and Registrar of National Registration to change her gender marker on her national identity card (Omang). Kgosidintsi’s gender marker currently indicates that she is a man whilst she identifi es as a woman.
Earlier this year, Lesbians Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana Society (LEGABIBO) lawyer Lesego Nchunga explained that they hoped that through this type of advocacy they would ultimately attain non-binary status quo regarding gender markers to include the intersexes and the non-gender conformists who prefer to be referred to as the gender diverse.
The case was scheduled to be heard and argued whilst being presided over by Justice Leatile Dambe who unfortunately was unavailable at the Gaborone High Court. It was thus postponed to be heard on December 12, 2017.
A lot of literature has been made available with regards to both mainstream sexual orientations and what is deemed as sexual minorities. What is left is for society to understand which they are not familiar with for the prevalence of peace and the ability to co-exist despite the differences of preferences.
Below is some guidance on some of the words used when making references to people regarded as being part of the sexual minorities.
Understanding the terminology TRANSGENDER: People who are born with typical male or female anatomies but feel as if though they have been born into the “wrong body”. For example, a person who identifi es as transgender may have typical
female anatomy but feel like a male and seek to become one by ingesting hormones or choosing to have sex reassignment surgeries.
INTERSEX: It is a general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with the reproductive or sexual anatomy that does not seem to fi t the typical defi nitions of female or male.
NON-GENDER CONFORMITY/ GENDER DIVERSITY/ GENDER VARIANCE: Behavior or gender expression by an individual that does not match masculine and feminine gender norms.
