Government neither endorsed nor adopted a Comprehensive Sexuality Education toolkit recognizing and promoting the education about genderqueer and different sexual orientations, the Office of the Government Spokesperson (OGS) has said. “The Comprehensive Sexuality Education Toolkit: Amahitamo Yanjye published on March 31, is a product of the NGO Plan International. This toolkit has not been validated, endorsed, or adopted by either the Ministry of Health, Rwanda Biomedical Center, or the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion,” a statement published on April 2 reads. It adds that sexual orientation and gender identity are private matters, and that the health and well-being of all Rwandans are protected without discrimination under existing law and policy. ‘Amahitamo Yanjye’, (loosely, ‘My Choice’) shows that gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation are not related, and the terms are explained using new Kinyarwanda terminologies, such as ‘abagabogore’ and ‘igitsina cya gatatu’. The toolkit was launched as an out-of-school material for adolescents and young people aged from 10-24 years, and was to be taught in schools and refugee camps. Its launch attracted public debate from within and out of Rwanda.
