Help defend and protect LGBTQ+ rights in Tanzania

September would be the month for us to celebrate our 10^th anniversary in the struggle for #EqualityinTanzania, but we are not going to celebrate because we still have a long way to go before we get into celebrations. It would be great if our supports can celebrate for bringing us this far, we could not be here without you.

We have a new project named Resistance and Backlash project – the objective of this project is  working with legal reform advocates to better anticipate, pre-empt and counter resistance and backlash. The project intends to draw out learning from human rights organizations and diverse SOGIESC rights groups and advocates to develop taxonomy of resistance and backlash and to develop a report addressing different forms of resistance and backlash and counter tactics. The taxonomy will include resistance and backlash initiated by state, quasi-state and non-state actors. In engaging with human rights organizations and  diverse SOGIESC rights advocates, the project will also explore barriers and enablers to strengthen sharing and solidarity around addressing resistance and backlash. We are conducting a research and stakeholder engagement in three regions or Tanzania mainland and one region from Zanzibar in order to explore similarities and differences between experiences of legal reform advocates.

The outputs are a literature review, a formal research report that highlights the taxonomy and tactical options for legal advocates.

Advisory Group:
We have developed an advisory group - two members from each of the research regions makes up the advisory group to help inform the questions, translation of materials and source interviewees.

At least 6 interviews have been conducted in three regions of Tanzania mainland, including human rights organizations and diverse SOGIESC advocates and other individuals with key insights into or experience of resistance and backlash.

We learned that LGBT Voice Tanzania cannot walk alone in this long journey to advance equality, diversity, education, and justice for LGBT people in Tanzania and decided we are going implement our activities while we work with humanitarian and development actors and we work alongside diverse sexual orientation, gender identities and expression and sex characteristics aka LGBTIQ+ communities and groups as they strengthen their capacity, advocate for their rights and engage with humanitarian and development actors. LGBT Voice Tanzania will provide a range of services including: participatory research, program design and implementation, policy and practice development, and training.

We now have to pour massive amounts of resources into this fight, because we know it’s the right thing to do and that it's the only way to break the strongholds of Homophobia and Transphobia in Tanzania. But to sustain this level of activism, we need your special support.

That’s why I’m asking you to make a long-term investment in our work for #EqualityinTanzania by stepping up as a Champion for #EqualityinTanzania. We do have a special group of LGBT Members has chosen to make a small and ongoing monthly commitment to help provide the resources we need to win this fight.