celebrate and respect for diversity

By Mashilo Mnisi

Respect and caring commence within oneself, and if that has been manifested then one can be able to respect the others. I believe the messages of the ‘16 Days of Activism’ don’t just die with the end of the period. In fact, those messages and commitment should be taken into the festive season so that all people live in harmony.

This is just Utopia – I know – but it could be an ideal that will epitomise a flawless society where there’s no animosity – especially looking at the minorities on the continent.

There have been a lot of abuses – to be precise – the abuses that were meted at the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people who yearly become victims of the mainstream community as they’re loathed of who they are – the different sexual orientation, phew!

At least I cherish that some murder cases of lesbians in South Africa see light of the day as trials and investigations have begun trying to seek justice.

I hope that messages for respect will infest the festive season so that we don’t turn anybody into victim, especially that’s based on sexual orientation. Let’s raise voices and extol the efforts and courage that most of the gay organisations – not only in South Africa but across the continent – took to prioritise and put gay and lesbian rights on the limelight.

I think of the Joint Working Group, Gays and Lesbians Coalition of Kenya, Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe, Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana, House of Rainbow, Sexual Minorities Uganda, Malawi Centre for the Development of People, The Rainbow Project, Alternatives-Cameroun, Zaafaran, Horizon Community Association and many more.

Behind The Mask (BTM) wishes all these committed organisations a blissful and happy festive season until the new year. At BTM, we wish that they come up with more efforts to straddle hatred against the minorities. Aluta Continua!!!