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‘She does not back down’: the couple seeking to legalise same-sex marriage in Botswana

‘She does not back down’: the couple seeking to legalise same-sex marriage in Botswana

Summary

A couple in Botswana is seeking to legalise same-sex marriage by challenging the existing law that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Botswana decriminalised same-sex relations in 2019, but same-sex marriage is still banned, and the government is opposing the couple’s court case scheduled for July 2024.

Key Facts

  • Bonolo Selelo and Tsholofelo Kumile, a same-sex couple in Botswana, want to get married legally.
  • They were told by a local government office that same-sex marriage is not allowed in Botswana.
  • They launched a court case to challenge the ban, with hearings set for 14 and 15 July 2024.
  • Botswana decriminalised same-sex relations in 2019, overturning a colonial-era law.
  • The government argues that the Marriage Act only allows marriage between a man and a woman.
  • The couple cites another law, the Interpretation Act, to support their case for marriage rights.
  • Botswana is one of several southern African countries that have legalised same-sex relations recently.
  • Public opinion in Botswana about LGBTQ+ people has become less positive since 2019.
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