(Utrecht, Netherlands) Zimbabwean gay rightsactivist Keith Goddard has been arrested five times, ... Life Slowly Improving For

(Utrecht, Netherlands) Zimbabwean gay rightsactivist Keith Goddard has been arrested five times, beaten up by police andwarned to stop his ``deviant'' life. But he says he never wants to leave hisAfrican home.

``I made sure that I followed all the regulationsto get rid of my British nationality so that the government would never come upwith an excuse to throw me out,'' says Goddard, 46.

In 2001, the former British colony tightened alaw against dual citizenship, forcing some white Zimbabweans like Goddard toeither renounce their British passports or leave. Thousands left, but Goddardstayed.

``Although the number of people willing to standpublicly for lesbian and gay rights in Africa remains small, there is a growingnumber of us who are willing to be outspoken,'' said Goddard.

Zimbabwe's first ceremonial president, CanaanBanana, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in 1998 on charges of sodomy,though he was released after six months on medical grounds.

Homosexuality is banned in most Africancountries. In Cameroon, it is punishable by up to five years in prison. Nigerianlaw has a 14-year prison sentence for homosexuals, but in Muslim northernNigeria, where Islamic Sharia law is in force, it is punishable by death.

Anti-gay laws in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Kenya andMozambique don't proscribe same-sex acts between women. ``Women are not thoughtof as possessing a sexuality,'' especially in rural Africa, said Goddard, andmost are forced into marriage regardless of their inclinations.

Except in South Africa, which has openly gaybars, meeting places for gays in several African countries are kept secret, andgay society is concealed well underground.

The Harare government has banned a daily radioprogram aimed at promoting gay rights and has blocked efforts to ``educate theblack majority that homosexuality is not a white man's disease,'' Goddard said.In the last five years, gay presenters have lost their jobs on state radio.

Despite the harassment, Goddard says attitudesare softening. Many Zimbabweans have ``embraced and generally accepthomosexuality,'' he said in an interview.

Though much work remains to be done, Goddard sayshe has found allies in unusual places, even among the police. ``Sometimes thepolice give us tips on how and where to hold meetings without seeking policeapproval as is required by the law,'' he said.

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