High emotion: Skye and her partner Kay, are planning a big African wedding


my sexual feelings. However, I realised I was attracted to the same sex myself just before my teens, but at that age I did not realise what was happening to me. I had no one to talk to, or express the


“As a visible lesbian in African society my sexuality would be punishable by any one of these


actions – ‘corrective’ rape, imprisonment, honour killings, public floggings, burning, stoning and


forced marriage”


way I felt. I used to think there was some- thing wrong with me. I tried dating a guy, but I was still very much attracted to girls in my high school. I had to keep my sexuality a secret from my family. It was very hard, especially because my parents were both disciplinarians and came from a political background, which meant they were popular. My parent’s views of being Christian,


along with our African culture, also meant that I had to dress in a particular way, so I was not allowed to wear trousers. I had to behave in a certain manner, but because of who I am, I behaved differently and therefore I was labelled rebellious and evil. Tey used to think I had the devil in me; it was a very difficult time during my teenage years.


Were you ever attacked or physically abused for being who you are? Although my mother has never admitted it, secretly she agreed with me that leav- ing Zimbabwe was the best decision for me to make because she did not think I could survive the persecution. As a visible lesbian in African society my sexuality would be punishable by any one of these actions – ‘corrective’ rape, imprisonment, honour killings, public floggings, burn- ing, stoning and forced marriage. Zimba- bwean men view a woman being a lesbian as a ‘diss’ because they feel that we are rejecting them. Same sex couples are not allowed to


kiss in public and if they do they are at- tacked and arrested because it is illegal to be gay. Tere was no other choice for me but leave Zimbabwe.


How has life changed for you since mov- ing to the UK? I recently won my immigration battle with the Home Office and I am now a legal refugee and can move on with my life. However, for the first few years of living in England, I continued to face discrimination and also setbacks from the Home Office who were not sympa-


SUMMER 2011 | NEW AFRICAN WOMAN | 71


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100