PINK MYNAH SET TO BREAK BARRIERS OF STIGMA

By Mongezi Mhlongo (BTM Senior Reporter)

SOUTH AFRICA – 27 November 2009: The much anticipated annual Pink Mynah festival, aiming to educate and entertain, starts tomorrow 28 November to 5 December in PieterMarizburg and Durban.

Director of the Gay and Lesbian Network, Anthony Waldhausen says the festival mainly aims to sensitize, create awareness and to educate society about the diversity of sexual orientations with a view to change perceptions and attitudes therefore promoting equality, tolerance, respect, recognition and acceptance of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people.”
 
He added, “The festival intends to break down the barriers of stigma and discrimination towards the LGBTI community.”

“We are hoping that this year’s festival will be bigger and better, with expected support from both the heterosexuals and LGBTI communities”, he said.

Eager members of the LGBTI community in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) have expressed their interest on what the festival has to offer.

“I am attending this year’s festival for the edutainment and to meet with other homosexual people, who share the same challenges and experiences around Pietermaritzburg. The parade for me will show the general community that homosexuals do exist in the area”, Zamani Cele a gay man from Pietermaritzburg said.

Cele believes that the festival creates a platform for the gay community to voice their issues.

“The workshops that will be conducted are a perfect way of getting referrals to services that we can access, and the much needed relevant information”, Cele said.

Festivities include a pride parade, public meetings and awards, human rights workshops and the Mr and Miss Gay KZN and more significantly the World AIDS Day.

“To commemorate World Aids Day, we have an event on the 1 December 2009. In line with the National theme for HIV/AIDS that focuses on Universal access and Human Rights, as an organisation we see this as facilitation of access to information and treatment for the LGBTI community.”

 “We do expect religious leaders and other people who may be unhappy about the festival and may try to protest, but it is something we will handle”, Waldhausen concluded.