SOUTH AFRICA: Black Group Withdraws From Cape Town Pride, Claims Racism
A lesbian and gay rights campaign organisation has hit out at the Cape Town Pride, saying the celebration does not represent the black homosexual community and it will not be supported. “Free Gender has made the decision to continue to suspend its support for the upcoming Cape Town Pride 2015,” said Funeka Soldaat, who is the chairperson of Free Gender, an organisation that campaigns for the rights of homosexuals in Khayelitsha. “The events currently tabled for the upcoming Cape Town Pride are exclusionary and do not represent the black lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex and transgender community (LGBTI),” she added. Cape Town Pride week starts on Friday and will take place from February 20 to 28, culminating in a pride parade and mardi gras along Cobern, Liddle and Napier streets in De Waterkant. Response from festival organiser Matthew van As: "Cape Town Pride does not see race or gender, but people willing to put in the effort and time, for free, to create gay spaces to celebrate being gay. We are Capetonians and gay. That is all we are."Cape Town Pride is the largest such event in all of Africa. Indeed, there are no gay pride events anywhere outside of South Africa. Cape Town Pride begins tomorrow. (Tipped by JMG reader Bruce)
Labels: Africa, Cape Town, gay Pride, South Africa
