South Africans have become more accepting of homosexuality and gender non-conformity over the past decade, according to a new report from the Other Foundation. About 5.3% of South Africans aged 16 or older, or 2.39-million people, identify as LGBTI, according to the “Admission Reserved” report, released on Friday. “This research matters because it shows how much has changed but also how much remains at stake. At a time when rights and protections are under attack in many parts of the world, civil society must remain vigilant,” said the Other Foundation CEO, Neville Gabriel.The Other Foundation commissioned the report from the Human Sciences Research Council, which drew on its annual South African social attitudes survey to track changes in public attitudes towards LGBTI people between 2015 and 2025. It included data from a nationally representative sample of 3,285 respondents.It found just over half (52%) of South Africans believed sexual relations between two adults of the same sex were always wrong in 2025, compared with two-thirds in 2015. Support for same-sex marriage rose from 37% to 45% over the period, with most South Africans (58%) now agreeing that gay and lesbian people deserve the same rights as everyone else. The figure was similar (57%) for bisexual and transgender people and 68% for people who are intersex. More South Africans are expressing support for LBGTI people, according to the report. In 2025, 17% of South Africans said they had spoken in support of a gay, lesbian or bisexual person in public, while 27% said they had not done so but might do so in the future. For transgender people, 9% have spoken up, with 30% saying they have not done so but might do so in the future. The study found awareness of violence and harassment of LGBTI people remains low, with about half the respondents saying they did not think it was an issue in their communities. Yet about 6% of South Africans admitted to having verbally abused a lesbian, gay or bisexual person, and another 6% said they had not done it but may do it in the future. A total of 2.5% of South Africans admitted to having physically harmed someone because they were lesbian, gay or bisexual, and another 1.9% admitted to having physically harmed a transgender person.The research also found South Africans who held more regressive attitudes towards LGBTI people were more likely to harbour unwelcoming views towards immigrants, and respondents who admitted to violence against immigrants were more likely to say they had harassed or harmed LGBTI people. This suggested anti-LGBTI behaviour was part of a broader pattern of hostility towards people seen as “other”, said the Other Foundation. However, it cautioned against overstating this relationship, noting that South Africans who supported LGBTI inclusion could still hold negative views about foreigners. Business Day