Gay community in haramaya, ethiopia

Few understand the dangers of belonging to a marginalized group in Ethiopia like Faris Cuchi Gezahegn. Gezahegn are far from alone in their anxiety. The fear of persecution among gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and other sexual minorities in Ethiopia is so great that some are fleeing abroad. Above all, Gezahegn and their colleagues are fighting for recognition and against hatred in Ethiopia, where a new wave of homophobia threatens the safety of many.

Beki Aby is a leader in the LGBT community in Ethiopia. In he co-founded DANA Social Club, an informal collective that advocates for LGBT rights and provides members with support and information. In an extremely difficult environment DANA has conducted online campaigns and publishes an online archive named the Ethiopian Gay Library. Homosexuality is totally illegal in Ethiopia and it carries jail penalties.

You have full access to this open access article. Co-occurring mental illness complicates diagnosis, help-seeking, quality of care provided, treatment outcomes and adherence. Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted. We collected data from adult patients through a face to face interviewing technique using a standardized questionnaire and review of medical records.

This provision carries a maximum penalty of one year imprisonment for consensual activity. Both men and women are criminalised under this law. Unlike almost all other African states, Ethiopia was not colonised by a European country so its criminalising law is of local origin. There is some evidence of the law being enforced in recent years, however information is extremely scarce due to societal stigmatisation and the lack of accessibility of court documents.