Author: Read with Pride

readwithpride.com Let’s get one thing straight (well, as straight as we get around here): the idea that being LGBTQ+ is “un-African” is one of the biggest historical gaslighting campaigns ever staged. If you’ve spent any time scrolling through the Read with Pride archives, you know we live for a good gay historical romance, but the …

Pre-colonial Same-Sex Relationships in Africa: Debunking the ‘Un-African’ MythRead More

readwithpride.com When we talk about gay historical romance, our minds often drift to the cobblestone streets of Victorian London or the marble temples of Ancient Greece. But if you’re looking for some of the most fascinating, structured, and culturally integrated male-male unions in history, you have to look toward the heart of Africa. Specifically, the …

The Zande Warriors: Ancient Male-Male Unions and ‘Boy-Wives’Read More

readwithpride.com If you’ve ever been told that being LGBTQ+ is a “Western import” or that gender fluidity is a modern trend, honey, have I got a story for you. We’re traveling back to 17th-century Angola to meet one of the most badass, gender-bending, colonial-defying rulers in human history: Queen Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba. At …

Queen Nzinga: Gender Fluidity and Power in 17th-Century AngolaRead More

readwithpride.com Let’s set the record straight, literally and figuratively. There is a persistent, loud, and frankly exhausting narrative that being LGBTQ+ is a “Western import” to the African continent. We hear it in political speeches, we see it in restrictive legislation, and we encounter it in social media debates. But if you’ve spent any time …

The Mudoko Dako: Indigenous Gender Diversity in Uganda’s HistoryRead More

readwithpride.com When we talk about the “Rainbow Nation,” we usually think of the beautiful, diverse tapestry of cultures that make up South Africa. But for those of us in the LGBTQ+ community, that rainbow holds a double meaning. While many parts of the world were still debating whether we deserved basic human rights, South Africa …

Rainbow Nation: The Journey to Marriage Equality in South AfricaRead More

readwithpride.com Nairobi is a city that vibrates with a very specific kind of energy. It’s a mix of red dust, high-speed matatus, and a creative pulse that refuses to be ignored. But for the LGBTQ+ community in Kenya, living loudly isn’t just a lifestyle choice: it’s a radical act of defiance. While the legal system …

Kenya’s Queer Creatives: Using Art to Rewrite the NarrativeRead More

readwithpride.com Let’s talk about a myth that’s been floating around for way too long. You’ve probably heard some politicians or “traditionalists” claim that being queer is a “Western import” to the African continent. They’ll tell you that before colonizers showed up, everything was strictly heteronormative. Well, honey, history has receipts, and those receipts are buried …

Hidden in the Mines: The History of ‘Boy-Wives’ in South Africa’s Labor HistoryRead More

readwithpride.com Let’s be real for a second: being queer in Nigeria isn’t just an identity; it’s an act of daily revolution. If you’ve been following the global landscape of LGBTQ+ rights, you know that the African continent has a complex, often beautiful, but frequently heartbreaking relationship with its queer children. At the center of this …

Nigeria’s Bold Resistance: Queer Life Under the SSMPARead More

readwithpride.com Forget everything you thought you knew about ancient history being a snooze-fest of dusty mummies and boring grain tallies. If you think the “roommates” trope started in the 20th century, you need to set your time machine back about 4,400 years. We’re heading to Saqqara, Egypt, circa 2400 BC, to meet the ultimate power …

Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep: Ancient Egypt’s Eternal EmbraceRead More

readwithpride.com When we talk about queer history, the conversation often centers on Western milestones like Stonewall. But at Read with Pride, we know that the rainbow has been shining across the globe for centuries, often in ways that defy our modern, Western labels. Today, we’re heading to Northern Nigeria to meet a group of people …

The Hausa ‘Yan Daudu: Navigating Gender and Tradition in Northern NigeriaRead More

readwithpride.com When we talk about the history of LGBTQ+ rights, we often get caught up in the narratives of the Global North. But honey, the real revolution is happening across the African continent, and Botswana just gave the world a masterclass in courage, persistence, and pure, unadulterated triumph. In 2019, a landmark ruling changed the …

Botswana’s Triumph: The Road to DecriminalizationRead More

readwithpride.com When we talk about the global LGBTQ+ struggle, our minds often drift to the glitter of parades or the latest MM romance books hitting the charts. But in some corners of the world, “Pride” isn’t just a celebration: it’s a revolutionary act of survival. Today, we’re heading to East Africa to look at the …

Uganda’s Kuchus: The Bravery of a Community Under SiegeRead More

readwithpride.com Let’s be real for a second: for a long time, if you wanted to see queer life in Africa portrayed on a screen, you had to look really hard, and even then, what you found usually wasn’t great. We’re talking about “tragic” endings, characters who were basically walking cautionary tales, or the classic “villain” …

Queer African Cinema: Breaking Silences on the Big ScreenRead More

readwithpride.com If you’ve spent any time in the comments section of a news article about LGBTQ+ rights in Africa, you’ve probably seen the claim: “Homosexuality is un-African.” It’s a narrative pushed by politicians, religious leaders, and social conservatives across the continent. They frame queer identity as a “Western import” or a “colonial disease” that threatens …

The Colonial Roots of Homophobia in Africa: A Legal LegacyRead More

readwithpride.com Ghana is a country of vibrant colors, infectious highlife beats, and a spirit of hospitality: what locals call Akwaaba. But if you’re part of the LGBTQ+ community in the “Black Star” of Africa, that welcome has been feeling a lot more like a closed door lately. Navigating the streets of Accra or Kumasi while …

Faith and Identity: Being Queer in Modern GhanaRead More

readwithpride.com When we talk about queer life in Africa, the headlines are often dominated by the heavy stuff: the harsh laws in Uganda or the landmark court rulings in Botswana. But nestled in the heart of the continent is Rwanda, a country that often leaves activists and observers scratching their heads. It’s a place of …

Rainbow Over Rwanda: Navigating a Neutral Legal LandscapeRead More

readwithpride.com When we talk about the history of marriage, we often get stuck in a very narrow, Western-centric box. We think of a bride in white and a groom in a suit, or we think of the long struggle for marriage equality in the 21st century. But if we pull back the curtain on history: …

Female Husbands of the Asante: Rethinking Gender and Marriage in West AfricaRead More

readwithpride.com When you think of Mauritius, your brain probably goes straight to postcards: turquoise lagoons, volcanic peaks, and those ridiculously luxurious overwater bungalows that seem designed specifically for Instagram. It’s the ultimate honeymoon destination. But for the local LGBTQ+ community, paradise has historically come with a side of “legal leftovers” from a colonial past that …

Pride in Paradise: Mauritius and the Fight for InclusionRead More

readwithpride.com Let’s have a real talk for a second. For way too long, the mainstream publishing world acted like queer stories only happened in West Hollywood, East London, or maybe a moody cottage in the French countryside. But honey, the tea is this: queer life has always been a global phenomenon. Specifically, the African continent …

The New Wave of Queer African Literature: Voices You Need to ReadRead More

readwithpride.com For a long time, the narrative surrounding the African continent and LGBTQ+ rights has been framed by outsiders as a story of pure tragedy. But if you step into the digital spaces where African Gen Z lives, breathes, and creates, you’ll find a very different vibe. It’s a world of vibrant resistance, radical joy, …

The Digital Frontier: How African Gen Z is Revolutionizing Queer ActivismRead More