I’m not being paid to promote gay rights in Zambia-Laura Miti

Outspoken civil society activist Laura Miti has denied allegations that she is being paid to promote gay rights in Zambia.

Despite denying the allegations, Ms. Miti has said Zambia should decriminalize gay sex in Zambia.

Featuring on ZNBC Television’s Sunday Interview, Ms. Miti said she cannot receive money to champion the agenda she does not believe in.

Ms. Miti, however, said Zambia should stop jailing people over gay sex.

“I am not pushing for gay rights. Let me speak about this, you know to have gay rights you have to put them in the constitution. I don’t think we should. I don’t think we are ready. I don’t think you push a country to put in their constitution what generally they are not ready for because that constitution becomes academic. And if you look at western countries, it took them hundreds of years to get to the point when they could put gay rights in the constitution so I don’t think Zambia and Africa to a large extent is ready for that,” Ms. Miti said.

“My point is, we must not put people in jail. That is the only point. Let’s make small movements and the small movements for me are that you cannot break down hotel rooms. Just think of all the people we have gotten in prison. They had private relationships. It is them two consenting adults doing whatever they do. Gay rights currently illegal just like apartheid was legal. You see what I mean, apartheid was legal, and does that make it just? So all I ask for is that they should not be put in jail. That is the only thing. We should change the law and not make this criminal. Let’s decriminalize it,” Ms. Miti said.

The activist insisted that she does not pursue wealth in her life.

“My response to being paid to push an agenda is that anybody who says you have been paid to say something usually has a price themselves and it is very sad. I just think to myself if you think I have been paid it means you could be paid. You know what I mean; you could be paid to say something you don’t believe in. I could never be paid to say something I don’t believe. You know if I was being paid I would marvelously be rich. Luckily for me I don’t pursue wealth, I don’t pursue wealth. I don’t wanna be rich but even if I wanted to be rich I don’t just have the kind of money so I genuinely believe that we should not have people sitting in jail. That is my only issue. We should not have people sitting in jail, arrested over having sex,” she said.

Ms. Miti said Zambia should direct its energy to fighting rampant non consensual sex.

“Let me tell you what I think we should be dealing with which really breaks my heart. You know right now the sex problem we have in the country is non consensual sex. In this country, young girls and even girls of the age of consent routinely have sex they do not want because they are looking for a job, because they are trying to enter police, because they are trying to get any of these hierarchical institutions. You have young girls 10, 11, 12… of living in homes which are probably of not their parents. Raped by their parents, raped by their uncles. Issues being resolved at home. Do you know why? Because as a country we believe that heterosexual sex, we seem to understand man. We have so many broken people over non consensual sex. Last week, someone came into my inbox and she named a human resource manager of a huge private company in Zambia who has pushed her to have sex with him unless. Otherwise she won’t get the job. What I am saying is that as a country we are very myopic. These issues that are affecting us like extreme poverty, we are not discussing them,” she said.

On the same TV Show, Ms. Miti called for the quick enactment of the Access to Information Law in Zambia.

She further said the proposed amendment of the Public Order Act should be tabled in the next session of Parliament