Same sex couples gaining acceptance at Matric dances?: In 2007 the Independent Online newspaper ran a report about matrics who did not dare take their partner of choice to their matric dance. In 2013, Jeppe Girl’s School was in the national Sunday Times newspaper news because, despite fears of a possible ban, a gay girl felt confident about taking her girlfriend to the dance. Anecdotal evidence (no formal research has been done) suggests it is becoming easier for LGBTI matrics to partner with whom they want at matric dances.

Gay hate pastor banned from South Africa: In September 2016 LGBTI activists and groups campaigned against US Baptist Pastor Steven Anderson and seventeen followers being allowed entry to South Africa to spread their vicious anti-gay message. Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba, banned him and cited the rights in our Constitution for equality and protection of gay people, as the basis of his decision. The Pastor was subsequently kicked out of Botswana and refused entry into Britain.

Trans Collective shuts down RMF Exhibition: In March 2016, the UCT Trans Collective, which fights for the rights of transgender, gender non-conforming and intersex students, invaded, vandalised and shut down a Rhodes Must Fall photo exhibition. They claimed they were tokenised and under-represented in the exhibition.

Yet another assault on a gay man: In June 2015, a gay online magazine, Mamba Online, reported how a gay man Ibanathi Ngcobo, had walked out of a nightclub and been attacked. He laid a charge of assault. The report said, “Ngcobo said the assailant, who he didn’t know, kept shouting at him, “You stabani. You gay faggot. We will teach you a lesson.” Ngobo says the only reason he was attacked was because he is gay. We give this one incident as an example, but this type of attack occurs with appalling regularity in South Africa, and around the world.

Yet another ‘corrective rape’: Another dreadful crime that occurs particularly often in South Africa, is rape of lesbian women by heterosexual men. In 2011 Millicent Gaika was beaten and raped by a man she knew, for five hours. He said to her: “You think you’re a man, but I’m going to show you you’re a woman.” That same year Zukiswa Gaca of Khayelitsha was raped by a man she knew slightly. He said he was going to ‘teach her a lesson’. Again, we have picked these as two examples among many.

Yet another horrific homophobic rape, torture and murder: In April 2011 Eudy Simelane, a former Banyana Banyana star, now training to be the first female referee for the 2010 World Cup, was found murdered. Known to be lesbian, she had been dragged, stabbed 25 times, gang raped and left to die. Unusually, one person was found guilty, two others got off due to lack of evidence. In April 2011, Noxolo Nogwaza was murdered in KwaThema outside Johannesburg. She was openly gay and for this she was stoned to death. The list of lesbians murdered simply for being lesbian grows longer and longer.