"[1] Despite the absence of legal enforcement against same-sex sexual activity, LGBTQ people in Eswatini regularly face societal discrimination and harassment, including violence.

[7] By the mid-twentieth century, "sodomy" in South Africa had been defined by its courts as "unlawful and intentional sexual relations per anum between two human males.

The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) asserts that Eswatini's definition of "sodomy" is the same as South Africa's and that female same-sex sexual acts are legal.

[16] In 2012, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Mgwagwa Gamedze rejected a call by a United Nations working group to put up a law protecting LGBTQ people.

The Committee wanted to know what measures have been put in place "to protect persons from discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity, including in housing and employment, and to promote tolerance.

"[18] Additionally, the Committee questioned Eswatini's adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protects private adult consensual sexual activity, and expressed concern that violence against LGBTQ people is widespread.

Gay men and lesbians who were open about their sexual orientation and relationships faced censure and exclusion from the chiefdom-based patronage system, which could result in eviction from one's home.

It is difficult to know the extent of employment discrimination based on sexual orientation because victims are not likely to come forward, and most gay men and lesbians are not open about their sexual orientation.King Mswati III, one of the last absolute monarchs in the world, has reportedly called same-sex relationships "satanic"[a] and former Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini has called homosexuality "an abnormality and a sickness.

"[11] In 2009, Mangosuthu Simanga Dlamini, president of the Gays and Lesbians Association of Eswatini (Galeswa), was personally invited to the opening of the ninth Swati Parliament.

[20] In February 2012, Swazi public health officials used a Valentine's Day campaign to urge gays to trust promises of confidentiality and test for HIV.

"[17] In 2014, Press Secretary Percy Simelane told The Swazi Observer that the Government "has been closely monitoring the situation with a view to take a legal position.

[26] In November 2018, activists released a documentary focusing on the lives of a gay man, Mlando, a lesbian, Alex, and a transgender woman, Polycarp, in Eswatini.

The documentary, called "Fighting For Pride: Swaziland", discusses the prejudices they face, the reactions of their families and the signification of LGBTQ activism.

A spokesman for Rock of Hope said, "It is worth noting that many in the religious circles, continue to spew hate speech and show utter disregard for the deeds of the Lord, by being judgmental and expelling some of the LGBTI community from their places of worship.

According to a 2013 survey, 43% of lesbian and transgender respondents had tried to commit suicide within the past year, and 78% regularly took "intoxicating substances to feel normal and forget.

[30] A 2019 survey showed that 59% of LGBTQ Swazis had been discriminated against or treated disrespectfully at public health facilities, with 30% being denied healthcare services.