Pride Parade first for Ugu region
The LGBTQI+ community and its visibility on the South Coast has been non-existent.
The inaugural Ugu Pride Parade will be held on Friday, October 28 at the Gamalakhe ZG Hall under the theme: Visibility of the LGBTQI+ on the South Coast.
The event is aimed at creating a safe space for the Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) community in the Ugu region will start from 10.30am.
According to the organisers, the parade will also feature the Youth In Conversation (YIC) dialogue.
Mlondi Mkhize of YIC, who is also the spokesperson for the Ugu Pride Parade, said the initiative is dedicated to raising awareness on the LGBTQI+ community and address issues and struggles faced by the community.
Mkhize said when they look at the LGBTQI+ community and its visibility on the South Coast, it had been non-existent, until a few years ago.
“Then we started seeing activities and progressive dialogues that were aimed at benefitting queer people and educating the community at large. For this upcoming Ugu Pride Parade and Youth in Conversation, after months of research and evaluation from previous engagements, it has come to light that previously implemented interventions are a
continuous need, as they are significant in their own right, however, this one has a distinct objective to it,” said Mkhize.
He added that the office of the mayor of Ugu District Municipality has confirmed mayor Phumlile Mthiyane’s attendance. Mkhize said they have also sent out an invite to the office of the mayor of Ray Nkonyeni Municipality, Sikhumbuzo Zero Mqadi and the speaker of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, Nontembeko Boyce.
He said it was important to invite the local government and policymakers so that they can get to engage with members of the LGBTQI+ community.
“I hope the mayor of Ray Nkonyeni Municipality and the speaker of the KZN Legislature honour our invite so that they can get to meet and engage with the LGBTQI+ community in Ugu. These are the stakeholders that have the community’s best interest at heart, who can help with promoting visibility and inclusivity. We have also invited organisations such as uThingo Network, the Lower South Coast LGBTQI organisation, Lesbian Gay Community Health Centre, and the members of the public,” he said, adding that the parade will start with a small demonstration the ZG Hall.
For more information on the initiative, contact 082 788 4379 or 064 132 4751.
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