LGBT Rights in Midlands
Province

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History

Homosexual activity in Midlands

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Homosexual activity in Midlands 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 Midlands

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Same-sex marriage in Midlands 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 Midlands

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Censorship of LGBT issues in Midlands 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 Midlands

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Right to change legal gender in Midlands 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 Midlands

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Gender-affirming care in Midlands 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 Midlands

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Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Midlands 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 Midlands

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LGBT discrimination in Midlands 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 Midlands

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LGBT employment discrimination in Midlands 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 Midlands

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LGBT housing discrimination in Midlands is unknown.

Current status
Unknown

Same-sex adoption in Midlands

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Same-sex adoption in Midlands is unknown.

Current status
Unknown

Intersex infant surgery in Midlands

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Intersex infant surgery in Midlands is not banned.

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

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Serving openly in military in Midlands 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 Midlands

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Blood donations by MSMs in Midlands 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 Midlands

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Conversion therapy in Midlands 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 Midlands

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Equal age of consent in Midlands 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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