no freedom celebrations for black lesbians

By Jackie Stewart (The Star)

April, 27, 2005, Johannesburg: 'An abomination against God' is what a doctor called Keba when she sought treatment after being raped because she's gay. Her story is still all too common in SA's 'free' society.

While the majority of South Africans celebrate Freedom Day today, Keba Sebetoane is reminded how little things have changed for her and other black lesbians since the first democratic elections more than a decade ago.

"I'm supposed to find this country beautiful now. But I don't love South Africa," said the 19-year-old, who was happy for The Star to use her real name and photo. "I envy those who can celebrate Freedom Day. It should be called Freedom and Discrimination Day."

After being raped by a acquaintance, Sebetoane went to a hospital to report the crime and seek treatment

"Verbal abuse is every day. It's almost like my daily bread"
. Instead of finding compassion and help, she found bigotry, even being called an "abomination against God" by the doctor examining her.

"It was 10 hours of trauma," Sebetoane said as she described how she was shuffled from one hospital to another and had to wait hours for the police to take a report.

More than a year after the attack, Sebetoane is still waiting for justice. "I can't live a free life," she added, because her attacker is not in jail. "He lives where I live. I worry about safety."

Although laws making homosexual conduct illegal have been repealed, black lesbians are still not free to openly express their sexuality in public. They face being the targets of hate crimes and discrimination in the workplace on a daily basis, said Donna Smith, chief executive officer of the Forum for the Empowerment of Women (FEW), an advocacy group for black lesbians.

"The law is different. We have some recourse now. But people's lives are not significantly different," says Smith.

A 2004 report by OUT - a health and mental health service provider for gays and lesbians in Pretoria - shows that Sebetoane's story of being raped because she is a lesbian may be all too common in South Africa.

Of the 145 black lesbians surveyed for the OUT study, 9,7% said they had been sexually abused or raped within the last 24 months. And 17,2% of respondents reported being victims of domestic violence.

"They are discriminated against, abused and they still suffer hate crimes," Smith said. "Some don't know what the constitution says. It makes no difference in their lives."

About 36% of the women surveyed reported being verbally abused.

"Verbal abuse is every day. It's almost like my daily bread," Sebetoane said.

Sebetoane said she has always been able to handle the teasing and comments. But the rape almost devastated her.

"I thought of killing myself," she said. "I didn't want to report it. I thought of just organising my brothers to beat the hell out of him."

With the support of her friends, family and FEW, Sebetoane has started to recover. She doesn't think about the rape as often now and the attack has become easier for her to talk about.

"At first I didn't know how to express myself," she said. "The more I speak the more I heal. But I'm still angry."

Sebetoane has been frustrated with how her case has been handled. More than a year after the attack, her rapist is still not in jail. She has received threatening phone calls and occasionally sees him.

"I'm dying inside and it's not fair," she said. "Whenever I see him with other girls, I wonder what will happen to those girls. Will he keep on doing this?"

From her advocacy work, Smith has found that other black lesbians like Sebetoane were not satisfied with how their cases were handled. The OUT survey showed that 45,2% of black gays and lesbians cited a previous poor experience with the police as a reason for not reporting a crime against them.

The South African Police Service will follow up any allegation of discrimination and disciplinary action will be taken if appropriate, said Senior Superintendent Mohlabi Tlomatsana.

Hate crimes are not specifically addressed during police training, but human rights are discussed, he said.

"The Police Services feels very strongly about violation of human rights and discrimination against any person or group and if the details of these allegations are submitted, the matter will most definitely be followed up and disciplinary action will be instituted, if appropriate," Tlomatsana said.

Smith thinks one way to improve the treatment of black lesbians is through working with the police. FEW does this by inviting the police to their community workshops hosted for black lesbians. Between 30 to 50 women usually attend these events. However, few officers participate, Smith said.

FEW is using Freedom Day as a way to increase awareness and understanding about issues facing black lesbians and others in South Africa. Through a day of activities including a rally and speeches at the women's jail at Constitution Hill today, the organisation hopes to gain public attention.

Sebetoane thinks educating service providers will increase understanding and eventually decrease discrimination against homosexuals. Once service providers start taking more action against those committing hate crimes then society will begin to change, she said.

"If I'm verbally abused and the authorities allow it, then society won't change," she said.

But Sebetoane admits an increase in tolerance will also take time. Right now, she is striving to live a normal life and plans on becoming a chemical engineer. She hopes to get married one day.

"If I can be strong, then no challenge can take me down," she said.

"Some people don't want to see my happy side because of my sexuality so I might as well be extra happy."

Sebetoane doesn't regret being open about her sexual orientation and felt publicly telling her story, despite fears of retaliation, was important. She encourages other women to express their sexuality as well and find support through organisations such as FEW.

"I'm coming out to show people and to tell lesbians that together we can do something," Sebetoane said. "We need to send a message."