‘We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it’

The LGBTIA community wants residents to take more of an initiative in protecting them because they are human too.

May 25, 2017

Sphindile Mbatha 2 minutes read

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTIA) community went in their numbers from all parts of the country to show solidarity and support to the family of the late Lerato Moloi this past weekend.

They also attended the court case at the Protea Magistrates Court on Thursday, May 11, as the suspects appeared on murder charges, to raise awareness about the killings of black lesbian women in townships.

The suspects will appear at a bail hearing on May 29.

“We’re a bit sceptical about it because we don’t know why they can’t get life imprisonment. But with the current criminal justice system, it’s going to fail us.

“It has been failing black lesbian women for over a decade now, we are not sure what’s going to change now and drastic action needs to be taken so that these people are imprisoned,” said Jade Madingwana of the Forum for the Empowerment of Women (FEW).

The LGBTIA community had a march after attending the court case to raise awareness within Soweto about their existence within the community.

“It seems to be a trend that they are killing women, black lesbians specifically, which is a problem when the country is in a dire situation.

“All we are thinking about is junk status, that’s all that the country is shaken by,” said Madingwana.

She said that there was a national march trying to persuade the president to step down, but there are no marches or talks of abuse against women, misogyny and addressing patriarchy which is still prevalent in the community.

“The presidency on its own is not acknowledging that there are black lesbian women being killed who are targets, so we were marching against the injustices that black lesbian women are facing because they are always targets.

“Every year we have to bury a black lesbian, which is a problem in this country,” she explained.

Madingwana identifies as an individual who is a lesbian and as a woman who is in support of both struggles because the injustices that happen to women particularly lesbian women she does not agree with.

As a member of the FEW, she mentioned that black communities are led by religion and culture.

She further went on to say that, “Pastors are the ones who perpetuate such violence within the community. When they say people of the same gender may not lay in the same bed together so the congregation then internalises it. With these people, your sexuality comes first before your humanity.”

Madingwana said that there have been countless dialogues for residents where the discussion of sexual orientation and gender entities is high on the list, but changing the mindsets of people is another story.

The word going around the LGBTIA community is that lesbians are taking women away from the men.

“Apparently we take their women, I don’t know how that makes sense, I think that’s the problem and that’s why I’m for the #MenAreTrash because the perpetuation and the violence in spite of the ‘good’ men believe that it’s wrong for same-sex individuals to sleep with each other.”

She said that the LGBTIA will continue following the Moloi case, “Personally, we are monitoring the case closely and our support will be to the family by going to court and also providing psycho-social support to the family.”