The dark side of being different

Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Intersex (LGBTI) is an acronym used to refer to persons with sexual and gender identities that differ from those which are accepted as 'regular'. The Zone caught up with two members of this community who were willing to talk about and share their experiences of living in a society where they are not accepted by everyone. Linda Reanate Baumann identifies herself as a lesbian and tells The Zone that she discovered that she was lesbian when she was seven years old. However, she says it took her about 13 years to acknowledge her gender identity and come 'out of the closet'.“I did not tell anyone when I realised that I am a lesbian,” Baumann said. After many years of hiding her sexual identity, when she finally told her parents she was told to either 'stop that lifestyle' or 'move out of her parents' home. “I was asked to stop being a lesbian or move out of the house. I chose the latter,” she said.Baumann explains that in Namibia it is very hard to come out of the closet because generally, a lot of families are not open to different sexualities and the broader Namibian society is not tolerant towards LGBTI people. As a teenager, Baumann played with the concept of gender because she knew gender is not fixed and knew too, that sex is fixed. “I do not have body politics… I love being a woman,” she defended.She revealed that while growing up, people used to call her a tomboy, because she did not fit the norm of a woman. “A girl is expected to dress in a certain way and behave in a certain way which I did not do.”Baumann narrates that when it comes to having relationships she feels it is unfair because as a lesbian, showing affection to her partner in public is not tolerated.She explains that she finds herself in places where she knows she can share her affection but there are times and places where she knows she cannot share it at all. “Sometimes you end up having a partner and no one, except your close friends, know about it. When you are in public you act like you are just friends,” she explained. Baumann maintains that one cannot forever hide a relationship but she is also being careful because it has a great impact on employment opportunities, friends' associations and the way people look at her. “It is difficult and so unfair to know that you cannot share your love openly with somebody you really love immensely,” Baumann said. She told The Zone that she has been stigmatised because of her sexual identity before, syaing that sometimes people stop and stare at her when she is in public places, which makes her uncomfortable. “We end finding ourselves within people that are tolerant and accept us and our lifestyles as we are,” Baumann said.She discloses that sexual orientation and identity also has an impact on how she accesses services in the country. “Services are not tailored to ensure that there is inclusivity. The only inclusive service is the HIV National Strategic Framework, where HIV services are delivered for LGBTI people,” she said.She also explains that access to information is one of the major challenges that the LGBTI people experience. Baumann admits that there is sufficient information about LGBTI communities around the world on the internet, however, Namibian stories about LGBTI are not well-documented. “Access to information about LGBTI in Namibia is one of the major challenges we have, however, in the last five years the print media has done exceptionally well by ensuring stories about LGBTI people are reported on,” she said.The Zone also caught up with Celine Watson-Eises who is transgender – in other words, a person who has a sense of identity and gender which does not correspond with the birth sex.Watson-Eises admits that she was born male but does not conform to her gender because she believes that she is a woman. “I was born male but I identify myself as female,” said Watson-Eises.She explained that as she was growing up she always knew she was different. “I noticed that I was different when I was 12 but I did not know then what the terms were, transgender was unknown to me back then,” she said.She disclosed that her mom always treated her differently from an early age and would relate to her more as a girl than she would a boy. She maintains that she did not come out in the closet on her own. “My mom helped me to come out of the closet because she knew who I was from an early age,” she said.Just like Baumann, Watson-Eises also maintains that it is quite challenging fostering good relationships with family members and she feels unwelcome at family gatherings. “My own family members shun me by showing me through their body language that I am not welcome. Some do not want to be associated with me and some tolerate me because I am family but do not want to engage in conversations with me,” she said.She said that she grew up not having much of a say in family affairs because she was different and culturally not accepted. “I was isolated and family members used derogatory terms to describe me.”The same applies when it comes to having a partner. She explained that when she first brought her partner home her mother was the only one who welcomed us. “My dad was so ashamed he did not speak to me or my partner and my younger siblings were never told about my partner,” she said. She explained that her younger siblings were told he was simply her friend. Watson-Eises pleads for people to try and understand the next person, where they are coming from, what made them be who they are or how they have come about to choose how they want to live their life. “It is not easy even for us because I might not accept myself too, I might not want to live with the fact that I am transgender but yet, it is the reality and there is nothing I can do about it,” she said.Meanwhile the leadership of the Rights for All Movement (RAM) and Namibia Diverse Women's Association (NDWA) recently engaged the Namibian police on LGBTI issues. The leaders of these organisations presented key issues affecting the access to justice the LGBTI community face with regards to reporting violations of their rights. The meeting also touched on investigations, detention and the need to support the Namibian police in sensitising law enforcement agents to create an enabling environment for their own staff members who identify as LGBTI. MICHAEL KAYUNDE

The dark side of being different

Comments

Namibian Sun 2026-01-09

Please login to leave a comment

The dark side of being different

Comments

Namibian Sun 2026-01-09

Please login to leave a comment

Subscription Required to Access Content ×

Login

Subscription Required to Access Content