Botswana Indice du Voyage Gay 2026
Score = Juridique 46/60 + Scène 8/40 = 54/100
Updated 7 Oct 2026 · release 2026.3.
A live score, not an annual report — it recomputes as laws, rulings and the scene itself change. See what moved in 2026.
Sécurité juridique · Legal milestones · La scène sur place · Planifiez votre voyage · Questions fréquentes
Sécurité juridique — 46/60 points
| Criminalisation | Legal (2019) |
|---|---|
| Partenariat | ● Non not recognised |
| Anti-discrimination | ● Oui |
| Reconnaissance du genre | Legal route — recognition possible via medical or administrative process |
| Application dans les faits | Calm — no active persecution documented |
Research note: 2017 High Court marker rulings; 2019 decriminalization — GayOut Index 2026.3 legal research (ILGA World / Human Dignity Trust / Rainbow Europe / Equaldex).
Legal composite, five components
Fulfilment per component (100 = maximum). Weights: criminalisation 35% · partnership 20% · enforcement 20% · anti-discrimination 15% · gender recognition 10%.
Legal milestones
Background, not travel advice — how the current status came to be. For planning a trip, rely on the current score, tier and scene sections above; 2026 movements are tracked in the sourced change log.
- 2010The Employment Act was amended to bar workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation, even as colonial-era sodomy laws remained. ↗
- 2014The High Court ordered the government to register LEGABIBO, the country's main LGBTQ advocacy organization. ↗
- 2016The Court of Appeal upheld LEGABIBO's registration, and courts affirmed transgender people's right to change legal gender. ↗
- 2019The High Court unanimously struck down the colonial-era sodomy law, decriminalizing consensual same-sex relations. ↗
- 2021The Court of Appeal unanimously rejected the government's appeal, cementing decriminalization. ↗
- 2026The invalidated sodomy provisions were formally deleted from the Penal Code in March, aligning the statute with court rulings. ↗
- TodaySame-sex relations were legal with employment discrimination protections, though same-sex marriage remained unrecognized. ↗
Sources: ILGA World · Human Dignity Trust · Equaldex. Each milestone links to a reference source ↗.
La scène sur place — 8/40 points
Detailed scene metrics (for researchers)
| Bars gay par million | 0 |
|---|---|
| Saunas par million | 0 |
| Événements par million | 0 |
| Niveau de couverture | A |
| Score de la scène | 8/40 (indice brut de la scène 20/100) |
Questions fréquentes
Botswana est-il une destination sûre pour les voyageurs gays ?
Botswana is rated Some caution on the GayOut Gay Travel Index 2026, scoring 54/100 overall with a legal safety component of 46/60. On enforcement reality, no active persecution is documented.
Le mariage entre personnes de même sexe est-il légal en Botswana ?
No. Same-sex marriage is not legal in Botswana. Overall legal status: Legal (2019).
Y a-t-il une scène gay en Botswana ?
Yes. GayOut lists 14 LGBTQ+ venues in Botswana, including 0 dedicated gay bars, across 1 cities with a scene, and tracks 0 Pride parades there.