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Public Opinion

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History

Homosexual activity in Mashonaland West

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Homosexual activity in Mashonaland West is male illegal, female legal.

Current status
Since 2006
Male illegal, female legal
Fine and up to 10 years in prison (decriminalization pending)
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Same-sex marriage in Mashonaland West

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Same-sex marriage in Mashonaland West is banned.

Current status
Since Mar 19, 2013
Banned
Article 78 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe explicitly prohibits same-sex marriage.
Jan 1, 1964–Mar 18, 2013
Unrecognized
There were not originally any laws in place regarding same-sex unions, until Zimbabwe updated its constitution in 2013.
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Censorship of LGBT issues in Mashonaland West

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Censorship of LGBT issues in Mashonaland West is imprisonment as punishment.

Current status
Since Jan 1, 1967
Imprisonment as punishment
According to Article 13 of the Censorship and Entertainment Control Law (Law No. 37) (1967), "undesirable" publications - defined as those considered "indecent", "obscene", "offensive" or "harmful to public morals" - are subject to punishment with a fine or imprisonment of up to two years.

More than that, there is the possibility of serious violations of freedom of association in the country due to the approval of a Bill to Amend the Private Voluntary Organizations Act (2023) which has caused concern from various international organizations and UN experts due to the possibility of serious violations of freedom of association in the country with the signing of the Bill by the president.
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Right to change legal gender in Mashonaland West

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Right to change legal gender in Mashonaland West is illegal.

Current status
Illegal
Gender marker change is not allowed. Section 18(2) of the the Births and Deaths Registration Act 11 of 1986 allows a person to change their forename. Section 18(3) provides for the change of a surname, but the Registrar-General must be satisfied that it is for a “lawful purpose”.

As a result of this, trans Zimbabweans face the risk of arrest for fraud if their gender expression does not match their identity cards.

Gender-affirming care in Mashonaland West

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Gender-affirming care in Mashonaland West is restricted.

Current status
Restricted
Gender-affirming healthcare is not provided in the Zimbabwean public healthcare system. Most requests are rejected and the few that are accepted are often very expensive.

Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Mashonaland West

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Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Mashonaland West is not legally recognized.

Current status
Not legally recognized
As there are no protocols around legal gender changes, non-binary self-identification is defacto not recognized in Zimbabwe.
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LGBT discrimination in Mashonaland West

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LGBT discrimination in Mashonaland West is illegal in some contexts.

Current status
Since Jul 1, 2020
Illegal in some contexts
The Freedom of Information Act (2020) and the Cyber and Data Protection Act (2022) offer explicit protection based on sexual orientation regarding personal information.

LGBT employment discrimination in Mashonaland West

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LGBT employment discrimination in Mashonaland West is no protections.

Current status
No protections
The Labour Act does not offer protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

LGBT housing discrimination in Mashonaland West

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LGBT housing discrimination in Mashonaland West is unknown.

Current status
Unknown

Same-sex adoption in Mashonaland West

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Same-sex adoption in Mashonaland West is unknown.

Current status
Unknown

Intersex infant surgery in Mashonaland West

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Intersex infant surgery in Mashonaland West is not banned.

Current status
Not banned
No laws banning it in Zimbabwe.
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Serving openly in military in Mashonaland West

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Serving openly in military in Mashonaland West is lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned.

Current status
Lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned
Not a single country in Africa allows trans military service. Serving in the military as gay is illegal because gay relations are illegal, ergo only lesbians can serve.
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Blood donations by MSMs in Mashonaland West

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Blood donations by MSMs in Mashonaland West is ambiguous.

Current status
Ambiguous
No explicit restrictions for LGBT people according to the National Blood Policy of Zimbabwe and the Standards for Blood Donation, Processing & Clinical Transfusion in Zimbabwe. However, sexual activity between men is illegal.

Conversion therapy in Mashonaland West

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Conversion therapy in Mashonaland West is not banned.

Current status
Not banned
Conversion therapy is not banned in Zimbabwe and is widespread.
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Equal age of consent in Mashonaland West

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Equal age of consent in Mashonaland West is female equal, male n/a.

Current status
Female equal, male N/A
Age of consent for heterosexual couples and female homosexual couples is 16. Male homosexual couples age of consent is N/A because it is illegal.
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