BANANA CLUB collaborates with THE EU
ARTivism blog bananaemoji. com in collaboration with The European Union held its fifth BANANA CLUB dialogue, under the theme “Trans & Gender Diverse Visibility”. Bananaemoji.com is resolute in enhancing the voices of the LGBTQI+ community in Botswana through innovative partnerships and platforms aimed at informing, inspiring and engaging the community in dynamic conversations.
Speaking on the engagement, the event curator, Tanlume Enyatseng said the transgender community in Botswana is often villainised by society and it is through such conversations that they set out to promote shared prosperity and help bolster their voices. He also said many transgender and gender diverse people experience social rejection, fear, and violence, and research suggests that around 40% of transgender adults attempt suicide, before the age of 25.
“We may not be able to radically change such statistics, but we wish to promote a more caring and accepting society that could save someone’s life. I am truly grateful for the collaboration with The European Union to help bring this experience to life and cultivate safe spaces that lend themselves to the people with voices seldom heard,” he said.
The discussion aimed to explore issues around mitigating violence against trans individuals, understanding gender-affirming titles and how family and friends can offer support.
The panelists discussed their different experiences, including coming out and transitioning.
Silvia Bopp-Hamrouni, Head of Political, Press and Information, Delegation of the European Union to Botswana and SADC added that this year The European Commission presented the first-ever EU Strategy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, non-binary, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) equality. “We are more than pleased to support this initiative, being the BANANA CLUB, as ensuring the inclusion of all members of the society is essential. Our strategy proposes to extend the list of EU crimes to cover hate crime, including homophobic hate speech and hate crime and to bring forward the legislation on the mutual recognition of parenthood in cross border situations, amongst others.”