A LIFELINE CUT Botswana’s LGBTQ+ Community Faces Collapse After US Funding Withdrawal
In the world of human rights advocacy, progress is rarely linear. It is an uphill battle, fought in courtrooms, in the streets, and in policy negotiations. For LEGABIBO, Botswana’s premier LGBTQ+ rights organization, that battle has taken a devastating blow—one that threatens not just the livelihoods of activists but the very survival of those they serve.
The recent stop orders issued by the Trump administration have effectively choked a vital lifeline for marginalized communities in Botswana. These abrupt funding cuts are not just a bureaucratic decision; they are a direct attack on human rights, access to healthcare, and the fragile progress made in ensuring dignity and equality for all persons, including the LGBTQ+ community.
A Death Sentence for Many
LEGABIBO, prior to the abrupt stop orders, has provided essential healthcare services to queer communities through its Drop-In Centres—safe spaces where LGBTI persons could access HIV prevention, treatment, and psychosocial support without the fear of stigma or discrimination. These centres have been pivotal in the fight against HIV/AIDS, particularly for men who have sex with men (MSM), LBQ women, sex workers and transgender persons; populations that remain at disproportionately high risk of infection.
With funding pulled, these services face an imminent shutdown. Medications are running out, programs are suspended, and those who relied on LEGABIBO for lifesaving interventions are now left without options. The government, already stretched thin, is unlikely to fill the intersectional gap. The consequences are clear: increased HIV infections, treatment interruptions, and a regression of years of progress in public health and human rights advocacy.
Silencing the Fighters for Justice
Beyond healthcare, the stop orders have crippled LEGABIBO’s ability to continue its advocacy for legal and policy reforms. The organization has been instrumental in landmark legal victories, including the decriminalization of same-sex activity in Botswana in 2019, and further affirmed by the Court of Appeal in 2021. Nonetheless, these wins were never the finish line—merely milestones in the greater struggle for recognition, diversity, protection, and inclusion.
With financial resources strangled, LEGABIBO is now at risk of losing key staff, scaling back support services, and halting community mobilization efforts. The absence of funding means that justice itself is being stalled. It means LGBT persons will continue to face discrimination in workplaces, hospitals, and public institutions, with no one to advocate for them.
Weaponizing Aid to Undermine Rights
The decision to cut funding is not just an economic act; it is a political manoeuvre aimed at undermining the rights of all persons worldwide. By withdrawing support from organizations that champion equality, the Trump administration has emboldened forces of oppression, sending a dangerous message that queer lives are disposable. It is a tactic reminiscent of authoritarian regimes—starve the opposition, cripple their capacity, and force them into silence.
But silence is not an option.
A Call to Action
This is a moment for the international community to step up. We cannot allow one administration’s political games to dismantle years of hard-fought progress. Governments, embassies, civil society organizations, and individual allies must urgently step in to support LEGABIBO.
We need:
- Emergency funding to keep Drop-In Centres open and sustain critical healthcare services.
- Diplomatic intervention to push back against these harmful policies and restore funding.
- Stronger partnerships with human rights defenders to ensure advocacy efforts do not collapse.
Run, Run, Run — Statue!
The phrase “Run, run, run—statue!” is a reminder of how fragile safety can be for marginalized communities. It is a game children play, where at any moment, they can be frozen in place, unable to move, unable to resist. Today, LEGABIBO and the communities it serves are being forced into that same position—held hostage by forces beyond their control, frozen in fear of what comes next.
But resistance does not end with a stop order. If anything, this crisis must galvanize a renewed commitment to human rights, justice, and healthcare access. We must refuse to be statues in the face of oppression. Instead, we must keep running—towards a future where no one is left behind.
WRITTEN BY: Nozizwe Ntesang, CEO of LEGABIBO
