SOUTH AFRICA: Out and proud gay community celebrates at Johannesburg Pride

Record ID: 277262

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: Out and proud gay community celebrates at Johannesburg Pride
  • Date: 4th October 2010
  • Summary: MORE OF PEOPLE OF IN COSTUMES
  • Embargoed: 19th October 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz,Lifestyle
  • Reuters ID: LVA1XB0LJXRTM2ZVC0FJXEBF2XXH
  • Story Text: Thousands of people marched through the streets of Johannesburg to celebrate their gay and lesbian identity and highlight their rights at the Joburg Gay Pride over the weekend.
    Joburg's Pride Parade is the biggest in Africa and usually attracts scores of people. Organizer say eighteen thousand people attended the event which was themed "We all Africa" to highlight the human rights issues for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people across Africa.
    Joburg Pride is celebrating its 21st birthday making it one of the longest running gay and lesbian event in the world.
    "Enjoy the Pride as a gay and lesbian person, yeah that's all," said one participant of the parade.
    There was a host of colourful floats and many were dressed in extravagant outfits, with different themes.
    "I am fabulous darling, I love the Pride, I do my darling, I enjoy my sexuality, I am what I am, no one is gonna change me, of course my darling I am woman," said another participant.
    In the days leading up to the Joburg Pride Parade a number of independent Pride themed events organised by gay-friendly and gay-owned businesses are held in order to create awareness and to promote the event.
    The first-ever African Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade took place in Johannesburg in 1990.
    A small number of people who attended the event, covered their heads with paper bags so they could not be identified.
    South Africa is the only country on the continent that has legalised same-sex marriage since 2006 but gay and lesbian people are still discriminated against.
    In townships around the country, lesbian women are often subjected to so called "corrective" rape, where their male attackers say they are making the women straight, murder, insults and beatings because of their sexual orientation.
    In other African countries, homosexuality is seen as a crime and carries years of jail time in penalties.
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