Previous PageTable Of ContentsNext Page I. INTRODUCTION A. Summary In the mid-1990s, South Africa emerged from decades of oppression, during which equality had been both a rallying cry and a remote dream, and wrestled with the question of how to turn the slogan into a reality for its peoples. At the same time, politicians elsewhere in southern Africa-facing shrinking public support and the threat of electoral defeat-began exploring how to make inequality a powerful slogan in itself. One leader discovered a potential target and a vituperative language that struck a responsive chord among his people. Others followed suit. They have echoed and reinforced one another across borders and over time-scapegoating one group of people for their countries' difficulties, and explicitly excluding "homosexuals" from constitutional protections granted to their other citizens.