‘LGBTQI+ awareness lacking in rural areas’

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The LGBTQI+ community in South Africa has commended the progressive laws contained in the constitution that protect all human rights, including those of minority groups.

This comes as South Africa observes 30-years of democracy.

Among its achievements in this area since 1994, South Africa remains the only African state to have legalized same sex marriages.

The past three years have however been difficult for 28-year-old Thato Kgobe from Seshego in Limpopo.

Kgobe is transitioning from a man to a woman, a journey that she says she bravely considered. Kgobe says South Africa’s constitution protects her right to transition.

“When I started with my transitioning, I remember I had to undergo consultations with local healthcare practitioners… none of them were equipped with that and most of them didn’t even know what I was looking for people to say.”

Kgobe says her work in the field of human rights advocacy has exposed her to information regarding organisations that provide services for transgender individuals.

“I generally feel that there has been so much support because there are organisations on the ground in our country that are advocating for transgender people to be able to access quality healthcare services and this includes hormonal replacement treatment and gender reassignment surgery.”

LGBTQI+ South Africans continue to celebrate the achievements that have been made. However, stigma, violence, bureaucracy and high rates of HIV continue to be a hurdle, particularly those outside major cities and towns.

Kgobe highlights the difficulties she is facing to get a new Identity Document that identifies her as a woman.

“Home Affairs issue on legal gender recognition where you’d have to go and properly change your name or even the gender marker is a problem. I have applied for mine a year ago, I haven’t even received a communique from Home Affairs regarding the progress of the ID. I wouldn’t register to vote because I felt like I’m going to face gender dysphoria. People would see me, but this is a guy and you look like a woman, whose ID is this? I always want to avoid anything that has to do with providing my legal documents because I’ll be asked a lot of uncomfortable questions. It’s still a challenge when it comes to gender recognition.”

The freedom enjoyed by LGBTQI+ people in larger cities has been visible in South Africa through gay parades whereas in rural areas there is a lot of homophobia and other forms of discrimination.

Advocate Mpho Nefuri is also a thriving businesswoman who is supported by her family, children and wife of many years. She handles cases of individuals who’ve been discriminated against based on their sex, gender and sexual orientation. She adds that there are gaps when it comes to educating the population in rural areas.

“I am well conversant with the constitution but what happens with my grandmother, does she understand the core values of equality, do they understand that we are equal? What happens to the patriarchal system which has been endorsed by them from their youth up until now?”

South Africa has widely accepted the LGBTQI+ acronym, which now includes the plus symbol, which represents the diverse genders and sexual identities. Nefuri says people should have the right to choose their own identity and sexuality.

“I just hope and pray that young people will be able to open their eyes and irrespective of their sexual orientation, be able to understand where this political organisation is taking them but at this point in time we also have independent candidates where they will be able to say okay my name is Mpho, this is what I stand for I am going to canvass and push for the rights of LGBTQI+ this is the manifesto, this is what we want to achieve.”

“The LGBTQI+ community in South Africa enjoys constitutional and statutory protection from discrimination. Advocacy groups in the LGBTQI+ community agree that more strides are still going to be made in the next thirty years of democracy and freedom.

Transgender people want access to hormonal replacement therapy