A landmark survey reminds us that while strides have been made towards LGBTQI+ acceptance in South Africa, stark disparities in attitudes persist. The writer says we can hope to build a society where diversity in gender and sexual orientation is not merely tolerated, but celebrated as a strength of our collective humanity, through continued dialogue, education, and compassion.
The recent harassment of foreign nationals should be a wake-up call for all of us who care. It has shown that, when under pressure, stakeholders who should be defending human rights can give in to forces that seek to ‘other’ those who are different and exclude them. There has indeed been a lot of darkness which makes the moments of light (such as the work of Gift of the Givers and, if I may say, the Denis Hurley Centre) all the more important.
Another area where there often seems to be relentless darkness is the exclusion of LGBTQI+ people in areas of our society. The alphabetic acronym – though cumbersome – is important since it recognises that there are people who are ‘gender diverse’ from the heterosexual norm; and also that they are diverse in a variety of ways. Of course there is light: the South African constitution and the laws which it has led to – not least the Civil Union Act which 20 years ago recognised same-sex marriage – is exemplary in defending the rights of LGBTQI+ people. But on the other hand, the actual experiences of many people in our families and our communities does not always live up to these ideals.
