House of Guramayle | a safe space for the Ethiopian LGBTIQ+ community

Advocacy

The challenge

In Ethiopia, homosexual acts – across all genders – are illegal, with penalties of up to 15 years imprisonment. The country is highly religious, leading most of the population to adopt the church’s strong and vocal opposition to the LGBTIQ+ community.

The community are subject to violence and discrimination without recourse to justice or protection. The suffering of the LGBTIQ+ community in Ethiopia is further compounded because it is not visible and its oppression is normalised. 

Our objectives

To improve the quality of life of the Ethiopian LGBTIQ+ community, House of Guramayle looks to inspire our community to hope for better for themselves and work with us to voice the concerns that they cannot for safety reasons. Our two primary advocacy aims are to:

#1

Ensure the Ethiopian LGBT+ community has access to health care, including a specialised clinic for HIV, STIs & STDs.

#2

Engage the Ethiopian government to develop an inclusive HIV/AIDS national plan, which accounts for the needs of the LGBT+ community.

Do you need help?

We have a directory of resources for Ethiopian LGBTIQ+ community members in danger.

Resources