Michael (name concealed for privacy reasons), 21, contracted syphilis in July 2024 through his partner. The partner, who is 10 years older than him, is a married man who works for one of the commercial banks and is based in Blantyre.
Michael, a student at one of the private colleges within the same city, stays in Chilobwe Township. The two have been in a same-sex relationship for the past two years.
“In May, I started feeling itchy within my rectal area. But I did not think it was something serious,” said Michael.
Reluctantly, in July, he went to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) where it was confirmed that he had syphilis.
While the news was not much of a bother to Michael, the reaction by the nurse he found on the first day worried him, he claimed. He alleged that this is despite discussing his sexuality with the nurse.
He said: “I vividly remember what she said. I thought the court has ruled that there should be no same-sex relationships.”
The nurse was referring to a June 28 Constitutional Court ruling that maintained outlawing of same-sex relationships.
“I felt offended,” said Michael.
As he was waiting for his very first treatment, he alleges that the nurse went out of the room and minutes later, came back with a colleague.
According to Michael, the second nurse told him he is demon possessed which offended him more.
As the first nurse was preparing the dose to inject him, Michael asked for directions to the washroom and upon being advised where to go, he decided to flee.
“I never went back. I felt humiliated,” he said.
On the particular day we met Michael at Blantyre City Park, he maintained his composure, wearing blue jean trousers, black Nike sneakers and a plain T-shirt.
Michael stated that soon after this encounter, he says he notified his partner about testing positive for syphilis and the ordeal he faced at the central hospital.
He claims that the partner became furious and dumped him, accusing Michael of contracting the syphilis elsewhere.
Feeling lost, Michael confided in a close friend from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBQTI) community. The friend helped him access treatment at a private facility in Blantyre for three weeks.
Michael’s situation reflects how members of the LGBQTI community are said to be stigmatised and discriminated against when they go to access taxpayer-funded public services as also highlighted in Afrobarometer’s report published last week. The report shows that Malawi, among 39 surveyed countries, has the highest levels of intolerance for homosexuals.
Titled ‘Social Cohesion: An African Collage of Imperfect Tolerance and Cautious Trust’, the report’s findings state that 91 percent of Malawi’s population is highly intolerant of homosexuals.
Part of the report reads: “Intolerance for differences in sexual orientation remains extremely high, though it is not universal across the continent.”
Issues relating to the LGBTQI community have always been contentious with the majority population, including the clergy, opposing homosexuality legalisation.
For instance, on July 13 2023, the clergy led nationwide protests against a court petition seeking to legalise same-sex relationships, which was later thrown out by the Constitutional Court on June 28 2024.
Sections 153 and 156 of the Penal Code, which human rights advocates wanted reviewed in the court case, prohibits unnatural offences and indecent practices between people of the same sex.
At the same time, Section 120 of Malawi’s Constitution says discrimination against persons in any form is prohibited and that all persons are guaranteed equal and effective protection against discrimination because of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, nationality, ethnic or social origin, disability, property, birth or other status.
QECH director Dr. Kelvin Mponda in a telephone interview on Friday said his office had never received concerns pertaining to discrimination of such nature.
“Even prior to becoming a hospital director, my previous position required that I look at complaints from other clinical departments but have never come across such complaints. But I should not back my over 3 000 staff, not everything can be reported to my office.
“But I would be more interested if the situation was reported so that I can help the situation,” he said.
Ministry of Health spokesperson Adrian Chikumbe was, however, not reachable when contacted.
But Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation executive director Michael Kaiyatsa said in an interview on Wednesday that challenges facing members of the LGBTQI community are deeply concerning and, unfortunately, not surprising given the Constitutional Court ruling.
He said: “It is important that Section 20 of the Constitution, which prohibits discrimination, should be upheld. It is equally important to reconcile this with the punitive provisions of sections 153 and 156 of the Penal Code.”
Kaiyatsa said it is, therefore, important that a comprehensive legal reform be undertaken which will be crucial in ensuring that all citizens, including LGBTQI individuals, can access health services without fear of discrimination or persecution.
The 2020-2025 National Strategic Plan for HIV and Aids shows that seven percent of men who have sex with other men are living with HIV, a drop from 21 percent a decade ago.
This is partly due to an inclusion of 1.25 million lubricants annually in the HIV National Strategy.
Human rights advocate Undule Mwakasungula in a separate interview on Wednesday said the situation reflects the broader challenge of reconciling constitutional guarantees with entrenched beliefs.
“This leads to an environment where stigma, discrimination, and violence are normalised against the LGBTQI people. To address this, there is a need for healthcare workers to be trained to provide non-discriminatory services,” he said.
In 2012, the Ministry of Justice issued a moratorium on arrests and prosecutions for consensual homosexual acts. But it was later suspended by the High Court in 2016 pending a judicial review by the Constitutional Court.
The moratorium goes back to 2010 on the conviction of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga who were arrested for the unnatural offences and indecent practices between males as per dictates of sections 153 and 156 of the Penal Code.
The two were sentenced to 14 years in prison.
But former president Bingu wa Mutharika pardoned them in May 2010 on humanitarian grounds following condemnation by the international community.
