Ethiopia's First LGBT website launches

A great move in Africa for LGBT people. Ethiopia has launched its first LGBT website. An young man, who has hidden his identity, speaks about the site:

Ethiolgbt.com carries news, a blog, stories of gay Ethiopians and a forum. It has "been getting very good feedback from the Ethio/Eritrean lgbt community". He says:

My aim is mainly to reach out to Ethiopian gay, lesbian,bisexual and transsexual communities at home and in diaspora, thereby helping to create a closer and stronger community. I strive to reach those with no one to talk to and find themselves in difficult situation due to their sexuality.

I myself have experienced all countless challenges and continue to do so, but after all, I have come to realize that it is up to me to face the facts, accept reality and find the solution to what ever the problem might be.

Main motive for this blog being that I as a gay Ethiopian came to realize that there is literally no means of gaining info, emotional support or general knowledge related to LGBT life as an Ethiopian and also, the only forums engaging in related topics are almost always derogatory and extremely homophobic.

Hence I have set about single-handedly to do my bit by creating this site not only as a let out for my own thoughts and principles, but for all of us, the Ethiopian LGBT community who are starved freedom and acceptance to contribute our share.

I strongly believe that by telling our stories of an impossible life as a gay Ethiopian, we could draw attention to this very personal issue and by sharing with others how a lesbian overcame the odds and attained her goals would most definitely bring hope to our sisters who hardly have a trickle of it left.

I am a 19 year old gay  Ethiopian currently residing in Europe. I use Selam (peace) seeker as a pseudonym as I am categorized as an  ''asylum seeker'' but really dislike the phrase and would never use it let alone call myself by it. I believe it is a gross label to people of countless issues yet doesn't apply to certain regular aspect of life. Hence not a lot of people would have any familiarity with it. 

My sole purpose is to attain peace! And so I am a peace seeker!

I was not always aimed and enthusiastic, in fact I was nothing but a purposeless lost soul drifting in suffering and pain every single day.

My sexuality, even though I was fully recognized, would never change I defiantly buried every instance of it to conform with the norm. To be a regular Ethiopian teen. For I had been raised to believe that any other form or life style is anything but natural.

Until about late in my teens I was convinced that I am probably the only gay Ethiopian and that I was either cursed or am a result of  some sort of witchcraft on my parents. Every single day of High School was anything but a happy growing period. I was very shy, very concious of my apperance and did every thing possible to camouflage my self in some way or another but thinking back now I realize it was all in vain as almost every one around  knew I was somehow different. Most just did not figure it out and some probably did but chose to hold back on it and  use it for their own purpose, but that's all a different story.

All in all, I was destined to perish without a doubt and for me it was all about when it would be. I knew for a fact that my sexuality would come out at some point and I would be stoned to death or languish in the filthy jails of Addis. Then only other option was to go quietly, end it! Take my own life. Every opportunity I analyzed to come up with the best means for suicide. I wasn't even 16 by the time I was trying to figure out how quietly and with minimum pain to my self and my family I could die, preferably with no corpse afterwards.

How ever grim, it was all true and every single day of my existance was plain indescribable.
But no matter how wretched and miserable my life was, there always seemed to be a greater force with in me helping me overcome it all and get on with life as it comes. And besides, just like every one else, I had dreams and ideal future  in my career. A family which I truly loved...

I hope this site helps many LGBT fam who are struggling to survive in Africa.



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