In South Africa, some people believe that LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex) individuals only exist in the United States or Europe. There are non-straight and gender non-conforming people all over the world. It is not an illness but a natural way of being. For many decades scientists and doctors unsuccessfully tried to prove that homosexuality is a mental illness. It is no longer even called an “illness” by the medial field. I have noticed a common trend for family members to send their children who identify as LGBTI to a clinic, sangoma (traditional healer), or even church prayer groups to be “cured.” If all LGBTI people were accepted by everyone, there would be no need for a cure!
I have also noticed an ongoing dialogue among South African youth about the role of religion in an individual’s life if they identify as LGBTI. “Most religions started a very long time ago, when having lots of children was very important for people to survive. That is why the holy books mention sex only to have children. Sex between men is often rejected and sex between women is not mentioned. But the holy books also say people must have compassion and understanding for each other. Some religious people live by the holy book and are therefore against LGBTI people. Others use the holy texts as an inspiration, but they don’t dismiss LGBTI people. They see them as human beings. There are many lesbian, gay, and bisexual people who find a way to keep their faith and be who they are” (The Triangle Project brochure, an organization based in Cape Town that provides services to LGBTI people in the Western Cape).
Many years of international research demonstrates that between 5 and 10% of people in every community worldwide identify as LGBTI. I believe this number is grossly underestimated. After all, 1 in 500 people in South Africa are born intersex. Furthermore, when we live in such a diverse world where no two people are the same, how is it possible 90% of the world identify their sexuality as straight. I believe that everyone’s sexuality falls on a continuum. This sexuality continuum includes those that identify as straight or heterosexual. But it is also important to note that not everyone’s sexuality falls within the acronym LGBTI. These categories are only an attempt to identify and label all the varieties of physical sex, sexual orientation and gender identity. There are people who do not identify with any of these categories.
“Human sexuality is dynamic and diverse in its expression...People should be allowed to define themselves and choose which categories, if any, work for them” (OUT LGBT Well-Being magazine).
While in Africa I was able to attend Cape Town’s annual Pride Parade. The parade was complete with floats, costumes, giveaways, balloons, and karaoke performances. It felt great dancing down the streets chanting and singing as if I was moving through this world free from the discriminatory laws and social norms that oppress the LGBTI community.
The Pride Festival gives Cape Town major international credit for being a city that celebrates their LGBTI culture. According to The Pink Tongue newspaper the world’s top 10 gay-friendly Pride cities include…
10. Buenos Aires, Argentina
9. London
8. Toronto, Canada
7. San Francisco’s Castro district, California
6. Berlin
5. Tel Aviv, Israel
4. Sao Paulo, Brazil
3. Amsterdam
2. CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA!
1. And at the most rainbow friendly city….Sydney, Australia!
However, not everything about South Africa is inclusive and accepting to the LGBTI community. While I was marching in the Pride Parade I saw my friend Lucy who was holding a poster with the names of South Africans who have been murdered because of their sexuality or gender identity. She told me this was an important day to celebrate, “but we must never forget” their stories.
“Hate crimes against black lesbians must not be seen as a separate phenomenon from the high incidence of gender-based violence in this country. There are differences as far as sexual orientation is concerned, yet before one is a lesbian, one is a woman…On a daily basis, lesbians are subjected to violence including rape in the belief that it will cure them of their sexual orientation. It is important to stress that patriarchal societies have always aimed to define and dominate female sexuality and self-determination. Women who live a self-determined sexuality challenge this man centered system. In this respect, violence against lesbians is clearly linked to violence against women in general and to a worldwide patriarchal attitude” (The Equality Project Legal Advice Centre). This may be one reason that men are the most common perpetrators of rape and the “curative” rape of lesbians.
This next section is a moment to recognize those who have died in South Africa because of hate crimes.
- 16 year old Madoe Mafubedu was raped repeatedly and stabbed until she died. She was killed for being a proud lesbian.
- Eudy Simelane was a Banyana soccer star murdered because of her sexual orientation.
- In 2006 a gang of men stoned, beat, and stabbed Zoliswa Nkonyana death in front of her house by a for being a lesbian at the age of 19. The perpetrators still have not been prosecuted for this crime.
- In 2008 at the University of the Western Cape, a young man had an argument with his girlfriend, Lithemba Jama, in the residence hall and then stabbed her to death. She was a 24 year old law student.
- Daisy Dube, who was murdered in Johannesburg after requesting that she not be called istabane (a derogatory Zulu slang word, similar to faggot)
In closing, let’s remember the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, “Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people are part of so many families. They are part of the human family. They are part of God’s family. And of course they are part of the African family.”
No comments:
Post a Comment