Behind the Mask

joburg loses gay games bid
November 14, 2005: The Federation of Gay Games (FGG) today announced that the successful host city for the 2010 Gay Games is Cologne, Germany. More...

sa holds breath for pink games
November 11, 2005: The contrast is quite remarkable. Instead of the neatness of Zurich, you have the winds of Chicago. Media coverage is also a little different. Instead of live feeds on all the national television stations, you'll be lucky to hear the result mentioned on Gauteng radio stations on Monday morning. More...

'holy anus' stirs up unholy row
November 7, 2005: Cape Town - Well-known campaigner against homosexuality Dr Peet Botha has come under fire because a section in his latest book is entitled The Anus is Holy. More...

gays, a lecturer and a monkey wrench
October 28, 2005: A North West University student has lodged an official complaint with university authorities after an art history lecturer allegedly used his classes to attack homosexuality as "an immoral fad" to be blamed on the African National Congress government. More...

cape health chief attacks 'ban' on gay blood
October 26, 2005: Cape Town's health chief Dr Ivan Toms has publicly challenged the local blood transfusion service over its failure to allow gay men to donate blood. More...

gay couple battles to have a test-tube baby
October 23, 2005: A gay couple wanting to have a surrogate test-tube baby has turned to another hospital after a Cape Town fertility clinic rejected them because their relationship was against Catholic doctrine. More...

judge challenged for being a lesbian
October 19, 2005: A battle of the sexes has played out at Judicial Service Commission interviews, with a lesbian judge forced to defend her sexual orientation. More...

south african hospital denies surrogacy to gay couple on religious grounds
October 13, 2005: A gay couple looking forward to having their own baby after 16 years together have had their dreams dashed after the catholic Church refused to approve test tube babies for gay couples. More...

the crisis in gay media
October 11, 2005: It seems important to observe that "Tuesday Night" and Wrapped were servicing different segments of the population. This would be so much a truism as to be not worth mentioning were it not for the fact that some commentators have fallen back, yet again, on talk about "the gay community." More...

ayez à dire sur la vie des gays!
Octobre, 2005: Après qu'un homme a été attaqué et battut parcequ'il est hommosexuel et fier de l,être. L'équipe de daily sun a décidé de chercher ce que la société pense sur la vie des gays:voilà ce qu'ils ont découvert. Plus...

pride 2005: you speak
October 4, 2005: We asked a number of people, some ordinary everyday gays and lesbians, and others more active in the community, their opinions on this year's Pride. More...

pride and prejudice
October 3, 2005: Are LBGT people feeling the positive impact of the laws and policies that enshrine our right to equal benefit and protection by the law? Or, are we still dodging the broken bottles of widespread prejudice and homophobia? More...

how i became a homosexual
September 30, 2005: Grahamstown - She is young, soft and kind with all the effeminate qualities, but her urge to 'make love' to a woman is irresistible. She is a lesbian and she makes no secret of it. More...

gay pride: 'broken bottles won't stop us'
September 26, 2005: South African gay website Mambaonline said the event was "described by many as one of the best organised, most well-attended, most representative and successful to date", though the parade was marred by a bottle-throwing incident. More...

'blood spurted from her neck'
September 26, 2005: Johannesburg - A glass bottle attack on a young woman in the Gay and Lesbian Pride march on Saturday in Johannesburg caused panic and pandemonium as blood pumped from her neck. More...

'management blunder' to make tuesday nite dead
September 24, 2005: Auckland Park - The LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex) community will confront SABC boss Dali Mpofu next month after Radio 2000's Tuesday Nite Live was canned. More...

the "community" converge to honour homo-activists
September 22, 2005: Braamfontein - After years of being recognised by the others, the gay and lesbian community finally got together on the evening of September 21 to honour its heroes. More...

soweto holds a historic mini-pride parade
September 20, 2005: Dubbed the Soweto Mini Pride, the event was held on a hot September day, specifically to bring "the pride to the people." More...

zulu king slams gays
September 12, 2005: Zulu monarch King Goodwill Zwelithini has lashed out at homosexuals, accusing them of confusing children and tarnishing the image of the Zulu nation. More...

it's a matter of pride: gay festival marches back to its old stomping ground in central joburg
September 11, 2005: The Joburg Lesbian and Gay Pride Festival is returning to its roots. After several years of being staged in Rosebank, the festival will return to Joburg's central business district. More…

being gay 'is genetic'
September 9, 2005: Why is science being ignored in the raging debate about the position gays should or could occupy in practising religion? More...

homophobic principal denies a toddler admission to school
September 6, 2005: Lesbian parents of a four year old who was to start school at Trinity House College, a private school in Randburg, are left puzzled after the school headmaster refused to admit their child to the school. More...

l'hommophobie est une maladie
Auot 24, 2005: L'hommophobie est une maladie dont toute la société subisse les conséquences ; que tu sois hommosexuel ou heterosexual voici les témoignages de certains. Plus...

cape town pride festival 2006 invites members of the public to an agm
August 24, 2005: Cape Town Gay Pride Festival is inviting members of the public to join them at their annual general meeting to be held on Saturday 27 August at 14H00, at Broadway in Short market Street. The meeting aims to celebrate the booming success of this year's festival which took place from 18 - 27 February and to reveal the vision of next year's festival. More...

sharpeville now famous for lesbian engagement
August 23, 2005: The couple appealed to the community to understand and accept gay and lesbian people. They have also announced that they will soon be having a white wedding. More...

homophobic magistrate in trouble
August 19, 2005: A magistrate who condemned gay sex as unnatural and said it was unfortunate it was permitted by the Constitution has been rapped over the knuckles by two high court judges. More...

la marche de fierté à Johannesbourg.
Aôut 2005: Johannesbourg gays et lesbiennes celebreront leur sexième anniversaire cette année pendant une longue semaine du 17 au 24 septembre. Le thème de cette année est ;Pride Sweetsixteen: "LA LIBERTE D'EXPRESSION , LE DROIT D,ETRE". Plus...

muholi has done it again!
August 18, 2005: Muholi first shot to prominence when she propelled the issue of lesbian rape in South African townships when she was still a reporter on Behind the Mask. More...

service providers come in numbers to attend a workshop on the sexual offences bill
August 18, 2005: One of the contentious practices occurring currently is the lack of synergy between health and criminal justice authorities, as well as the tedious process a victim has to follow in order to report a case. More...

tuesday night show bulldozed off air
August 16, 2005: The public broadcaster is accused of being insensitive to a niche gay and lesbian show by demanding that it pays commercial rates for a show meant to address a media-marginalised community. More...

a women's day symposium of same sex relationships in Africa
August 12, 2005: A sangoma questions why homophobia rears its ugly head now despite historical evidence showing that same sex relationships predates colonialism and Christianity. More...

"the tommy boys" versus wits debating union rookies
August 11, 2005: Craving an informative debating session, Esau Mathope attends a debate on same sex relationships between a group of researchers and Wits Debating Union members. More...

ngk uses gay rod to beat writer
August 5, 2005: A prolific Afrikaans writer told that the congregations's arts academy would not authorise his creative writing course because the church doesn't approve of "gay experiences". More...

l'afrique du sud sur la voie du mariage gay .
Aôut 5, 2005: ce ne serait pas le fait du parlement comme dans d,autres pays mais grâce à la cour constitutionnelle. Plus...

gays and church make peace
August 7, 2005: Church dominees have extended an olive branch to the owners of a gay guest farm after weeks of bitter fighting in a small town. More...

a befitting memorial for a human rights champion: ronald louw
August 4, 2005: Vasu Reddy, an academic and Louw's ex-collague, pays his last respect. More...

police arrest man after teacher's murder
August 4, 2005: Intensive investigations by police have led to the arrest of a man in connection with the murder of Overport Secondary teacher Aman Maharaj. More...

kzn woman finds her son strangled in bed
August 3, 2005: Swift police action on Tuesday resulted in the arrest of a Durban man less than 24 hours after a man, believed to be his lover, was found strangled at a Sydenham home. More...

diversity debunked
August 1, 2005: The South African constitution explicitly states that gay and lesbian people are deserving their fundamental human rights as sexual minorities. Does the media reflect this? A media historian traces events that represent significant moments in LGBT beleaguered history and asks, has the situation changed? More...

bizarre twist in gay beach murder case
July 31, 2005: Bernard Paddock who says he was a former nominee for the city's Citizen of the Year award is on trial for murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and unlawful possession of a firearm. More...

south african sports commission endorses johannesburg's bid to host gay games viii in 2010
July 29, 2005: The Organizing Committee of Johannesburg's Bid to host Gay Games VIII in 2010 today announced that they have received official endorsement from the national Sports Commission. More...

guest lodge owners' plans to restore peace are thwarted by gla maverick actions
July 26, 2005: The difference of opinion between gay guest farm owners and an Afrikaans church is made more difficult by the involvement of a political party with multiple names. More...

le mal de vivre des lesbiennes noires
Juillet 2005: les homosexuelles noires habitant dans les townships subissent de graves traumatismes, liés aux agressions verbales et physiques dont elles sont victimes quotidiennement. Plus...

joburg pride set to turn sweet sixteen
July 21, 2005: The theme for this year is: "Pride - Sweet Sixteen: the Right to Be, the Freedom to Express", and significantly, this year, Heritage Day falls on the Saturday, 24th, the day of the Pride March. More...

where will south africa's 'soccer queens' be in 2010?
July 22, 2005: A symposium in Johannesburg is told how all forms of media coverage have been portraying soccer as a male only sport. More...

all hell breaks loose over gay lodge
July 17, 2005: Commotion in small town as vandals strike, and church gets embroiled. More...

why do people allow themselves to die from stigma and fear?
July 11, 2005: Last week Zackie Achmat questioned why his close colleague Raymond Louw, an esteemed academic, left it too long before testing for HIV. In this article, John Steinberg takes to task people's decision rather die in silence that confront the truth about HIV/Aids. More...

sa's gays and lesbians wait to be recognised
July 11, 2005: "If I happen to be in an accident and I become a vegetable, I would like my partner to have a right to my belongings," says Darren Hayward, a gay South African who has been in a committed relationship for the past six years. More...

ronald, why didn't you get tested?
July 8, 2005: The head of the TAC pays tribute to a fallen comrade and highlights a life that proves no one is exempt from hiv infection or denial. More...

crunch time for gay activists
July 8, 2005: The Lesbian and Gay Equality Project spent more than R40 000 on a billboard advert intended to promote the idea of same sex marriage at a cricket match in Centurion. More...

out on charm offensive to include women as part of their mandate and strategy
June 30, 2005: OUT, in revamping its services and embarking on a new journey, promised to be very active in addressing lesbian issues. The Director, Dawie Nel, agrees that "in the past the organisation could have sidelined the women's issue." More...

out agm is informed that there is limited research on black gay men sexual practices
June 30, 2005: Pretoria - OUT LGBT Well celebrated its 11th year with an AGM held at Fairhiol restaurant in Pretoria. Evident during the proceedings was that although this organisation is facing challenges, it is also thriving. More...

please tell your gay friends not to donate blood to the sanbs
June 29, 2005: The Medical Director of SANBS puts it to BtM that no human rights approach can be adopted when dealing with blood donation. Scientific methods are not discriminatory. More...

joburg pride 2005 on track?
June 27, 2005: FEW and OUT chart a short-term solution to the Pride on-going saga as it becomes clearer that there is very little time left to organise this elaborate event this year. More...

it's time we came alive, says durban's gay pride
June 23, 2005: Cape Town is not the only city with gay people." This is the message from the Durban Lesbian and Gay Community and Health Centre, which is planning the first - probably of many - gay pride celebrations. More...

joint working group, an lgbti consortium, rallies to equality's defence
June 23, 2005: Gay and Lesbian organisations and their partners publicly declare their support for Equality Project's work and provide a shelter for the continuation of its work. More...

husbands by day, gay lovers at night
June 21, 2005: A growing number of South African men, particularly those in the middle to upper class occupying executive business positions, opt to remain married to their wives and keep their gay boyfriends. And a good number of SA gay boys see nothing wrong with it. More...

equality not effectively closing down, only scaling down business and operations
June 21, 2005: The chairperson of the Equality Project Board, Jonathan Berger, talks to BtM about the crisis at Equality Project and tells our reporter that he was contact enough about this. More...

when the other woman is a man
June, 19: 2005: A new survey shows it's not that unusual for married men in SA to indulge in secret sex - with other men. More...

'sorry, we don't allow gays'
June 17, 2005: A Karoo guesthouse turns away a prospective guest the instance he informs her that his partner is indeed a man and that he is gay. And we think the Karoo was arid. More...

celebrating with tears in my eyes
June 14, 2005: With the commemoration of June 16 upheavals around the corner, many other young people in schools are suffering injustices greater than the introduction of Afrikaans as a medium of instructions. Ishmail Ngozo finds out. More...

according to sanbs all gay blood is dangerous, period, even if you practise safe sex
June 10, 2005: Notorious for putting their foot in it, the SANBS now attaches value to an outdated FDA protocol and swears that gay blood can never be safe for blood donation purposes. More...

searching for love on the the information highway
June 9, 2005: A young man in Johannesburg shares his experiences of surfing the net for the perfect one. His verdict: take with a pinch of salt or regard it as comic relief if possible. More...

equality project, a successor to ncgle, reaches a dead end
June 9, 2005: One of South Africa's premier LGBTI human rights defendant falters due to shamble financial status, retrenches its entire staff complement and awaits a forensic audit report. More...

maturity in the real world
June 9, 2005: A fresher student at one of the country's "liberal" institutions of higher learning says homophobia transcends educational levels and permeates walls of learning. More...

south african pride parade event hanging by the strings: can it be redeemed?
June 7, 2005: Almost like a broken vintage glass, the Pride Parade can still serve as a unique opportunity for queer South Africa to express itself, not just for the privileged.More...

a place for men to talk about hiv and aids
June 2, 2005: A men's health centre where men can talk to men amongst men about HIV/AIIDS opens at Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital with two satellite centers after research pointed to a chronic shortage of such facilities. More...

crossing over
April 2005: Although born intersexed, Sally Gross has transcended boundaries and stereotypes, writes Michael Gastrow. More...

the myth of homosexuality
May 30, 2005: The leader of Pan African Party (PAC), Dr. Motsoko Pheko, goes down the mud and argues that gay activists are trying to recolonise Africa with their advocacy work and further states that statistics have been inflated to lend credence to their course. More...

when gay men happen to straight women
May 2005: The struggle for acceptance and understand of gay and lesbian lifestyle has taken a centre stage for quite sometime. It now appears that there are dynamics challenging heterosexism and homogeneity of same sex lifestyle. More...

litigation wins rights for gay activists while mps dither on the vexed issue of marriage law
May 20, 2005: While judgment was reserved in the case, some legal experts insist that an appropriate remedy to bring the definition of marriage in line with the constitution is tightening domestic partnerships by law reform. More...

special edition - same sex marriage constitutional court case
May 12-18, 2005: More...

same-sex marriage under the spotlight
May 17, 2005: Gays and lesbians protest outside the Constituional Court before the same sex marriage court case commences. More...

an open letter from the board of triangle project to the siyazenzela group in cape town.
May 13, 2005: More...

the lgbti sector faces an uphill battle in its initiative to break into mainstream media
May 9, 2005: In a rather rare occurrence in South African media landscape, one of the country's influential media decisionmakers, Joe Thloloe, ex-Editor in Chief of ETV in charge of news and current affairs, as well as the current Chairperson of South African National Editors Forum (SANEF), addressed a gathering of LGBTI stakeholders. More...

when the third party in your marriage is a man
April 30, 2005: Every second week Lloyd Payers* (35) is allowed to venture out to gay clubs and engage in sexual acts with other men, with the permission of his wife. More...

a protocol-filled graduation for a young gay boy
April 30, 2005: Vusi Msiza of Behind the Mask attends a ceremony to mark the end of training for a gay prophet and learns some lessons in cultural etiquette. More...

no freedom celebrations for black lesbians
April 27, 2005: Although blessed with one of the world's most progressive constitution which guarantees the protection of gay rights, South Africa doesn't quiet protect black lesbians. More...

gay and out in the cold
April 2005: For Indians, homosexuality remains the love that dare not speak its name in an unaccepting community. More...

a famous soweto restaurateur finds himself in hot over alleged "gay gigolo"
April 14, 2004: An out-of-court settlement totalling R6000 is not enough for the escort who comes back for more and threatens to kill a renowned businessman. More...

gay men-only guesthouse owner digs in heels
April 4, 2005: although facing possible appearance in the country's Equality Court for "discriminating" against lesbians and heterosexuals, the owner of a gay men-only guesthouse in Cape Town refuses to budge. More...

anti-gay venom becomes a part of the art
March 27, 2005: Shattered glass gives a fragmented view of the narrow ridge of a woman's mount of Venus, a muti belt hanging low over her genitalia, a talisman of superstition supposed to protect her from pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. More...

sex is not a right for inmates, says Balfour
March 31, 2005: South African Correctional services minister pours water over JIP prison sex reforms proposals. More...

interview with dr nomonde xundu, head of govt's hiv/aids unit
south african health department’s new HIV/AIDS head outlines her vision. More...

prison sex row hots up
March 30, 2005: There has been mixed reaction to the Judicial Inspectorate of Prisons' assertion that consensual sex among inmates was a basic human right. This follows a disagreement between the department of correctional services and the country's prisons watchdog over a proposal that prisoners be permitted to have sexual intercourse with each other. More...

achmat's heart attack not aids-related
March 29, 2005: Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) chairperson and Aids activist Zackie Achmat has suffered a heart attack and is recovering in hospital. More...

gay games may be a boon for the city of gold
March 11, 2005: The Mandela Bridge illuminated in pink lights is one of the highlights the International Gay Games VIII committee will see when it assesses Johannesburg as the preferred host city for 2010. More...

'moffies' told to leave temple, devotee says
March 02, 2005 : A devotee at the Shree Kaliammen Temple in Mount Edgecombe, who wears a bright red sari and a huge kumkum dot during the Kali pooja, claims he was told by an official that he and his "moffie" friends, should stay away from the temple. More...

gay purge at unizul
March 1, 2005: Gay students have been evicted from University of Zululand residences, following angry protests by "straight" students. Cases of harassment have been opened by gay students, who claim they are being continually intimidated and insulted, which is affecting their access to lectures. More...

lesbo rape - hate crimes [update]
February 2005: Our youth is in danger. Their bodies and minds are affected by the hate crimes against women and lesbians that are decaying our townships, community, and families. This is an update on three lesbians who were raped last year in 2004 by people known to them. These young women were between the ages of 16, 18, and 22. More...

gay games viiI johannesburg 2010 bid on track!
February 25, 2005: The Committee for the Gay Games VIII Johannesburg 2010 Bid is pleased to announce that the process of bringing one of the world's largest and most inclusive sporting and cultural events to South Africa is well underway. More...

gay marriage rights hits traditional snag
February 21 2005: The question that the African communities are asking with regards to same sex marriages is: "What about ilobolo?". More...

living in the darkness
February 21, 2005: Many gay men in Kwandebele don't know that when engaging in gay sex without protection, it can lead to the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. More...

confusion about blood donation
February 17, 2005: South Africa Blood Transfusion Services implement a new system which doesn't discriminate on the basis of race. However, recent news coverage did not specify if men having sex with men will be still discriminated against. More...

celebrating our gayness on valentine's day
February 17, 2005: Despite being a notorious enemy of Valentine's eve with its commercial appeal I could not resist the Behind the Mask's invitation to Jo'burg's Horror Café. What expected me there was much more than a lets-have-some-drinks gathering, I found myself at a witty, funny and carefully organized dinner party - in a pair of shorts and dirty sandals. More...

statement by the national house of traditional leaders (nhtl) on the issue of same-sex marriages
February 11, 2005: It is our belief that time has arrived for the NHTL to make its position known on the issue. The procedure that will suit this kind of collection of divergent views is to hold public hearings, especially in rural areas in collaboration with provincial Houses, so that a position can be developed on the issue. More...

memorial service of jason 'jay' manakaza
February 10, 2005: Another gay legend has passed on in the LGBT community. Jason Lee Manakaza who was well known as 'Jay', died from heart complications and kidney failure at the Johannesburg Hospital last week Thursday. This is preceded by the deaths of 'Goofy' Mabitsela (2002) and Brenda Fassie (2004) who were all friends at one stage. More...

sir elton john with the lesbian & gay centre
January 26, 2005: On Monday 10 January 2005, the Durban Lesbian & Gay Community & Health Centre had the privilege to meet with Sir Elton John, his partner Mr David Furnish, representatives from the Elton John AIDS Foundation and AIDS Foundation of South Africa, to discuss the achievements and challenges facing the work of the community centre. More...

unofs open day
January 24, 2005, The University Of Free State welcome the first year students. Different stalls were set out in the varsity hall; one of which belonged to XX/Y Flames. This lesbian and gay organisation was founded in June 2004 and has members around Bloemfontein and in surrounding townships. More…

johannesburg bids to host 2010 "gay olympics"
January 18, 2005: Johannesburg is one of three cities worldwide to bid for the hosting of the 2010 Gay Games, the special "Olympics" for gays and lesbians. A special Bid Committee has been established in the city, with the support of South Africa's government. The other bidders are Cologne and Paris. More...

acdp welcomes government's move against gay marriages
December 29, 2004: The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) welcomes the government's decision to appeal against the judgement by the Supreme Court of Appeal that authorises the legalisation of "same-sex marriages". More...

human rights commission welcomes gay marriages appeal
December 27, 2004: The Human Rights Commission has welcomed the government's decision to challenge the Supreme Court of Appeal ruling on same-sex marriages, with the chairman of the commission, Jody Kollapen, saying the appeal would remove any uncertainty about the ruling. More...

south africa to appeal against gay marriage court ruling
December 23, 2004: South Africa will appeal against a ruling by one of the country's top courts to allow gay marriage so that parliament has time to debate the issue, the government said. More...

gay couple 'were not life partners'
December 20, 2004: A chef's legal battle for a share of his deceased boyfriend's multimillion- rand estate has been jeopardised by claims by the man's parents that the couple were not life partners. More...

cape town amasses gay appeal
December 20, 2004: With yet another well attended gay event under its belt, Cape Town is optimistic that it can continue to build on its reputation as a key international "gay friendly" tour destination. More...

16 Days of Activism
December 2004: Forum for the Empowerment of Women held a Community Intervention in the Vaal area to commemorate the 16 Days of Activism, focusing on hate crimes against lesbians. More...

marginalisation of deaf gays and lesbians at schools
December 10, 2004: "In schools we talked about deaf issues but we didn't address gay issues". More...

our lesbian & gay rights activist – has passed on
December 10, 2004: It is with much regret that the Durban Lesbian & Gay Community & Health Centre receives and informs you about the passing on of Mr McDivitt Hove (aka MacDee). More...

wp runs own blood service and 'does not go by race'
December 7, 2004: Unlike the national blood bank, the Western Cape Blood Transfusion Service says it does not reject donations on the basis of race. More...

intersex legislation considered
December 2, 2004: Cape Town - A law on corrective surgery for children with ambiguous genitals - intersex children - was under consideration, the SA Human Rights Commission said on Tuesday. More...

'now we can tie the knot'
December 1, 2004: Toasting their victory with glasses of bubbly, they immediately began to talk about their plans to marry. More...

'resist this judicial tyranny'
December 1, 2004: Churches and religious organisations have expressed disappointment at the court ruling approving same-sex marriages. More...

same-sex marriage gets the nod
November 30, 2004: Bloemfontein - A lesbian couple's appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal to have their marriage legally recognised and registered succeeded on Tuesday. More...

mokoena lobola stirs debate
November 15, 2004: The scandal around Ex-Safa CEO, Albert Mokoena's resignation amid accusations of gay nepotism, sparks debate about African traditional values in gay relationships. More…

moral regeneration movement bash gays
November 15, 2004: A group called Sebesong Le Kgorong at Wits University (home to the Gay and Lesbian Archive of South Africa) have been inciting hatred against gays and lesbians, in the name of the moral regeneration movement. Jabu Dube from Activate reports. More...

boesak supports gay marriages
November 1, 2004: Cape Town - Former anti-apartheid activist and church leader Dr Allan Boesak has come out in favour of gay marriages. More...

br muhsin expresses disappointment in the community
October 27, 2004: After must effort to get my points across on two radio stations yesterday, I was quite dismayed at the lack of tolerance and open-mindedness of Muslims, especially in the month of Ramadan. More...

south africans disapprove of homosexuals, abortion
October 21, 2004: Policies in South Africa regarding "moral" issues are more "progressive" than the attitudes of the electorate, a new survey shows. While the constitution guarantees the rights of sexual minorities, 78 percent of South Africans totally disapprove of same-sex relations. A significant majority also rejects abortion and is in favour of the death penalty. More...

'i am not gay'
October 20, 2004: Johannesburg - Fans of popular Afrikaans singer Kurt Darren have cancelled tickets to his shows after they heard rumours that he's gay. More...

survey shows sa's intolerance
October 7, 2004: Cape Town - Although South Africa boasts one of the most liberal constitutions in the world, its people are everything but tolerant. More...

wrong to be gay
September 30, 2004: Letters taken from the Cape Times, opinion section. More...

scandal of the gospel star
September 23, 2004: People were talking about gospel star Lundi Tyarama leading a wayward lifestyle of drunken binges and liaisons long before he came of the closet. But it was hard for anyone to believe the diminutive, innocent- looking Lundi was living the kind of fast life normally associated with rowdy musicians. More...

gla will defrock drags on parade
September 21, 2004: THE Gay Pride Parade is back on - drag queens galore! Johannesburg Metro Police spokesman Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar confirmed on Monday the organiser of the parade had been given permission to take to the streets of Joburg on Saturday. More...

spiritual celebration
September 19, 2004: It was the opening of the weeklong activities, the Lesbian and Gay PRIDE Heritage Week, which is organised annually as Pride culture. The programme for this year includes workshops, exhibitions, discussions and more, prepared by various LGBT organisations. More...

gays neglected in hiv/aids campaigns
September 16, 2004: South Africa's homosexuals are finding themselves excluded from safe sex campaigns, despite evidence of rising prevalence rates in the gay community. More...

drag queens dig in their heels
September 16, 2004: Gay and lesbian organisations across South Africa have hit back against a declaration by the Johannesburg metro police that they will be arresting drag queens participating in this year's Gay Pride parade. More...

lesbian 'raped by cops'
September 13, 2004: They wanted to show her what happens to a woman "who tries to be a man". More...

company looks to stop gay festival
September 12, 2004: The organizers of the Joburg Gay Pride Festival are in hot water for allegedly not paying their bills. More...

lawyers draft gay weddings bill
September 2, 2004: The SA Law Commission is sifting through hundreds of public submissions on same-sex marriages before drawing up a draft bill. More...

miss gay ermelo's ten years of democracy
September, 3 2004: The Mpumalanga province celebrated ten years of democracy in style on Saturday at Thusano Community hall which was packed to capacity. More...

sexual offences bill back to drawing board
August 15, 2004: The Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development announced this week that it was redrafting large sections of the controversial Criminal Law Sexual Offences Bill on the recommendation of its members. More...

discussion on sexual offences continues
August 13, 2004: Sexual Offences Bill Awareness Week, which was launched on Women's Day, August 9, 2004, continued with discussions at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg on Wednesday. The theme of the discussion: A State of Emergency: Exploring Homophobia and Sexual Violence. Musa Ngubane reports. More…

sexual offences bill awareness week
August 6, 2004. From the 9th to the 14th of August, 2004: POWA People Opposing Women Abuse together with other thirteen organisations within the gender violence sector has called for the Sexual Offences Bill Awareness week to be held at Constitution Hill, in which everyone is invited. More...

moffies
August 2004: The South African Constitution belongs to gays and lesbians too, argues Madeleine Maurick in her reconstruction of events around the the introduction of a constitutional ban on the discrimination of homosexual men and lesbian women. A miracle, according to some. Why was it that, suddenly, the ANC ascribed such importance to gay and lesbian rights? More...

gay man found dead in kwa-thema
July 29, 2004: Sonwabile Nompozolo, a former teacher from Tlakula School was found dead in his room in Kwa-Thema in the early hours of Sunday morning. Other residents of the house said that they were woken up by the smoke coming from his room and when they went to see what had happened they found him dead. More...

where do I get help?
July 2004: Yizo Yizo, Musa Ngubane investigates where young black South African's can go for gay friendly counselling following a flood of calls at the BTM offices in response to the Yizo Yizo man on man kiss on TV. More...

lgbt community file for right to marry
July 9, 2004: At a press conference today the Equality Project announced that yesterday, along with other LGBT organisations in South Africa and couples wishing to marry, they have filed papers with the High Court setting in motion the long awaited action to apply for recognition of same-sex marriage. More...

desmond tutu: "Homophobia equals apartheid"
July 7, 2004: Desmond Tutu, the former Archbishop of Cape Town and a Nobel Peace Price winner, has lent his name to the fight against homophobia in Africa and around the world. The prominent South African says homophobia is a "crime against humanity" and "every bit unjust" as apartheid. More...

sa gay group slammed for excluding transvestites
July 5, 2004: Gay and lesbian organisations country-wide have condemned the move by a group calling itself the "lesbigay political voice of South Africa" for excluding transvestites and transsexuals. More...

gays furious about website's 'hate speech'
June 25, 2004: South Africa's oldest lesbian and gay service organisation, the Triangle Project, on Friday reacted with outrage at a website that called for the "reclaiming of Cape Town from the homosexual plague". More...

celebrating diversity: remembering refugees in south africa
June 23, 2004: While Johannesburg helped to support World Refugee Day this past June 20th by holding a special celebration at the Carlton Centre on June 19th, the issues facing refugees and asylum seekers (legal and illegal) deserve more than a day of recognition or contemplation. More...

queers and youth day
June 15, 2004: Musa Ngubane uncovers the gay and lesbian involvement in the June 16 uprising, now celebrated as Youth Day in South Africa. It was a time of turmoil and the position of the ANC on homosexuality, and therefore the fate of lesbian and gay rights, had not yet been decided. More…

fxi warns of dangers to free speech in proposed hate crimes bill
June 7, 2004: The Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) has sent a written submission to the Department of Justice in response to its draft discussion document for a proposed hate speech bill. Criminalising hate speech could mean curbing freedom of expression says FXI in a recent press release. More…

'princess' was a con-artist - and a man
June 11, 2004: A 38-year-old transsexual who appeared in court in Pretoria on fraud charges this week is the same "princess" who graced the royal courts of KwaZulu-Natal eight years ago in her fairy-tale pursuit of a crown. More...

outrage at racism in gay publication
June 7, 2004: Siyazenzela LGBTI, an organisation that fights racism, homophobia and other forms of prejudice affecting the LGBTI community, is launching a boycott campaign against Detail, a monthly "newspaper" purporting to serve the gay and lesbian community in Cape Town. More…

delay, debate and surprise at siyazenzela launch
May 17, 2004: Musa Ngubane attended the launch of Siyazenzela at the University of the Western Cape on Saturday. After some debate and a surprise donation of funds, most of the Constitution was adopted and the organisation elected a committee. More…

brenda fassie remembered
"Brenda will never die, as long as someone plays her music, looks at her picture or talks about her antics. I'm sure she's causing havoc in heaven, probably opened a bank next to the pearly gates." Everyone laughed at the thought and who knows, with Brenda anything is possible. More...

official launch of siyazenzela
May 11, 2004: Siyazenzela, an organisation that fights prejudice and discrimination against lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgendered and intersex communities, in the Cape Town, will officially initiate its existence in the form of a meeting on May 15, 2004 at 14:00. More...

brenda fassie dies
May 10, 2004: South African pop diva, and lesbian icon, Brenda Fassie died in her sleep yesterday after 12 days in a coma at the Sunning Hill Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa. More...

one, two, three queers at the presidential inauguration
April 27, 2004: More than 6000 people attended the President Thabo Mbeki's second term of presidency in Pretoria. Head of States from abroad and other African states were there to witness and also to celebrate the new president's inauguration with fellow South African rainbow nation. More...

equality court finds gay club guilty of racism
February 11, 2004: In it's first hearing yesterday, the gay bar Sliver admitted to racial discrimination following the attack on a coloured man, Marcus Pillay, and his white partner, Pierre de Vos, last year after Pillay was denied entry into the bar. The two accused involved in the attack, Marius Cronje and Ian Coetzer, also admitted that the assault was racially motivated. More...

i was harassed and raped, probe told
February 4, 2004: A former prison inmate says he was raped several times by other prisoners - and the authorities turned a blind eye. More...

academic speaks
December 7, 2003: Njabulo Ndebele, vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town, wrote for the Sunday Times in Johannesburg about homosexuality in Africa in relation to the recent religious debate. More...

anti-racism picket at bronx
December 10, 2003: Siyazenzela, a progressive, non-racist, non-sexist organisation fighting against discrimination and prejudice on behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersexed (LGBTI) community, will hold a picket demonstration outside gay club Bronx on Friday night, December 12, 2003,
22h00-24h00. More...

the key is not sex, but relationships
December 3, 2003: Njongonkulu Ndungane, archbishop of Cape Town, in an article published in This Day, South Africa, discusses the recent disagreement in the Anglican church over homosexuality and the nature of communion. More...

corrective rape case delayed
November 19, 2003: The case of a 25 year old black lesbian who appeared at the Vereeniging Magistrate Court in a case against a black man in his mid-twenties who allegedly raped her has been postponed until February 2004. Her alleged rapist told her that he was going to cure her of her lesbian behaviour. More…

pietermaritzburg to have gay parade
November 17, 2003: Pietermaritzburg is geared up for the first ever gay street parade which is taking place on Saturday, 22 November 2003. More...

no room at the inn?
November 17, 2003: This weekend in Cape Town, I attended a mass meeting where more than a hundred people from various coloured and black communities in Cape Town aired (among other things) their views on, and experiences of, racial discrimination in gay night clubs in Cape Town. Then I went to see for myself what happens to a black lesbian in a sporty and takkies who tries to have a night out in the gay village. More…

a movement begins
November 16, 2003: Since October15, 2003 a group of concerned Captonians have been meeting, planning and discussing various serious issues affecting their communities. Their efforts culminated in yesterday's mass meeting at the University of the Western Cape. More...

priest outs himself before sermon
November 9, 2003: Today, Father Douglas Torr will stand in front of St Mary's congregation in central Johannesburg and tell them: "I am gay". He will not say anything more about his sexuality, but will continue with his sermon. More...

lesbians targets of rape war
November 8, 2003: townships places of terror for women who don't conform to 'african norms' by Yolanda Mufweba (Saturday Star). More...

lesbians under attack in khayelitsha
November 5, 2003: A lesbian woman was stabbed outside her home in Mandela Park, Khayelitsha in Cape Town after her attackers, who she knew, surrounded the house and cut off the electricity. No arrests have been made. More...

moffies behaving badly
October 22, 2003: Fur is flying in Green Point's 'gay village' as accusations of racism and threats of legal action are flung at club owners. The owners deny the allegations strongly, but Professor Pierre De Vos, Constitutional Law lecturer at the University of the Western Cape, and Zackie Achmat, Treatment Action Campaign leader, are considering calling on the Human Rights Commission to investigate. More...

no scruffy people
October 2003: A Cape Town gay night spot, Sliver, has been accused of having a racist door policy but management say that they just want to keep "scruffy" people out. More…

hating girls who love girls
October 9, 2003: In a country numbed by violence against women, lesbians are target just because they're women, but because they love women by Gail Smith (This Day). More...

women facing behind the mask
October 3, 2003: A three-day women's workshop took place in Johannesburg, from September 24 - 26, 2003 touching on matters of spirituality, health and violence as they relate to lesbians in Africa. A report on the workshop by Musa Ngubane. More...

expressions of pride
September 29, 2003: What is left for there to have pride in? South African Gay Pride has become a party without political content. BtM explores the pride in not marching to this new tune. More...

miss gay soweto
September 26, 2003: BtM webmaster Mpumi reports on the annual pageant. More...

xhosa gays organise
September 7, 2003: Sunday World reports that Xhosa gays are galvanised into action following the murder of Mzukisi Mbondi who was shot dead in Cape Town last week. More...

few reaching out to alexandra’s many
August 2003: Women’s Month witnessed an important development in “The Rose has Thorns”, the anti-hate crimes campaign being mounted by Forum for the Empowerment of Women (FEW, formerly Women’sForum) in partnership with the Lesbian and Gay Equality Project and Behind the Mask. More...

patricia de lille addresses gay community in oh! bar
August 6, 2003: Outspoken politician and leader of the newly formed Independent Democrats, Patricia de Lille addressed the gay and lesbian community in a meeting at popular Melville nightspot, Oh! Bar, last night. More...

marriage rejected
July 31, 2003: South Africa's Constitutional Court has dismissed a lesbian couple's appeal of the Pretoria High Court's refusal to let them legally marry. More...

gay soapie actor is harassed
July 9, 2003: South African women seem to think that they can convert gay men to being straight. Mzwandile Ngubane, who plays the character of Nhlanhla in Backstage has been harassed by female fans since his gay character appeared on screen, according to a report by Mandla Motau of the Daily Sun. More...

workshop on marriages
July 9, 2003: The Lesbian and Gay Equality Project conducted a same-sex marriage workshop on the July 5.More...

gay uprising
June 16, 2003: Naturena, Johannesburg, South Africa - Gay guys in tunics, and lesbians in pants and ties, came out for the school uniform party and parade organised to celebrate the special day formerly known as "Uprising Day". More...

lesbians protest against hate for their lifestyle
April 28, 2003: Freedom Day means freedom from hate crimes for every South African. This was why throngs of lesbians gathered at the historic women's jail on Constitution Hill. More...

racism in cape town gay publication
April 3, 2003: Debate rages over article in Cape Town free publication, Detail, which takes a them-and-us view of the community. More…

children born to same-sex partners legitimate
March 29, 2003: The Constitutional Court ruled yesterday that twins born to a lesbian couple by means of artificial insemination were legitimate, SAPA reports. More...

satchwell vs the president
March 17, 2003: The South African Constitutional Court once again confirmed that same sex partners should receive the same benefits as in heterosexual relationships from employers, the Lesbian and Gay Equality Project reports. More...

lesbian can wear what she wants
March 17, 2003: A Bloemfontein lesbian girl who refused to to to school because she was forced to wear a dress will be allowed to go back to school wearing a boy's uniform. More...

terror of the love sick lesbian
March 6 , 2003: A woman teacher who was stabbed five times by a former female student at Landulwazi high school in Thokoza is battling to deal with the terrifying experience. She is still having therapy and counselling. Reports by Blessing Ngubane of Daily Sun. More...

sizzlers arrests
February 13, 2003: Western Cape police have arrested two men in connection with the Sizzlers massage-parlour massacre in Cape Town, in which nine men died, and say that they have established robbery was the motive. More...

putting lesbian issues on the agenda
Feb 12, 2003: Two entirely unrelated processes have served to firmly put the issues of Lesbian women in South Africa on the agenda of civil society, both locally and internationally. More...

marais 'didn't prejudice gays'
January 31, 2003: South Africa's gay community has not been "improperly prejudiced" by Western Cape former premier Peter Marais, the public protector has ruled. More…

cross-fertilization court case
January 27, 2003: Two lesbian women from Durban will have their case taken to the Constitutional Court, because both are seeking to be legally recognised as the biological parents of their twins. More...

seven men died in cape town massacre
January 20, 2003: A seventh victim has died of head injuries following the six men who were shot dead and four others were seriously wounded at a massage parlour in Sea Point, Cape Town, early on Monday morning, SAPA reports. More...

skyline re-opening
December 18, 2003: Jabu D reports More...

gay cops
December 9, 2002: They met at Police College, got a posting to the same station, made a commitment to each other and now they patrol the empty streets together at night. The twist to the tale is that they are gay and live close to the platteland in Klerksdorp. More at Carte Blanche site...

brenda 'weds' sindi
December 2002: Brenda Fassie, indisputably South Africa's Queen of Pop, "married" here gorgeous lesbian lover. More...

equipped to respect their rights
November 17, 2002 - Mother of three, Namile Sidaki of Gamalakhe township in kwaZulu/Natal, South Africa, was 'shocked' when she saw a video showing two men having sex. But a project initiated by the provinces Health Department changed her mind, the Sunday Times reported. More...

heartland ordered to close
November 4, 2002: Johannesburg's gay play ground in Braamfontein has been ordered to close within two weeks. More...

high court says no to gay marriage
October 18, 2002: The Pretoria High Court has dismissed an application by lesbian couple Marie Fourie and Cecilia Bonthuys for same sex marriages to be legalised, recognised and registered, saying it was a matter of a constitutional nature. More…

See Donna Smith's report from the court: claiming the right to say I do

A statement from the Equality Project

claiming the right to say I do
October 16, 2002: The Pretoria High Court today reserved judgement in the case of Marié Adriaana Fourie and Cecilia Johanna Bonthuys against the Minister and Director-General of Home Affairs, for a declaration that they were entitled to have their 9-year union treated as a marriage. More...

mpumi njinge dies
October 15, 2002: The young film-maker from Kwa Thema will be remembered for his insightful documentaries. More...

Pride 2002
September, 2002: Includes advance publicity, reports an d comments from Pride participants and observers and messages from community organisations and the office of the president.
See BTM magazine: Pride 2002 edition

kollapen: lgbt movement may be 'elitist'
September 19, 2002: If the concept of equality is only accessible for a 'select and empowered few', the South African lgbt-movement runs the risk of becoming elitist, Jody Kollapen, deputy chair of the Human Rights Commission said at the re-launch of the Equality Project. More…

lesbian and gay couples can co-adopt
September 10, 2002: Judge Kgomo of the Constitutional Court has declared sections of the Child Care Act and Guardianship Act (1983) unconstitutional, meaning that same-sex couples can now co-adopt children. More...

skyline closes
September 4, 2002: Legendary bar shuts up shop. Jabu D reports. More...

miss humcc 2002 - like skyline of old
August 3, 2002, Johannesburg: Certainly a night to remember. More...

mandela meets achmat
July 21, 2002: Nelson Mandela visited the leader of the South African Treat Action Campaign (TAC), Zackie Achmat. Achmat refuses to take anti-retrovirals. More in love bytes

equality workshop
July 2002: Musa Ngubane reports from an equality workshop in Soweto. More...

mutual & federal ordered to pay lesbian pension - with costs
July 2002: The Lesbian and Gay Equality Project noted with satisfaction the ruling handed down by the Pension Funds Adjudicator (PFA) in the matter of Muir v Mutual & Federal and 4 Others. More...

satchwell v president of rsa
July 2002: The Lesbian and Gay Equality Project welcomes the unanimous judgment by the Constitutional Court today in the matter of Satchwell v President of the RSA. More…

bishop cawcutt resigns
July 2002: Statements from various organizations. More…

judges tired of patchwork equality
June 2002: The Lesbian and Gay Equality Project report on the latest developments at the Constitutional Court where the case concerning co-parent adoption may have a much wider ramification. More...

the 'homosexual plot' against pieter marais
May 2002: Following anti-gay statements made by Western Cape Premier, Pieter Marais, regarding an alleged 'homosexual plot' against him, the Lesbian and Gay Equality Project in South Africa issued the following statement. More...

mutual and federal determined to fight equality
May 2002: Insurance company Mutual and Federal has appointed external council in Webber Wentzel Bowens, to oppose the ruling of Pension Funds Adjudicator Johna Murphy, in the matter of Muir v Mutual & Federal. More...

new definition of spouse
2002: Same-sex partners of members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will in future have the same benefits as the spouses of the country's soldiers, sailors and air force members. Regulations amending the definition of "marital status" and "spouse" to include partners in permanent life partnerships have been published in the Government Gazette. More...

dominee's gay wife tells all
Undated, Johannesburg: She always found homosexuality unacceptable and that was why she suppressed her "strange feelings" but four months ago she decided she could no longer "live a lie" More...

trouble in skyline
Undated: A 53 year old man was stabbed to death recently after leaving Skyline, Johannesburg's oldest gay bar, in Hillbrow. More...

facing behind the mask
November 2001: A report on the workshop.

miss thandi dies
November 2001: long journey home

participate in gala research about the SANDF

the a-version project
2001: Human rights abuses of gays and lesbians in the South African Defence Force by health workers during the apartheid era. More... or full PDF version

census 2001 'unfair to gays and lesbians'
October 2001: Statistics South Africa has apologised to gays and lesbians after being accused of discriminating against same-sex couples in Census 2001. More...

equality versus state
August 2001: The decision of the Pretoria High Court in favour of the applicants in the cases of du Toitt & de Vos vs. Minister of Welfare et al, and Satchwell vs. The President et al is now history. More...

anti racism conference overwhelming experience
August 2001: Behind the Mask's Donna Smith attended the UN conference on racism, xenophobia and related intolerances. More...

is it a fashion thing?
2000: Bafana Mhlanga's photograph album is inscribed with some of his likes and dislikes. More...

permanent residency for foreign partners
December 2, 2000: South African Constitutional Court said that the foreign partners of South African gays and lesbians can acquire permanent residency in the same way as those in heterosexual relationships. More...

a black after party
October 2000: The 'black after party' finally gave some color to the very, very white 11th Gay and Lesbian Pride Event that took place in Johannesburg. More...

anti-discrimination law
January 26, 2000: SA passes landmark bill to outlaw discrimination. More...

immigration rights for same sex couples
December 2, 1999: Constitutional Court supports Cape High Court ruling on immigration. More...

blah bar bomb
November 6, 1999: Cape Town gay bar targeted in on-going campaign of violence by supposed Muslim 'morality' group, Pagad.

asylum seekers
November 5, 1999: Asylum seekers head for SA from other African and Asian countries. More...

le roux theunnisen murdered
August 6, 1999: Gay man murdered after coming out on TV.

awards 1999
1999: Interviews with winners of NCGLE's Equality and HR awards and info on Filipa Awards that went to Simon Nkoli and Prudence Mabele. More...

pension funds
October 31, 1998: Pension fund order to pay benefits. More...

constitutional court confirms previous ruling
October 9, 1998: Laws which criminalise same-sex sex are unconstitutional. More...

prohibition of gay sex, unconstitutional
May 8, 1998: Johannesburg High Court rules. More...

employment benefits
February 2, 1998: The Pretoria High Court declared unconstitutional the refusal of the South African Police Services Mecial Aid to extend health coverage to the partner of a lesbian employee. Judge Roux found that the lesbian employee owed a duty of support to her partner and had a prima facie right to register her as her dependant. He ruled that heterosexual and same-sex relationships deserve equal respect.

sodomy laws to change
August 4, 1997: Western Cape High Court declares sodomy laws unconstitutional. More...

changes in censorship laws
1996: Porn allowed. More...