Report: Examination of LGBT People's Lived Experiences and Public Perceptions in Rwanda

Abstract

This report presents findings from a study examining the lived experiences of LGBT people and public perceptions of sexual and gender minorities in Rwanda, conducted jointly by the Health Development Initiative and the African Population and Health Research Center under the Challenging the Politics of Social Exclusion project. Rwanda is among ten countries in sub-Saharan Africa that have never criminalized homosexuality, and the country's constitution and human rights provisions guarantee the freedoms and privacy of all citizens, including LGBT individuals; Rwanda has also supported several international declarations on sexual orientation and gender identity. Despite this comparatively favorable legal and policy environment, the study finds that LGBT individuals in Rwanda continue to face stigma, discrimination, and human rights violations in practice, including in accessing food, health, social, and financial services, as well as during religious and cultural events. The report combines survey data from LGBT participants and the general public with qualitative interviews to document the gap between Rwanda's progressive formal protections and the lived realities of its LGBT population, offering evidence to inform advocacy and programming aimed at closing that gap.