Pride & Prejudice in History and Solidarity

GFAN Speaker Dumi Gatsha explores the rich history and current challenges of the LGBTQI+ community, resonating especially during Pride Month. From pivotal moments like Stonewall to ongoing global solidarity, Gatsha emphasizes the community’s resilience and ongoing fight for equality. Discover their compelling reflections on progress made, current struggles, and the imperative of inclusive solidarity as we celebrate Pride Month together.

Pride month (June) is a time for commemorating the 1969 Stonewall uprisings in New York, a key moment in global LGBTQI+ history. Although Africans have celebrated their iteration of pride in October annually since 1990 in Johannesburg; we join in global solidarity. This solidarity marks the long history of protest action that has dominated our existence ranging from supporting the labor rights movement against mining corporations in the UK and propelling AIDS activism demanding US government action in the 1980s, to challenging apartheid in South Africa in the early 1990s. These did not start in 1969 nor did they end. This demonstrates how extensive and impactful queer protest action can be in advancing social justice, as seen in the achievements of marriage equality, ensuring the inclusion of LGBTQI+ citizens towards the end of apartheid, and the decriminalization of homosexuality over the past two decades.

I also see it as a reminder for our current landscape, as ongoing multiple civil and military conflicts, regressive anti-LGBTQI+ laws and protests dominate the experiences of queer people globally. It is a month that also hosts the Day of the African Child (16 June 1976), where high school students in Soweto protested having to learn in the language of the oppressor. Aptly, the African Union’s theme for 2024 is “building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa.” This translates into multiple layers needed for addressing Queer African lives throughout the month of Pride.

Inequities, injustice and the impunity of many of our governments, elected leaders and even philanthropic actors need to be called out as these challenges were met with flexible and notably increased resources amidst the COVID-19 hard lockdowns. The kind of resourcing is no longer available for queer led grassroots organizations, movements and communities. The landscape has only aggravated an increasingly declining resourcing landscape for any area that addresses LGBTQI+ experiences; public health, the HIV response, emergency situations and convening spaces. It is increasingly difficult for queer folks to organize, network, rest or protest.

I am reminded that many of these issues existed before the COVID-19 pandemic. As we have to navigate poor health, security, judicial and social protection systems that deny us our full recognition. Pride for me is a testament that we continue to exist and resist. It holds a rich, defiant and exhausting history to continue to draw lessons from. I see it as a month for sustaining our solidarity, wins and advocacy. On this note, I share the following recommendations for enablers, governments and allies:

1) The intersectional, holistic and/comprehensive needs of our communities can only ever be defined by those who are community. We have agency and autonomy to participate meaningfully in policy, governance and development decision making. Include and invite us to equitably participate.

2) The HIV response helped shape the human rights-based approach to public health, it has strengthened LGBTQI+, sex work and drug user movements whilst advancing leaving no one behind as health practitioners, governments and activists have improved health systems and learned many lessons. Increase investments in community systems and people to sustain the gains made.

3) Hierarchies exist because patriarchy, power and privilege continue to benefit from systems and infrastructure that were built to exclude communities including LGBTQI+ people, even those adopted by communities. Equitable inclusion can only be achieved by eliminating patriarchy, power and privilege in recruitment, participation, governance and policy making.

4) If you are not intentional in your allyship and solidarity, in public and private, along with others; then you are playing an active role in perpetuating social, economic and other forms of stigma and discrimination.

5) Do no harm.