A recent police investigation in Harare has uncovered a large WhatsApp group, “Private Lounge,” with over 1,000 members, allegedly promoting illegal g@y relationships in Zimbabwe. The group came to light after a 25-year-old man and a teenager were arrested for engaging in a gay relationship, which is illegal in the country.
According to the Herald, the teenager, a Form Four student, had joined the group in January 2024 seeking a partner, which led to his interaction with the man.
Their relationship reportedly began in May, but was discovered by the teenager’s father, who found romantic messages on his son’s phone. The father reported the incident to the police, resulting in the arrest of the 25-year-old man.
Zimbabwe’s laws prohibit gay relationships, and the government has expressed strong opposition to foreign attempts to promote what it considers “alien, anti-life, unAfrican, and unChristian values”. Earlier this year, the government warned organizations against luring youths into homosexuality through scholarships, deeming them illegal and counter to Zimbabwean values.
The country’s laws and social attitudes pose significant challenges for the LGBTQ+ community. Homos3xual acts between males are illegal, while those between females are considered legal. The community faces marginalisation, discrimination, and vi0lence.
