Are we free as Lesbians in South Africa? In the eyes of the law we are free, in fact we enjoy the most progressive constitution in the world. We have our rights enshrined in the South African constitution, and no one can discriminate me because of my sexual orientation.

South Africa was the first country in the world to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation in its constitution, and the first African country to legalize same-sex marriage. However, those rights are only good in paper, the reality for me as a black lesbian is not as glorious as the constitution says it is.

Being lesbian and living in South Africa for me is as good as living in a Syria were bombs are dropping from the sky and you don’t know whether tomorrow the bomb is going to fall on you while you walk the streets or in the comfort of your own home. I live in constant fear; fear of my memory being turned into a statistic of hate crime.

Not only are we famous as a country with beautiful laws, we are also known as the world’s rape capital; a country where women are more likely to get raped than learn how to read, a country where rape is used as a cure for homosexuality, a country where our grandmothers are young men sexual fantasies and infants are raped to cure HIV.

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Rape is quite common in South Africa and we as lesbians are more likely to get the raw end of the deal. We get brutally violated, stones thrown at us while we lie helplessly, bottle of beers inserted deep into own privates part, stabbed till our last breathe escapes ours exposed bodies all because we are lesbians. So how can I say I am free? How do I praise a constitution that promises me non-existing freedom? How do I come out to my family my community when I know I will be shunned?

I never wanted my opinion on what it means to be lesbian in South Africa to be clouded by rape, but how do I divorce the two? ‘Lesbian’ and ‘Rape’ for me have become synonyms.

I have been working in the LGBIT sector for a while now and I must say, before I got actively involved, I never knew how serious of an issue my existence as a lesbian in South Africa is. I always thought as a young lesbian growing up in Alexandra Township the slur I got from guys in my township were nothing but jealousy because I dated the hottest girls.

It was until I started documenting stories of hate crime when I realised how Ingrained the cursing and threats were.  Since 2009 when I started working in the sector I have attended four lesbian funerals and some I heard of and could not attend. Most recently I attended the funeral of a close friend, and that for me became clear that I am a walking target.

To date, it has reported that +- 30 cases of hate crimes have been reported and out of those crimes two or three of the cases have resulted in the arrest of the perpetrators.

However, what has been reported and documented  is only the tip of the iceberg as there are many incidents, particularly assaults, hate speech and rapes which go unreported, in large part due to mistrust of the police.

I personally know of lesbians who were raped or assaulted but did not report the case because of secondary victimisation by police officers. As a Lesbian I am faced with double layer of discrimination based on my sexual orientation and gender. Firstly some men in South Africa have a sense of entitlement to my body because am a woman, then they feel a need to correct me because I live openly as a lesbian.

So for me being lesbian in South Africa means living in fear; Yes, I might put on a brave face when I march the streets of SA demanding protecting from illiterate men who find satisfaction from raping and killing us. Men who took it upon themselves to be curers… I am terrified because I am a woman and am terrified because I am lesbian.

I am sure my sentiments will be shared by many like me, my opinion aren’t different from a lesbian in Kwa-Thema, Soweto, Tembisa, Duduza, Daveyton, Mokopane, Kuruman, Langa and Khayelitsha. All the places I have mentioned a lesbian or two has been killed and some are still going to be killed.

Section 9 (3) of the constitution of South Africa reads, “The state may not unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or more grounds, including race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth”.

The law might be promising us equality, but we are dealing with grassroots level radicals who don’t care about the law, and by so doing they infringes on my right and freedom as a lesbian.





By Lesego Tlhwale