LGBTI communities and their allies came together to mark the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia in Lesotho, for only the second year running in 2014. Over 200 people came together for a march through the the centre of the capital, Maseru, as well as for speeches, discussions and performances, in a series of events co-ordinated by the Matrix Support Group.

A full gallery of pictures and short essay about the events can be found at The Hub – a locally based social justice project, and 76 crimes blog also published a write-up of the events here.

200 LGBTI activists, supporters and allies march through the streets of Maseru, May 17, 2014. Source: The Hub

This years IDAHOT actions were particularly notable for their vibrancy – with many participants dressed in rainbow colours – as well as for the fact that Lesotho is one of around 80 countries in the world which criminalises same-sex intimacy.

Local activists note that in practice the law is not enforced as such, but is used as a tool to intimidate and coerce members of local LGBTI communities. More information can be found in this brief report.

The Matrix Support Group has been working since 2008 (and was formally registered in 2010, by the Lesotho Law Office), to empower local LGBTI communities, and to support responses to the country’s HIV/AIDS epidemic.

More Photos from IDAHOT 2014 in Lesotho from The Hub

The Pride March was organised by Matrix Support Group, based in Maseru, Lesotho, and took place on Saturday May 18:

The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) reports: ‘The banner at the front of the procession proclaims loudly and clearly what this is all about – ‘International Anti-Homophobia and Transphobia Day’. It is Saturday the 18th of May 2013 and today, this small, colourful group is making history – this is Lesotho’s first-ever gay pride march.

The event has been organised by MATRIX Support Group – a Lesotho-based NGO working to advocate for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals in the country. The organisation, which only received legal recognition in 2010, is – like this year’s parade – the first of its kind in Lesotho.’

Activists also held a film screening and series of talks for IDAHOT 2013

LGBT community leaders spoke out about violence, and led the audience in prayer, and rainbow banners decorated the Cinema, where the event was held.

The events for this year were also highly significant given the legal, and public health, context in which LGBT communities live. As OSISA explains,

For more information log onto:

• Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa: Small march is a big step for LGBTI in Lesotho
• Matrix Support Group on facebook.