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South African LGBT Activists Launch Unique Rainbow Flag

Posted by: Lez Get Real on February 24, 2011.

Melanie Nathan- February 23-2011 -

South African LGBTQI activists and supporters launched a special rainbow flag LGBT flag of South Africa (Cape Town stadium, Dec 18^th 2010), in celebration and solidarity, to signify the inclusion of equality in the SA constitution and the unique issues facing their community in South Africa. “One of the reasons was that we felt a need to show that South Africa has her own unique LGBT issues (Such as corrective rape,) says a spokesperson for its launch.

“We are using the flag as a vehicle to raise funds for gay NPO’s. Currently, Ndumie Funda, Executive Director of Luleki Sizwe, is our official spokesperson,” says Henry Bantjez, an activist from (P2-INK) Cape Town – “the flag is only 2 months old, but we have already been on SABC TV (twice,) 5fm radio.

LezGetReal was sent these exclusive pictures from Cape Town; some are of the football team in Gugulethu. Ndumie raises the flag outside the Luleki Sizwe house – “she is very brave and we respect her tremendously.”

The special GLBT flag serves dual purposes:

- to celebrate and maintain the liberties and the right to marry under the South African constitution.

- to address immediate and pertinent issues facing the South African GLBT community such as workplace discrimination, “corrective rape” and the myth of the “un-Africanness” of homosexuality.

South Africa is the only Country in Africa that has sexual orientation and gender identity protections in its Constitution. However it has failed to take a leadership role in Africa. I am leaving for South Africa next week, as a guest of Cape Town Pride and speaker at Pink GALA. One of the purposes of my visit is to meet with officials and organizations to discuss the responsibility of the Zuma government to call for the decriminalization of Homosexuality in Africa, with a special emphasis on Uganda and to advocate for the recall of the South African Ambassador to Uganda, Jon Qwelane an outspoken anti-gay journalist.