Corrective Rape

The news recently has been filled with reports on many parts of the world including South Africa and Zimbabwe where homosexuality is not acceptable, though same sex marriage is legal in both countries. The homosexual community living in these two countries are subject to harsher discrimination and violence than in some countries where same sex marriage is illegal. Recently people have taken it upon themselves to "correct" homosexuals, both men and women, by gang raping them believing that by raping them they will become straight. There is obviously no proof that heterosexual sex, especially rape, make the victim heterosexual and if anything the only thing it does is leave them scared physically and emotionally. No matter how traumatic the experience it is not likely that the victim will seek help because many people accept the practice of corrective rape as an effective way to cure homosexuality.

Eudy Simelane's (Soccer Star on the South African women's national team Banyana Banyana) body was found in creek partially clothed with multiple stab wounds on her face, chest, and legs. She was the victim of a brutal rape due to her sexual orientation and many other women have experienced or are scared of the same fate. In an attempt to stop the violence people are asking South Africa to recognize hate crimes, including corrective rape, in a separate category of the law so that the laws can be more strictly enforced.

In this video clip many women were interviewed about their rapes and the violence they faced due to being lesbians but the most horrifying part had nothing to do with their stories but had to do with the opinion of one young man. He said, "If there is someone trying to rape lesbians I can appreciate their thing [because] it's just to let them know that they must be straight. For me, I have no time to rape them but if another guy wants to teach them the way, they must rape them, they must rock them. Once she gets raped by a guy, I think she will want to know a way which is nice."

Another story is even more heart breaking as a lesbian women's kids (form an arranged marriage) were raped and told that they're not supposed be like your mom and you are supposed to be involved with a man. Those children did nothing wrong and they suffered just because they're mother would rather lie with a women than a man, though she has a husband and is living a heterosexual life.

The homosexual community in Africa is living in fear because of what the common beliefs are of them. Not only are they forced to live a heterosexual life they are even reminded then that they are not free from the discrimination. Whatever your view is on homosexuality, I'd hope that you'd agree that violence is not the way to solve the problem and rape is certainly not correcting anything.