OUT-RIGHT Namibia is hosting a discussion in Windhoek from today until Friday on the implementation of comprehensive sexual education in Namibian schools for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth.
The discussion is in collaboration with with Positive Vibes Namibia, the Women’s Leadership Centre and LifeLine/Childline Namibia.
The three-day event, that is being held during June, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) pride month, aims to create visibility and voice for school youth experiences with sexual and gender diversity in Namibia.
In addition, the discussion aims to identify medium and long-term strategies to create safe, enabling and inclusive environments for all school youth, including those with diverse gender and sexual identities.
According to Out-Right Namibia, despite LGBT youth coming out at younger ages, schools have not responded accordingly, leaving many young people isolated and at a risk of violence and harassment.
“As Namibia is now reviewing its Education Act, this is a good time to reflect on how to ensure that learners and students who do not conform to a heterosexual identity and especially students who become the ‘visible others’ due to their non-confirmity are not left behind to cope on their own,” education permanent secretary Sanet Steenkamp said.
Out-Right Namibia is an organisation formed in March 2010 as the voice for lesbian women, gay men, bisexuals, transgender and intersex (LGBTI+) people in Namibia to further address, redress and arrest the homophobia rhetoric in the country.
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