The vice president of Zimbabwe says the government will not allow a scholarship intended for students who identify as LGBTQ to be distributed.
Zimbabwe is one of several African nations where homosexuality is a criminally punishable offense.
Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ), an LGBTQ advocacy group, created the scholarship in 2018 for students between the ages of 18 and 35 who were enrolling in university.
“Under the scholarship programme, gay students who are facing challenges with school fees and those who have dropped out of college because of their sexual orientation or gender identity and would like to continue with their studies, will be assisted with full tuition fees, stationery, accommodation and mentorship,” reported University World News.
Advertisements from the scholarship have recently been condemned by Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, a former army commander who describes himself as a devout Catholic. He called the scholarship a “direct challenge” to the government’s authority during a speech on Feb. 15.
“Our schools and institutions of higher learning will not entertain applicants, let alone enroll persons associated with such alien, anti-life, un-African and un-Christian values which are being promoted and cultivated by, as well as practiced in decadent societies with whom we share no moral or cultural affinities,” he said, per AP News.
Chiwenga added that the offer of a scholarship “predicated on the same aberrations” that are barred under national law are “both unlawful and criminal, and a grave and gross affront on our national values and ethos as a Christian nation.”
He vowed that the government would continue to enforce their laws and stated that young adults “should never be tempted to trade or sell their souls for such abominable and devilish offers.”
According to PBS, "most African countries criminalize gay sex more than countries in other regions” of the world.
In Zimbabwe, same-sex sexual activity is punishable by up to one year in prison. The country does not offer a route to legally change official gender markers on government documents if a person identifies themselves as transgender.
Same-sex sexual activity is a death penalty offense in Somalia, Uganda, Nigeria, and Mauritania. Those convicted of breaking homosexuality laws in Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia can be sentenced to life in prison.
