Palapye will host its first-ever Pride March on 1st November 2025, marking a milestone for visibility, safety, and inclusion of LGBTI communities in Botswana’s central region
GOSEGO MOTSUMI
Palapye is set to make history on Saturday 1st November 2025 when it hosts its first Pride March.
Organised by human rights organisation, Agang Community Network, the event will celebrate love, unity, and visibility for the LGBTI community in Palapye and beyond.
According to Seipone Boitshwarelo, Project Coordinator at Agang, the march is part of a broader effort to advance inclusion and human rights for LGBTI persons in Botswana.
SIGNIFICANT STRIDES
“While Botswana has made significant strides such as the decriminalisation of same-sex relationships, LGBTI persons continue to face rejection in religious spaces, discrimination within families and communities, and a lack of comprehensive legal protections,” she said in an interview.
Boitshwarelo noted that the march is in response to growing reports of violence, bullying, and harassment of LGBTI people in communities.
The event will also challenge the belief that LGBTI people do not exist in the community, this being a misconception that was highlighted during the 2023 constitutional review consultations held at the village kgotla.
FAITH-BASED ORGANISATIONS
Agang’s approach includes engaging traditional leaders, parents, and faith-based organisations to ensure that the event is safe, recognised and community-supported.
The organisation hopes to foster solidarity and dialogue between local leadership, including the Kgosi, and the wider community. Expected outcomes include family support, safe celebration, and stronger collaboration to address discrimination.
“The aim is to create a safe space for LGBTI people to march, celebrate, and be seen as part of the community,” said Boitshwarelo.
Boitshwarelo is a seasoned LGBTIQ activist whose work is rooted in faith and sexuality for the past five years. She is the founder of Agang community network which focuses around families and friends of LGBTIQ people in Botswana.