WATCH: Gay and lesbian community have their say
Parents found it hard to accept gays and lesbians within the Estcourt Community
The Gay & Lesbian Network (GLN) visited Estcourt last Friday and hosted a dialogue on secondary victimisation and discrimination among the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community.
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GLN is a registered non-profit organisation based in Pietermaritzburg. With the aim of creating a non-discriminatory, supportive and accepting society in which members of all communities are uplifted and developed, the team along with Imvelo# held this dialogue at the Estcourt Town Hall.
The few of the gay and lesbian community attended as well as parents, chiefs, Correctional Service members, non-profit organisations, Victim Support and Department of Social Development, to name a few.
The gathering began with a song and a poem being rendered. After a quick introduction, the chiefs began raising some of their concerns.
They were unhappy about how girls are now behaving, according to the chiefs they urinate in public, smoke, drink and take drugs.
GLN Health Programme Project Co-ordinator, Sphelele Msthiba highlighted that not everyone can have the same behaviour and that everyone must work together to rectify any misunderstanding in a respectful way.
The parents in attendance expressed their hurt saying: “We have raised you in a certain way, only for you to change. I think this stems from alcohol. It is very painful to see.” A few moving testimonies were shared at the dialogue on how gays have been assaulted for their sexuality and how others are victims of ‘corrective rape’.
Mr Msthiba pleaded with the local gay and lesbian community to carry themselves with respect in public.
The Traditional Healers Organisation spoke on how female learners now refuse to wear school skirts and dresses.
Some of the issues being experienced by the local gay and lesbian community included ‘straight people’ refusing to work with them, when reporting being beaten up due to their sexuality they told its ‘common assault,’ and forced marriages.
Mrs P Mathonsi from Victim Support aired her frustration saying: “I don’t appreciate that people are taking up being gay or lesbian as a fashion.”
All the service providers who attended issued handy tips and advice to the local gay and lesbian community.
They also all echoed that their departments fully support them without discrimination. A way forward was discussed and ahead of concluding the event, a tasty lunch was served to everyone who attended.
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