Abstract

South Africa and Spain have similar legislation regarding the decriminalisation of homosexuality and equality and access to Human Rights for the LGBT population. But, the real social experience of homosexual people in the two countries is very different. This article explores homophobia in Africa by describing the real social experiences of the LGBT population in South Africa compared with Spain. The so-called Rainbow Nation, despite its progressive constitution which guarantees LGBT human rights and the absence of discrimination, still contains a high level of homophobia, violence against homosexuals, corrective rapes of Lesbians and a high rate of HIV/AIDS among men who have sex with men. _Published online_: 11 December 2017.