Countering backlash against LGBTQI+ rights

Johannesburg, 31 March: A worrying and growing trend of resistance and backlash to LGBTQI+ rights is emerging in the region and globally.  Even in countries where same-sex relationships are legal, public attitudes towards LGBTQI+ people remain mostly negative when compared to the laws and freedoms increasingly afforded to them.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning and intersex people (LGBTQI+) have seen significant advancements in their rights over the last decades. However, these are under direct threat in Southern Africa and abroad, showing us that hate knows no boundaries.

It is less than three years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 50-year-old Roe v. Wade judgement, ending the constitutional right to abortion in the USA and allowing individual states to regulate or ban abortion as they see fit.  Fast forward to 2025, and Trump 2.0 is rolling back decades of hard-fought-for and won rights in the United States, with dire consequences for people worldwide.

Trump and his cronies are determined to dismantle anything and everything to do with diversity, equity and inclusion, which they understand to be everything other than white, male and heterosexual. We are living in truly terrifying times when the most privileged billionaires are rolling back decades of progress towards human rights, equality and justice. Through their immense financial power and corporate influence, these individuals prioritise profit over people, undermining hard-fought advancements in social justice.

While this seems far away, the impact on Southern Africa is tremendous.  It not only emboldens conservative leaders to do the same, but it also strengthens the anti-rights movements operating across the region and the globe, many of whom emanate from the USA and fund the anti-rights movement.

While the global evolution of the LGBTQI+ equal rights movement represents a significant shift in legislative frameworks, societal attitudes, and cultural representations, in most SADC countries, public attitudes have not kept up with legal advancements and protections.

Southern Africa is notable for its diverse mix of countries with both progressive and regressive laws and practices in this area.  While Tanzania and Zambia maintain harsh restrictions and penalties for same-sex relationships, South Africa recognises sexual orientation in its Constitution and was the first country in the world to do so. More countries in the region have begun to loosen restrictions on LGBTQI+ rights. However, an intense backlash has accompanied this, primarily led by conservative politicians, religious and cultural leaders, and communities.

Equaldex’s Index compares legal rights and public attitudes towards LGBTQI+ people in each country and region. It reveals that governments worldwide have introduced more than 730 legal changes in this area over the past five years. It also finds that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) lags behind other regions. The research found that legal scores rank higher—or equal—public opinion scores in all but three countries (Eswatini, Seychelles, and Tanzania) where public opinion is higher than the legal index.  This suggests that merely having conducive legal frameworks does not necessarily lead to changes in attitudes and deeply entrenched beliefs.  Resistance against LGBTQI+ rights has grown in intensity in many countries in SADC, with recent examples of anti-LGBTQI+ backlash in Botswana, Malawi, Eswatini, and the DRC.

The Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity Chapter of the 15th edition of the SADC Gender Protocol Barometer illustrates the formidable opposition to attaining LGBTQI+ rights, which has become better organised and funded. Conservative figures, including policymakers, religious leaders, and cultural authorities, lead these opposition groups by demonising gender-nonconforming individuals and preaching against ‘immorality and indecency’.

These individuals play a significant role in shaping public sentiment and mobilising public support against the LGBTQI+ movement. SADC communities, many of which remain deeply rooted in conventional values and social norms, actively participate in these opposing efforts, reinforcing the influence of conservative ideologies within society. This collective resistance creates a powerful challenge to any initiatives aimed at change, highlighting the complexities of navigating social transformations in such an environment.

As I was writing the chapter, I was struck by how absent the women’s and LGBTQI+ movements seem to be in responding to these increasing threats.  It highlighted how much more vigilant we need to become in guarding our gains. As I researched further, I found an abundance of literature on backlash, its causes, and its consequences, predominantly for the Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA), South and Southeast Asia (SSEA), and Latin America and the Caribbean (LATAC) regions.  Africa, particularly SADC, is largely lacking in this body of evidence.

We do know that backlash exists in the SADC region.  But we must become more vigilant about the unfolding backlash in the area if we are to, at the very least, hold the line in these tumultuous times.

We need to become more strategic and organised in our advocacy and lobbying. We need to understand the opposition, including how they operate, how they are funded, and how they sustain and strengthen their movement.  It is time for us to work together and build strong coalitions and agile movements.  We must engage at all levels, telling real stories and shifting the narrative in communities through public education and awareness of women’s and LGBTQI+ rights.  We need to document the successful strategies being undertaken in communities to counter the backlash.

This current moment necessitates a concerted regional and global effort to address the rising backlash against women’s and LGBTQI+ rights.  Only through solidarity and collaboration can we effectively counteract this growing resistance and make lasting progress towards a more inclusive society for everyone.

Download the Barometer Sexual Diversity chapter.
Download the full Barometer.

(Susan Tolmay is the Author of the Sexual Diversity chapter in the 2024 Voice and Choice Barometer. This article is written in her personal capacity).