'We're killed for being gay'

SOME members of the LGBTQIA+ community gathered at Voorbrug Community Centre in Delft, Cape Town to celebrate their pride event on Saturday, 16 March.

Held under the theme, stop gender-based violence against the LGBTQIA+ community, the event was meant to raise awareness about the challenges that transgender, gay and lesbians people face in the area.

Organiser Jackye Majawie, who's an activist and founder of Majawie Safe Space, said recently a young man was killed in Delft for being gay.

Diego Jacobs (21) was killed after he was stabbed in the neck by people who were tormenting him for being gay.

Jackye said the march on the streets was an awareness and a cry for help to the government and communities to stand with them.

“We lost a sister who was murdered and killed because of her sexuality and sexual orientation as she was called an offensive word. We are celebrating our brothers and sisters who died due to hate crime on the streets of Delft.

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“The gender-based violence against the members of LGBTQIA+ community is high in Delft. Transwomen are living in danger. Some of them have been killed and attacked because they are living their lives. The Delft area is a hotspot area for GBV but people are focusing only on women and children, but no one is focusing on the members of the LGBTQIA+ communities,” said Jackye.

She said it is time to ensure cops and other frontline workers are sensitive to the challenges facing gays, lesbians and transgenders. The organiser said the idea of celebrating pride ekasi is meant to raise awareness in the communities they live in.

Lilly Ngxanga (34), who was at the event, said: “I’m happy that in today’s event we were supported by community members who came out and joined hands with us. Mostly these kinds of events take place in town away from the communities that we live in, the communities where we are victimised. I’m grateful that we had this event in our areas, raising awareness of the challenges that we face.”