Report shows impact of anti-LGBT laws on queer Tanzanians
LGBT Voice Tanzania calls on the state to protect all queer people
A report from the LGBTQ+ advocacy group LGBT Voice Tanzania describes the destruction that systemic homophobia is wreaking on LGBTQ+ people in the East African state. Below is a summary of the report’s findings and calls to action.
Lived Realities of LGBTQ+ Tanzanians: A Call to Conscience and Action
Behind every statistic in LGBT Voice Tanzania’s new community study on LGBTQ+ realities is a human life — a student robbed of education, a young person denied healthcare, a worker fired for who they are, a child cast out of their family home. These stories are not rare. They are daily realities for thousands across our country.
Our report, Lived Realities of LGBTQ+ People in Tanzania, based on the voices of 367 individuals nationwide, reveals a painful truth: systemic discrimination, criminalization, and rejection are destroying lives.
- 41% of LGBTQ+ youth have been expelled or forced to drop out of school, stripping them of their futures.
- 71% avoid health clinics out of fear, while one in five were denied care outright.
- Employment is nearly impossible — only 1% of trans women and 2% of gay men are formally employed.
- 79% report discrimination or violence, often at the hands of those meant to protect them.
- Many young people are homeless, forced into survival sex to stay alive, while depression and suicidal thoughts are widespread.
These are not just numbers. They are young Tanzanians — our brothers, sisters, neighbors, and friends — whose only “crime” is living true to themselves.
Why This Affects Us All
When any group is excluded, the whole nation suffers.
- Expulsions weaken our education system and rob the country of bright young minds.
- Denial of healthcare undermines HIV prevention, raises public costs, and spreads distrust in clinics.
- Workplace exclusion forces capable people into poverty instead of contribution.
- Police abuse deepens corruption and erodes public trust in justice.
Protecting LGBTQ+ people is not only about rights — it is about building a safer, healthier, and more prosperous Tanzania for everyone.
Tanzania’s Commitments
Our constitution promises dignity and equality. Our government has signed international treaties — from the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights — that forbid discrimination. Tanzania has also pledged to achieve the [United Nations’] Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
- SDG 3 (Health) [Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages] is impossible when 71% fear clinics.
- SDG 4 (Education) [Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all] cannot be met while LGBTQ+ youth are expelled.
- SDG 8 (Decent Work) [Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all] fails if employers dismiss people for being themselves.
- SDG 16 (Justice) [Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels] collapses when police extort rather than protect.
These are not foreign demands. They are Tanzanian promises — to ourselves, to Africa, and to the world.
What Needs to Change
The findings point to urgent reforms:
- Repeal colonial-era laws criminalizing LGBTQ+ people.
- Protect students from bullying and expulsion, and reinstate those unfairly removed.
- Guarantee healthcare access, including lifting the ban on HIV-prevention tools and training health workers.
- Open doors to jobs and livelihoods through non-discrimination in employment and vocational programs.
- Hold police accountable for extortion and harassment.
- Fund safe spaces and shelters so youth are not left on the streets.
- Expand mental health care, making it inclusive and affordable.
A Moment of Choice
Across Africa, change is happening. Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho, Mauritius, Seychelles, Namibia and Angola have decriminalized same-sex relations. Uganda has taken the opposite path, intensifying repression. Tanzania now stands at a crossroads.
Do we continue down the road of fear, silence, and exclusion — or do we choose dignity, justice, and national unity?
The resilience of LGBTQ+ Tanzanians has carried them this far. They have built chosen families, shelters, and support networks even in the harshest conditions. But resilience alone is not enough. It is time for structural change — in law, in policy, and in society.
A Call to Conscience
Every person deserves safety, dignity, and opportunity. Every student deserves education. Every patient deserves care. Every worker deserves a chance to contribute.
Protecting LGBTQ+ rights is not about special privileges — it is about living up to our own values of umoja (unity), utu (dignity), and usalama (safety).
This is a call to conscience. To the government: honor your commitments. To donors and allies: stand in solidarity. To the Tanzanian public: reject violence, choose compassion, and recognize that a stronger, safer future depends on equality for all.
History will remember the path we take. Let it be the path of courage, justice, and love.
Read the full report to learn more about the lived realities of LGBTQ+ people in Tanzania and the urgent need for change.
Unfortunately in the countries where decriminalization is occurring Homophobia is still rife – as societal and religious taboos stand in the way of change- and this will continue until governments and civil society partner in remedial action and programs.