Bridging the Divide Between Lesbians and Feminists

Organizing in Zimbabwe has been challenging, even dangerous, for some years. As the country’s economic crisis has deepened – with measurable inflation reaching 79,600,000,000% monthly and 98% daily in November 2008 – activists have had to pit themselves against repressive laws and actions such as Operation Murambatsvina, a wave of brutal urban clearance, beginning in 2005 and repeated since, that has affected an estimated 2.4 million Zimbabweans. This context frames the impressive efforts of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) to organize and represent lesbian, gay, transgender and intersex people (LGBTI).