AFRICA UNDER SEIGE

I was struck by Conall Ferguson’s article (DNA #241) on the plight of our LGBT brothers and sisters in countries where it is still a crime to love who you want to love and be the person you are. Many of these countries are, as Conall said, former British colonies who, on independence, inherited the old laws that the UK itself was starting to abolish.

I chair a charity in the UK, Kaleidoscope Trust, which provides the support secretariat for the Commonwealth Equality Network (TCEN). The network has more than 50 members in over 40 Commonwealth countries, brave women and men are striving, at great personal risk, to change the laws that blight the lives of so many. TCEN is formally recognised by the Commonwealth and, as such, played a big part in the last Commonwealth summit in London in 2018.

There, British Prime Minister, Theresa May, apologised for the old colonial laws, said that they had no place in the world of today and pledged money to help those countries that wanted to bring their constitutions into the modern world.

As a charity, Kaleidoscope Trust is working with other experts to help empower activists to make the case for reform and to challenge existing laws. The Australian government has been a strong supporter of our work. There has, as the story points out, been some progress, but not enough.

The next Commonwealth summit will be in Rwanda in June. One of its themes is how to help young people, given that more than half of the people of the Commonwealth are under the age of 30. What better way for the Commonwealth to help than to recognise that not allowing a significant proportion of those young people access to healthcare, education and jobs because of their sexuality, is not only cruel, but a self-inflicted wound by governments and nations that are depriving themselves of a pool of rich talent.

– Stephen Wall, Chair, Kaleidoscope Trust, London. kaleidoscopetrust.com