Although Mozambique has a better LGBTQ + rights record than other countries in the region, this tolerance does not eliminate exclusion
Originally published in Global Voices in Spanish
Photo by LGBTQIA + activists. Maputo, Mozambique: 2024. Used with permission.
In Mozambique, lack of legislation which penalize LGBT + identities is usually taken as a sign of tolerance. However, for many transgender people and LBQ women (lesbian, bisexual and queer), their daily reality tells a different story. In schools, health facilities, workplaces, religious spaces and digital platforms, discrimination continues to affect access to rights, opportunities and social participation.
Although legal persecution is less obvious than in some countries of the region, such as Nigeriaactivists say that exclusion is often worked through silence, invisibility and institutional neglect.
"As no one writes about us, we become invisible," he said. Pepetsa Fumo, trans-active Transformthe organization that works for the recognition and inclusion of trans persons in Mozambique.
Schools as spaces of exclusion
For many activists, exclusion begins in the education system, school curricula are deeply heterogeneous, leaving little room for discussions on sexual orientation, gender identity or diversity.
An example of this institutional resistance to inclusion is that staff have withdrawn any reference to the sexual orientation of Mozambican school material. According to activists, this environment contributes to harassment, psychological violence and a high drop-out rate among students LGBTQ +. Many teachers do not receive training on diversity, human rights and inclusion, if they do, which limits their ability to create safe learning environments, as Pepetsa noted in an interview with GV.
"The difficult begins in the ministry itself, and in the way teachers are able to not respect diversity."
These educational inequalities often remain in adulthood, affecting employment opportunities, economic security and social mobility.
Economic survival beyond recognition
The economic vulnerability has become one of the most persistent concerns of LGBTQ + activists. Many people trans and LBQ women have difficulties in accessing formal employment, vocational training and alternative income-generating opportunities. While various community initiatives seek to help people economically, they face significant structural barriers, such as limited funding and lack of management training and external support unit.
"You have work today, tomorrow is over. Then you take time back in the shadows again," Pepetsa observed.
Organizations such as For Ela (For her) seek to address these difficulties and give priority to LBQ women-led businesses and promote community leadership and entrepreneurship initiatives. But for activists, economic strengthening cannot be separated from broader struggles for dignity, recognition and citizenship.
Health and visibility limits
Health services are another area where progress and exclusion coexist. Years of campaigns have generated greater recognition of communities trans in response to HIV and AIDSbut activists often question the language used in public policies.
"I am not 'key population'. I am Darius. I am not confused with this category," said an interview by GV.
Although trans people have gained greater visibility in some institutions, LBQ women are almost not in health debates and programmes. Many health professionals are trained to analyze key populations and communities LGBTbut they are almost never trained on the specific needs of LBQ women. According to activists, this invisibility has real consequences. For example, cases of violence against lesbian women are often recorded only as gender-based violence, without considering whether their sexual orientation motivated the attack.
Digital spaces: between strengthening and vulnerability
For many communities LGBTQ + in Mozambique, digital platforms have become essential tools for organizing, mobilizing and disseminating. Social media allow communities queer to tell experiences, publicly document respect for rights in practice, build solidarity networks and amplify community voices. However, the same spaces also expose the human rights defenders to harassment, surveillance and violence online.
Activists queer, trans persons and women's human rights defenders have experiences of hate speech, intimidation, disinformation campaigns and public exposure that reproduce greater patterns of social exclusion. These problems arise at a time when the discussion on digital governance and cybersecurity highlight more in Mozambique. Although policies officially in technological development and digital security, activists hold that the debate should also include freedom of expression, privacy and civic participation.
Beyond the paradox
The experiences of trans people and LBQ women in Mozambique show that exclusion is almost never limited to only one sphere of social life. Educational barriers, economic precariousness, inequalities in access to health services and digital violence are mutually reinforcing and create cycles of vulnerability that go beyond identity problems.
For activists, this is mainly a debate on citizenship, participation and democratic inclusion. Recognition is important, but it is not enough. Real inclusion needs access to rights, economic opportunities, security and representation, in financial spaces and digital environments.
In a global context characterized by the advancement of anti-rights movements and the expansion of digital surveillance, community experiences LGBTQ + in Mozambique highlight the importance of having discussions on gender, diversity and digital justice closer to the realities of the communities of developing countries.
