Issue 46, AUTUMN 2020
AFRICA
MAGAZ I N E
ALL THE INFO ON PRIDE 2021 PLUS
TRANSGENDER PIONEERS
FIGHTING FOR EQUALITY & TRANSGENDER RIGHTS
RICKI KGOSITAUFREE KANZA
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Cape Town
INSIDE THIS ISSUE PRIDE FEATURES
2 Editor’s Comment 3 Cape Town Pride Plus - Save the Date ...27 March 2021 4 Calendar of Events for Cape Town Pride 2021+ 6 Cape Town Pride Icon Awards 2021 10 Nkoli House Project Merchandise 12 FEATURE: The World’s Wealthiest LGBTI’s 16 FEATURE: Pioneers of Gender re-assignment surgery Christina Jorgensen 26 TRAVEL: Visit America - Post Covid 30 FEATURE: Meet Ricki Kgositau-Kanza 36 Queers in the Media 39 The Nkoli House Project needs your help 40 Covid 19 & the LGBTI+ community 42 Important Numbers 44 FITNESS: Striveing for big shoulders 48 MEN’S HEALTH: New Year, New You 56 WORDPERFECT: Dinner at Somizi’s 57 MUSIC MOVES: Taylor Swift 58 OUT Takes
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6
30 16
19 FASHION 22 - 25 Summer Trends
SCENE OUT
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19 - 21 Men in Caps
REVIEWS
42 OUT ON FILM: Transgender characters on film
“It is absolutely imperative that every human being’s freedom and human rights are respected, all over the world.”– Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir former Icelandic Prime Minister and the first openly gay head of state
42 Mag 1
FROM THE EDITOR Welcome all The scourge of Covid-19 keeps going, curbing people’s abilities to work and run businesses, particularly in the hospitality and night-time industries. Clubs are closed, bars are closed and restaurants are limited in their capacity. Events are almost non-existant, so what would normally be a huge Pride celebration, this year will be severely curtailed in the number of people permitted to attend. This year Pride in Cape Town has been renamed Cape Town Pride Plus... the “plus” being an online Pride. March is Pride month in Cape Town, so there is a huge calendar of events to suit all persuasions in our diverse LGBTI+ community ... from movie nights to art exhibitions, book nights to the glamorous Diva’s extravaganza... there is something for everyone, so get in to the spirit of Pride and celebrate... This issue carries all the info about Cape Town Pride 2021 Plus but it is important to remember that because of strict Covid-19 protocols all events will have limited numbers, so early booking is essential! Our cover features Ricki Kgositau-Kanza, one of the recipients of the 2021 Icon Awards. Ricki has made a name for herself, not only in Cape Town but overseas as well, campaigning for equality and acceptance, tolerance and understanding of transgender people here in South Africa. We look at how LGBTI+ people are more vulnerable when it comes to Covid- 19 regulations and rules. In some areas, our community has been very marginalised, and lock-downs and curfews make life for some of our brothers and sisters more intolerable and difficult. Outreach Africa and Cape Town Pride are embarking on the Nkoli House Project. The aim is to establish a community centre and care home for elderly LGBTI+’s who find themselves isolated and vulnerable in their twilight years. The City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Provincial administration have indicated that they will come on board, but the renovation and establishment of a suitable property is foremost and for that the Nkoli House Project is in dire need of funding. Go to page 39 and pledge what ever you can afford to enable this project to get off the ground. What ever events you get to attend or even if it’s just having a few friends around at your house to celebrate the online Pride ... have a wonderful Pride 2021 ... remember to stay safe, mask up and social distance... the Corona Virus pandemic will, in the not too distant future, be a thing of the past and life will be able to get back to at least some semblance to what it was before ... until then Happy Pride to all our readers ...
MANAGING EDITOR: Tommy Patterson 082 562 3358 ISSN 2304-859X Published by: PATTERSON PUBLICATIONS P.O. Box 397, Sea Point 8060 Cell: 082 562 3358 E-mail: outmagafrica@telkomsa.net outmagazine@mweb.co.za outlet@telkomsa.net
CONTRIBUTORS: Rob Hamilton PHOTOGRAPHY: l
ADVERTISING SALES: Tommy Patterson 082 562 3358 Copyright: All articles, stories, interviews and other materials in OUT Africa Magazine are the copyright of the publication or are reproduced with permission from other copyright owners. All rights are reserved. No materials may be copied, modified, published or otherwise distributed without the prior written permission of OUT Africa Magazine.
Cover Photo: Ricki Kgositau-Kanza Mag 2
The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by those providing comments in this publication are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of OUT Africa Magazine or any employee thereof. OUT Africa Magazine and Patterson Publications cc., will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in any information contained in the publication.
Saturday, 27 March 2021 CAPE TOWN PRIDE 2021 PLUS
T
he past year has been difficult to say the least. The Corona Virus has swept across the world sadly resulting in thousand of deaths, many from people within the Cape Town LGBTI+ community. Pride celebrations around the globe have been cancelled. Cape Town Pride will go ahead but will be on a much smaller scale. But to counteract the limited number of people who will actually attend the physical Pride event, it will be streamed on line for those who can’t. So organise a small gathering with a few of your friends, crack open a bottle of bubbly or your favourite tipple and join us online to celebrate Cape Town Pride 2021 Plus. The theme of this year’s Pride is #YOUMATTER - and you do do. We all do! Regardless of your gender identity, whether you are gay, lesbian, bi, transgender or gender fluid remember YOU MATTER! Last year in September, Cape Town Pride joined forces with The United Prides of Africa to celebrate a continental Pride event. It was hugely successful, with the official YouTube statistics recording 1 387 562 people tuning in with 896 788 watching the event in its entirety. An amazing achievement, so lets do it again Cape Town Pride 2021 Plus (the “plus” being the online element of this year’s Pride. The online Pride is one which everyone can participate, wherever they are in Cape Town, South Africa, the continent of Africa or where-ever in the world you happen to be.
Pride 2021 Plus and on the next page we feature all the prePride events. So even if you can’t get to the Mardi Gras, you can attend one of these. Numbers are very limited at each event, in line with government Covid protocols, so it is important that you book your tickets early to avoid being disappointed. The Pride Parade this year will also be held online ... join in the fun by checking out the Facebook page to find out times, the link etc. Pride is brought to you with the support of the City of Cape Town as well as a number of other sponsors and allies of our community in Cape Town. So get a party together, put of your favourite Pride outfit, get down to the Green Point Track or if that’s not possible switch on your TV and tune in to your favourite YouTube live stream of Cape Town Pride Plus ... crack open your tipple of choice and join another online Pride event not ONLY for the Cape Town community but for every LGBTIQ+ person on the African Continent!
27th March, 2021
As with Pride celebrations in the past, the event will include musical performances, speeches, shout-outs from allies and key messages from human rights activists in our diverse community. OUTREACH Africa is busy with the planning of Cape Town Mag 3
For venues, times, fees and Pride events please visit the F www.capeto
GET INTO THE SPIRIT OF PRIDE 2021 & SUPPORT PRIDE MONTH!!! SUNDAY 14 MARCH PRIDE HIKE 1
MONDAY 15 MARCH PRIDE BOOKCASE 1
Enjoy the outdoors and join us for an easy hike which will last for about 1.5 hrs with a picnic at the end of the hike ... Starting at Silvermine Nature Reserve
Another hugely popular evening ... you will have the opportunity to meet LGBT+ authors for an evening of discussion and interaction.
SATURDAY 20 MARCH PRIDE MOVIE NIGHT 1 Its the 25th ani of Too Wong Foo... Join us for a screening of this iconic LGBTI fun film at the Rooftop on Bree
PLEASE NOTE THAT AT ALL THESES EVENTS NUMBERS ARE LIMITED DUE TO COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS AND RULES ... SO GET YOUR TICKETS EARLY!!! TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED ONLINE AT QUICKET ... www.quicket.com
SUNDAY 21 MARCH PRIDE MARKET
TUESDAY 16 MARCH PRIDE ART NIGHT The first of two art nights ... Come to the Nel Gallery and join in an evening of art & culture
SUNDAY 21 MARCH PRIDE MOVIE NIGHT 2
A first for CT Pride, the Pride Market will have stalls selling a plethora of goodies as well as live entertainment making it a fun day OUT
Join us for another gay classic - Philadelphia won Academy Awards making history for LGBTI cinema
WEDNESDAY 24 MARCH PRIDE ART NIGHT 2
THURSDAY 25 MARCH ICON AWARDS
At Art Is Art gallery ... come and support our local LGBT+ artists whose work will be on display
This year the Icon Awards will be given out at a sump tuous gala dinner at the Royal Yacht Club with an auction to raise funds for the Nkoli House Project
CAPE TOWN PRIDE 2021 Plus
#YOUMATTER
more information on all the Facebook page or the website: ownpride.org
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FRIDAY 19 MARCH PRIDE ROOFTOP COMEDY NIGHT The Comedy night is hugely successful and well supported ... This year promises to be no different ... book early
SUNDAY 21 MARCH PRIDE HIKE 2
Another hike hosted by Invictus Hiking & Fitness Club ... A moderate to difficult hike on Table Mountain Plattekloof George
FRIDAY 26 MARCH PRIDE MOSQUE & PRIDE SHABBAT Join the Muslim community for Pride Mosque. The Jewish community will have a Pride Shabbat
FRIDAY 12 MARCH THE PINK PARTY
SATURDAY 13 MARCH PRIDE KARAOKE
With several gay venues participating, the Pink Party officially launches Pride, so put on a little pink number or even a dash of pink lippy and join in the fun
Always popular with budding superstar wannabees. Pride Karaoke is a great night of fun & laughter
SATURDAY 20 MARCH PRIDE OPEN MIC
SATURDAY 20 MARCH THE MR & MISS CAPE TOWN PRIDE PAGEANT
Hosted by Crew Bar and always popular
Need we say more ... possibly the most popular Pride event in the build up to Pride
MONDAY 22 MARCH PRIDE BOOK NIGHT 2
TUESDAY 23 MARCH PRIDE POETRY NIGHT
The second book night and another opportunity to meet and discuss with current LGBT+ authors
This event is always well supported ... join us for a night of poetry and discussion
SATURDAY 27 MARCH CAPE TOWN PRIDE MARDI GRAS
SUNDAY 28 MARCH PRIDE INTERFAITH SERVICE
The BIG day - this will be a scaled down event, but it will be broadcast online, so get a party together and join in the fun
Pride ends with a service of thanks for the whole community ...
OUTREACH A
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Roger is well known in the community, and over the years has worked tirelessly at every Pride for a number of years. Taking on and volunteering for a variety of functions - he is always willing to be of assistance.
Over the past year, Rob, when ever he was approached to assist or mediate in any situation, did so enthusiastically. Going so far as to using his own finances and resources in order to achieve some of the our goals. For his dedication and help, he is a perfect choice to receive this award.
Roger is a well deserved recipient of this award.
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x gn + n ut ile IN BT lebra h COMMUNITIES o LGBTIQ+ IQ o a m of se THE G sigWELLBEING T c L n g e e e B r f COMMUNITY r t a c u d s o o LG re ted e ex dles be rs ards thr ffer. a e o a h r t o o b w ds nstr go t ga ve em he a ls wh s to e r r o o e m KA m wh all, es r . T de ha & A o f H d o d D y e r N FA G ALT IQ+ ity dge le m unit os t fo nce A N n I T S E n ie tu le o SI ND O H LGB or now nd r omm me per ha A p T T p ck t a r c E Y x S da r o N H T e n r u a T a fo e x OU UTIO IN UNIT ibl nts ppo est o Sis ride t d u e G B P ked s b re N RI EIN MM r a nc evemrate ery T W i N LB CO O wo ged pe + T a O an chi rpo he v C I C EL ta ug a co e t PE of BT de. o W r A y i G i t , i br iK C e ts as L Pr C e F d c e n O th th ith an ach me show TY rs, orted lly w cess e, e rI a CSISANDA id fu ye p ecia suc KAYZA CITY OF CAPE TOWN rs, DR. ANASTASIA Pr ttle g-up ahe sup KAPISTO f p e t s o h s , e g t ty a li tin plic r G ON TOMSON-MYBURGH ve n ha ityFATYELA e gh p tin ri N O I Over the years, the City of Cape T ERS w un ioni pula gon ip, li ith a gra o U Sisanda has p been T mm m o involved as rsh e with Town has supported the LGBTI+ w t of wn IB P Dr Tomson-Myburgh is a transo a several g p ity hyears b c has o and co Chfor Pride s n TR ACY AR rights activist within the medical n community, especially with Pride. i s e C on ista a de pe T A a I E H C p a e field. She lectures UCT Medical disadvanChampioning the success O EY es f C th th sinathe ss w crtirelessly AS RGandrans- al worked Tof o inarea i gs,Town. arofwCape o tShe U School on gender & sexual orientaged S e t c increasing popularity Pride, each e i TH B y r, in id Ci y has A Y a ed al N s r e i tation subjects, with particular d brought Pride to these area through year the City has fur- c -M a little th uil ... P the . A gone gh e m di nb s other emphasis on transgender health. ur n th Me orie r iKasi Pride DR SON yblighting-up ther, with sponsorship, n e to LGBTI+ of ioand i CT al ula . d t M h events in t M of buildings,TOassistance with tuthese areas. i applica- w U exu rtic alth n s o t For her unfailing work in the come s a e munity she is a worthy recipient.
tions ... Pride owes r of gratims tivaisdebt tu er & th p er h Sisanda oCity c c om t. has earned this award! i nd e T tude to the of Cape Town l d c a r w D hts She gen ts, sge he en n t cipi i rig eld. l on bjec tran Mag Mag7 19 k e fi oo su on or y r
GET YOUR TICKETS TO ALL THE PRIDE EVENTS FROM
www.quicket.co.za BEAUTIFUL TICKETING MADE SIMPLE Mag 8
IT STARTS WITH YOU
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SUPPORT THE NKOLI HOUSE PROJECT Show your support for the Nkoli House Project and get any or all of the following merchandising items... T-Shirts
Available in all sizes White only
R150
Mug R110
Mag 10
Tote Bag R120
CAPE TOWN LGBTI+ HERO AWARDS DINNER AND CHARITY AUCTION
ICONS
THE WEALTHIEST LGBTI’s IN THE WORLD The number of the openly gay millionaires and billionaires is growing rapidly. According to Forbes Magazine, there are currently about 1,700 players in this league. These insanely rich (and some of them single!) LGBTI people are icons in that they show to the world that we are no different and our sexuality need not hold us back from becoming hugely successful. GEORGIO ARMANI. NET WORTH: US$6.69 BILLION Giorgio Armani the Italian fashion designer first came to notice, working for Cerruti and then for many others, including Allegri, Bagutta and Hilton. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, which eventually diversified into music, sport and luxury hotels. By 2001 Armani was acclaimed as the most successful designer of Italian origin and is credited with pioneering red-carpet fashion. Armani is an intensely private man but has publicly identified as bisexual. He had a long-standing relationship with his business partner, the fashion designer Sergio Galeotti, who died of a heart attack in 1985. DOMENICO DOLCE AND STEFANO GABBANA. NET WORTH: US$4.3 BILLION We’re so used to hearing those two names together, that it would’ve broken our hearts to put them in separate entries. The net worth of 54-year-old Dolce, who owns a 41.8 percent stake of the D&G empire, is $2.2 billion, and the net worth of his partner Gabbana, owning 40 percent stake, is $2.1 billion. The two designers were an open couple, sharing laughs, wine, joy and tears in their 19th-century villa in Milan for many years. Fortunately for all the aspiring gay suitors out there, they called it quits back in 2003 (but only as lovers, not as business partners), and since then they both have maintained their single status. PETER THIEL. NET WORTH: US$2.3 BILLION The German-American entrepreneur got rich by investing in some of the most important technology companies in the past three decades, like PayPal, Facebook, and Palantir. For years, Mag 12
Georgio Armani
Thiel had been reluctant to associate himself with gay issues, which has a lot to do with his political affiliations. What’s more, he financed the lawsuit that brought down Gawker, the reason being that in 2007 the site published a story with the headline ‘Peter Thiel is totally gay, people.’ But ten years later, the same man who destroyed Gawker took the stage during a Republican Party convention and declared: “I am proud to be gay.” The crowd applauded, and President Trump silently soaked up the moment. The legendary 53-year-old financier has been married to the fellow Republican Matt Danzeisen since 2017. DAVID GEFFEN. NET WORTH: US$8.9 BILLION The 78-year-old business magnate, film studio executive and philanthropist is famous not only for his incredible fortune, but also for his passion for cruising the seas with his $590 million beauty, Rising Sun, on which he’ll often host celebs like the Obama family, Oprah Winfrey, and Tom Hanks. (If we trust Instagram, during the pandemic, the billionaire isolated himself on the yacht anchored somewhere in the Caribbean.) Geffen is the richest man in Hollywood, owns a massive portfolio of real estate in New York and California, and an art collection worth $2 billion. Back in the 70’s, the Brooklyn-born billionaire had a relationship with Cher, but since he came out as gay, his longest relationship with a man was with Jeremy Lingvall, a toyboy 41 years his junior.
Peter Thiel
JON STRYKER. NET WORTH: US$3.5 BILLION This guy was born with a golden spoon in his month: he’s an heir to a multi-million dollar medical supply company founded by his grandfather. Stryker is known for his selfless generosity. As a young teenager just entering middle school, Stryker already knew he was gay, and watched helplessly as bullies made easy targets out of both homosexuals and blacks. Had he not been gay, he would have still been repulsed by the hatred he saw, having been raised by parents who taught him that racism had no place in a world of compassion.
David Geffen
“The civil-rights movement of black Americans is so poignant to me because I was already aware that I was gay,” Stryker said, “and the furious and ignorant hatred and fear of blacks that I observed was not that different from the hatred and fear that our culture had of gay people at that time.” He never forgot the bullying he experienced as a gay student in his native town of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and now, his foundation Arcus is America’s largest contributor to LGBTQ causes. Stryker is also one of the leading funders of ape conservation, and his support in this area has been so noteworthy that in 2010, a newly discovered monkey was named Rhinopithecus strykeri in his honour. The 63-year-old billionaire lives in New York, together with his spouse Slobodan Randjelović. Sorry, people, this awesome guy’s taken.
Jon Stryker Stein Erik Hagen
STEIN ERIK HAGEN. NET WORTH: US$2.3 BILLION To hunt for this golden man, you need to travel to Scandinavia. Hagen made his fortune establishing the RIMI discount grocery store chain back in the 1970’s. He is also believed to own one of the biggest sailboats in Europe and a private island in the Caribbean. The supermarket tycoon and the second richest billionaire in Norway came out of the closet in 2015 at the age of 59, and instantly announced he was on lookout for a boyfriend. Hagen has been married twice and has four children. Last year, a Norwegian tabloid announced that the billionaire was dating a 31-year-old surgeon. Mag 13
JENNIFER NATALYA PRITZKER. NET WORTH: US$ 1.8 BILLION
Colonel Jennifer Pritzker
Jennifer Natalya Pritzker (born James Nicholas Pritzker; August 13, 1950) is an American investor, philanthropist, and member of the Pritzker family, the original owners of Hyatt and the Marmon Group amongst others. Pritzker retired as a lieutenant colonel from the United States Army in 2001, and was later made an honorary Illinois colonel. Founder of the Tawani Foundation in 1995, Tawani Enterprises in 1996, and the Pritzker Military Library in 2003, Pritzker has been devoted to civic applications of inherited and accrued wealth, including significant donations to broaden understanding and support for “citizen soldiers.” In August 2013, Pritzker released a statement to individuals associated with two business and philanthropic organisations that subsequently received wide media coverage, indicating the change from “J.N.” to “Jennifer Natalya” to reflect her status as a transgender woman, making her the first and only openly transgender billionaire. TIMOTHY COOK. NET WORTH US$1 billion Timothy Donald Cook is an American business executive, philanthropist and engineer. He is the chief executive officer of Apple Inc., and previously served as the company’s chief operating officer under its cofounder Steve Jobs. In 2014, he became the first chief executive of a Fortune 500 company to publicly come out as gay. Cook also serves on the boards of directors of Nike, Inc., the National Football Foundation, and is a trustee of Duke University. He is a very private person, a fitness enthusiast and enjoying hiking, cycling, and going to the gym. He came out in an editorial for Bloomberg Business saying, “I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.” In October 2019, he talked about the decision and remarked on how it was thanks to LGBTQ people who had fought for their rights before him that paved the way for his success; and that he needed to let younger generations know that. He saw being gay as a feature his life had to offer rather than any problem. He hoped his openness could help LGBTQ youth dealing with homelessness, and suicide hope that their situation could get better. After he revealed he was gay, he has chosen to live a very private life. Little is known about his personal relationships. MARGARET “MEGAN” ELLISON. NET WORTH UD$200 million Margaret Elizabeth Ellison, (Megan) the daughter of billionaire Oracle Corporation chairman, Larry Ellison, is an American film producer and entrepreneur. She is founder of Annapurna Pictures, established in 2011. She produced the films Zero Dark Thirty (2012), Her (2013), American Hustle (2013), and Phantom Thread (2017), all of which have earned her Oscar nominations. In 2014, she was included in the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. Ellison is openly lesbian stating on Twitter, “In the spirit of pride let me clear something up. I’m not bisexual. I’m a full blown gay...lesbian... what have you. And I love it.” She is rumoured to be single but has been linked with actress Jessica Chastain in the past. These successful people have earned their place as roll-models in the LGBTI+ community, through hard work, dedication and talent. Some have been born in to great wealth but others have worked their way to the top of their professions at a time when it was not easy or acceptable to live a life as an out of the closet LGBTI person. They have experienced the discrimination many of us also have and have risen above it. Shining examples to the millions of young LGBTI people around the world that your sexual orientation need not be viewed as something that will hold you back. Get out there and make a success of your life! Mag 14
Tim Cook
Megan Ellison
All events operate under strict Covid-19 protocols
Cape Town Pride 2021+ brings you more than 18 super events during March Pride Month Many Cape Town Pride standards such as, The Mr & Miss Cape Town Pride, the poetry evening, book nights and the Diva’s Extravaganza will be happening but with limited seats available so early booking is essential to avoid disappointment The Nkoli House Project will be launched during Pride month and once again the City of Cape Town will be showing their support by lighting up buildings in the rainbow colours
We will get through this together!!
CAPE TOWN
PRIDE 2021+
#youmatter
FEATURE
CHRISTINE JORGENSEN A PIONEER OF GENDER REASSIGNMENT SURGERY Mag 16
Possibly the best known early recipient of reassignment surgery was the former American GI, Christine Jorgensen ... the first recipient of male to female sex reassignment surgery was Lili Elbe, a Danish painter and transgender woman. The film The Danish Girl was loosely based on her life... Today reassignment surgery is common place but they were pioneers... Christine faces the press
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Sep. 14, 1970 Christine in London for the opening of the film The Christine Jorgensen Story.
hen Christine Jorgensen was born on May 30, 1926 in the Bronx, New York, she was George William Jorgensen, Jr. Assigned male at birth, she was aware from a very early age that she did not
Christine agreed to an offer from Hearst’s American Weekly magazine for exclusive rights to her story. American Weekly oversaw her return to New York from Denmark. (Denmark’s royal family, on the same flight, were ignored by the waiting press.) Christine was paid $20,000 for her story’s rights.
While not the first person to undergo sex reassignment surgery, Lili Elbe was the first known recipient of male-to-female sex reassignment surgery, in Germany in 1930, Christine was undoubtedly the first person to become widely known for having sex reassignment surgery.
Other press agencies followed her story as well, though some of the reporting was overtly salacious. Christine regularly received offers to appear naked.
feel male.
After graduation she (then George) was drafted into the U.S. army, and following her service, began to research gender reassignment. She took female hormones and in 1951 travelled to Denmark to undergo gender reassignment surgery, a procedure not then available legally in the U.S. Later she had reconstructive surgery in the U.S. Naming herself after her Danish aunt’s late daughter, her story broke after her second operation in Denmark. She returned to the U.S. a celebrity in 1955, aged 29. She was greeted at Idlewild (now JFK) Airport by several admirers and curious people and the press. From that moment on she was subject to intrusive press attention. Before returning to the States, Christine sent a letter to her parents informing them of her new persona saying, “I am still the same old “Brud,” but Nature made a mistake, which I have had corrected, and I am now your daughter.
She eventually wrote The Story of My Life for the February 1953 edition of American Weekly; the story Her first Easter bonnet appeared on the front page of Newsday on Easter weekend, 1953. Christine made her living as an entertainer, actress and nightclub singer. She performed I Enjoy Being a Girl and wore a Wonder Woman costume, at Freddy’s Supper Club on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. She even recorded a number of songs, and also toured university campuses talking about her experiences. Christine published her biography Christine Jorgensen: A Personal Autobiography in 1967. Three years later it was filmed as The Christine Jorgensen Story. (catch it on YouTube) She retired to California in the early 1980’s, and was diagnosed with cancer in 1987. Christine died in 1989, aged 62. The year she died, Christine Jorgensen said she gave the sexual revolution “a good swift kick in the pants. Mag 17
Welcome to The City of Cape Town's annual
Message from the DA Metro LGBTQI Chairman The Democratic Alliance would like to wish all locals and visitors a warm welcome to the City of Cape Town’s annual Pride Festival. The DA has a proud and long association spanning more than a decade with this event and historically have been the only political party to take part in a meaningful and committed manner. Pride speaks to many of our party’s core values, and this expression of freedom, equality, inclusivity and diversity resonates deeply with who we are and what we stand for in the DA. We are the first to admit that society still has a very long way to go in the real and lived acknowledgement of LGBTQIA+ rights and fair treatment, and we are committed to walking that walk together with all queer communities. Gay rights are human rights, and we as the DA will stand by those rights for you and with you. In the City of Cape Town and Western Cape where we govern, health and law enforcement agencies are sensitized to LGBTQIA+ issues and health services provide free PREP to M2M and sex workers at our clinics and hospitals. Research also shows that LGBTQI residents of our City and Province feel safer here with our governments than in other parts of the country. This speaks to our commitment to a safer, more caring society where we govern. The festival which this year takes place over two weeks will cover many of the more poignant and burning aspects of queer life in Cape Town, and will culminate in the well loved and supported Pride Parade and Festival. The festival is an opportunity to celebrate how far we as LGBTQIA+ persons from across many societies, cultures and racial groups have come, and gives us the opportunity to be present along with our straight allies without fear. The DA Metro Region of Cape Town wishes you all a fun, safe and meaningful Pride 2020.
Councillor Roberto Quintas
Chairman: DA Metro LGBTQIA+ Committee Mag 18
GUY CANDY MEN IN CAPS
Ever since the Americans made baseball their national sport, baseball caps have been the ultimate casual fashion accessory. Baseball caps are worn front-ways, side-ways and backwards, making them a versatile to suit your personal style. They are great for covering up bad hair days, and are worn to emphasise your mood or the look you desire … check out these hot men in caps … Mag 19
GUY CANDY
Mag 20
Mag 21
SUMMER
With summer in full swing may be off limits because of always a pool at your house want to enjoy the sunshine swimwear at this time of th than perhaps any other gar to help you klap that poolsi a look at some of t
unks ming tr im w s Camo erdry by Sup The military-inspired look has been one of the most prevalent trends of recent decades, and it’s now gone full circle to storm the beaches. If a little manliness is what you want look no further. Also great if you feel your legs are a little too skinny, The busy pattern will add some much-needed width and bulk to your legs by drawing the eye outwards... opt for a slimmer cut and as for length, these Action Man-style shorts should be kept to midthigh level to conquer any surfer dude connotations.
Shorter styles are still trending Mag 22
R TRENDS
Classic na swimw utical striped ear
g and even though beaches f covid 19 regulations there’s e or a friends where you will and take to the water - your he year says more about you rment in your wardrobe... So ide cool this summer we take the latest trends ...
Nautical-inspired swimwear offers a classic way to channel some effortless summer cool. Stripes are a no-brainer - whether they’re tilted, stacked, layered or multi-coloured. “White striped shorts are one of menswear’s biggest swimwear trends this season,” says Holly Blake, a stylist at the River Island style studio. “In particular, swim shorts with bold vertical stripes are trending as they can be easily paired with a basic T-shirt and flip-flops or espadrilles for a laid-back, stylish day-to-night look this summer.”
Men Vertical Striped Drawstring Waist Swim Trunks
Spaced stripe by River Island
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One of this season’s biggest resort-wear trends is the co-ordinated outfit... and a beach-ready co-ord is made up of swim shorts and a short-sleeve shirt in the same colour or print. A co-ordinated look can be difficult to carry off so make sure you pick colours that suit your skin tone and an good idea is to wear the set broken up by a white T-shirt to downplay the whole Club Tropicana vibe, or even try pairing the shirt with some chinos and espadrilles for a very laid back chic look.
For label conscious fashionistas another brand popular with gay men is the iconic Australian brand Aussiebum ... featuring the latest styles and setting trends, if getting noticed is your thing, this world-famous label will have you looking hot as hell and ready for anything... Classic styles from Aussiebum will get you looked at...
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Of course if you are one of those gay men who need to be seen sporting a label that is recognised worldwide as one favoured and made famous by the gay community perhaps you should look at Addicted’s range They have a lot of fun and vibrant options which really make you stand out at a pool party or at the beach. Brief-style swimwear is a favourite with gay men from Malibu to Miami, the Riviera to the Costa Bravo, Bondi to Ipanema anywhere where we flock to see and of course be seen ...
Possibly a favourite with every self respecting gay man is Andrew Christain range, designed specifically for gay men in mind. Strut your stuff and draw stares ... you will certisnly get noticed! Andrew Christian Sports Mesh Laurel Swim Shorts
i style with a
stian Bikin Andrew Chri side clasp ...
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TRAVEL
New York, New York Photo by Lukas Kloeppel from Pexels
VISITING AMERICA ... post Covid All For those readers who have never visited the USA, this vast country has something somewhere that will tickle your fancy, from vibrant cities to small picturesque towns, from the spicy foods of the deep South to the chowders of New England. There are beaches and forests, spacious skies and the mid-west’s “amber waves of grain”. American’s are innovative, polite, friendly and as with most people genuinely welcoming. For those readers who have travelled to this great country, you will know what I mean ... right now the country, like so many others, is in the grip of a second or third wave of the cursed Covid pandemic, but it will be a thing of the past one day ... The new President promises to restore LGBTI+ rights eroded by the Trump administration, putting the country back on track as a leader in our communities fight for equality ...
B
egin your trip by flying in to the greatest city of all, New York, New York ... so fabulous that they named it twice, or so they like to say. New York is a vibrant, pulsating metropolis. The minute you touch-down at JFK you will feel its beat. New Yorker’s are so busy rushing that they have little time or patience for those of us used to a slower pace. You will be able to marvel at the skyscrapers as they fight for air, each one trying to out do the one next door. Make your way to the iconic Time Square in the heart of Manhattan and walk along Broadway, where you are sure to see some household celebrity name lit up in lights outside one of the famous theatres. As yellow cabs rush by hooting and the sheer volumes of people from the uber-chic to down-and-outs, the city’s anonymity will leave you feeling like one of them. Make your way to Greenwich Village, the first gay village and nearby Tribeca. Stop in for a drink at the monument to gay liberation, Mag 26
the Stonewall Inn where the gay rights movement as we know it started with the riots in 1969. If you’re in the city in the summer, which can be stifling hot, take a ferry to Fire Island, a gay mecca of parties, fun, sun, sea and sand. Before you leave the city, make sure you visit the 9/11 memorial. A truly moving tribute to that world-changing event which destroyed the Twin Towers. Take in some of the world-renowned art galleries and museums, such as the Guggenheim, visit the Statue of Liberty and don’t forget to shop till you drop. Here you will find those enormous department stores like Macy’s, and every designer label you can think of which will satisfy even the most picky in need of a little retail therapy. The views from the viewing deck of the Empire State Building are breathtaking ... the building itself is a superb example of Art-decor architecture, and is lit up for pride month every year in the rainbow colours. Another awesome building is the Chrysler with it’s distinctive crown and spire is a paragon of
the Art Deco architectural style. You’ll leave the city energised and possibly in need of a slightly slower pace. If that is the case and you are visiting in the summer, hop on a train to Boston. Grand Central Station is a destination in itself. But once you’ve fought your way through the bustling crowds and settled in your carriage a comfortable to the minute journey awaits.
fun in sun, showing off your beach body, if you’ve done with endless cocktails on Ocean Drive and the fashion shops which line the pedestrian shopping strip of Lincoln Road Mall, get a stretch limo to take you along the Florida Keys to the small town of Key West ... the most southerly point in the continental United States. The drive south through the Keys is breathtaking. Key West is a great place with a large LGBTQ+ population. and has established itself as one of the worlds gay Mecca’s, and you can walk everywhere in Old Town Key West. Many of the establishments in Key West are gay-owned or gay-friendly, and they let you know it. If you’re in the mood for a fun night out, check out the nightly drag show at a nightclub called Aqua. Some other places to visit for great entertainment are 801 Bourbon Bar, which also has nightly drag shows, and Bourbon Street Pub, which has sexy male dancers. Both are popular spots on the gay Key West circuit. Duval Street is also a shopping haven offering everything from beach gear to small, fashionable boutiques. If you enjoy a good cigar, you can get a hand-rolled stogie at one of the many tobacco shops. And on Duval, you’ll have no problems finding a good place to eat. The LGBTQ mecca of Key West is America’s most southerly point
Provincetown Carnival Parade On arrival in Boston hire a car and head for New England, before tucking into bucket-loads of maple syrup take a side trip to the small village of Provincetown at the very end of Cape Cod. Check out Provincetown Pride and try and co-ordinate you trip to be there. Booking is essential as the town turns totally gay. Bar hoping is great fun as are all the other pride events. Vermont has traditionally been the most welcoming of the New England states to gay travellers, with its quaint, picturesque towns. Check out Ogunquit, on the southern Maine coast, is a hugely popular destination among gay travellers and features a lively beach and bar scene in the summer. Tuck in to a bowl of the regions world famous clam-chowder, it’ll be the best you’ve ever had. And of course New England in the fall is a site to behold as the trees change in to vibrant hues of yellow and orange. Charming New England towns in the Fall
If the quiet New England states are not your cup of tea, why not head south to the great state of Florida. South Beach Miami is a vibe. Brightly coloured art-deco hotels line the strip which is a constant flow of the hottest, trendiest and more fabulous beautiful people cruising slowly to see and be seen. Make an effort to visit Casa Casuarina, also known as the Versace Mansion, where the world-famous designer was gunned down on the front steps. For those of you who can afford the exorbitant room rates check in for a night or two and experience the lifestyles of the super-rich. After taking in the
If beaches and sun are like coals to Newcastle coming from sunny South Africa, for something completely different take a flight to New Orleans. Nicknamed the “Big Easy,” it’s known for its round-the-clock nightlife, vibrant live-music scene and spicy, singular cuisine reflecting its history as a melting pot of French, African and American cultures. If you’re there at the end of Feb, you’ll be able to participate in one of the best parties you’ll ever attend. The Mardi Gras attracts visitors from all over the world - a huge street party filled with raucous costumed revellers. The vibe Mag 27
canals which criss-cross the city. Home to the Willis Tower a 110-story (442.1 m) skyscraper which on completion in 1973, surpassed the World Trade Center in New York City, Chicago sits on the shores of Lake Michigan, one of North America’s five Great Lakes. The large Italian community has made deep-dish pizza famous, in fact you can’t talk about iconic Chicago cuisine without including deep-dish pizza. ...
Photo by Kendall Hoopes from Pexels New Orleans Mardi Gras is the best party ever is extreme and has a touch of madness, but if parties are your scene this is one of the best in the world. enjoy a huge plate of gumbo as you ply the Mississippi on a paddle steamer or visit one of the grand stately antebellum mansions straight out of Gone With The Wind.
Chicago’s Willis Tower
If you are not partied out and bright lights, entertainment, shows and endless amounts of glitter are what you’re looking for get your travel-pass and book a flight to the World’s most famous gambling hub of Las Vegas ... you’ve heard the saying, “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”, and with so much happening it is for the best. Vegas has the strip of bright lights and fabulously expensive theme hotels - each one its own theme park. Gambling machines are everywhere, sunk in to bar counters, in the toilets, lounges and eateries. Everywhere you go there is a constant tune of slots as the background music. Every venue and hotel complex has theatres featuring the biggest names in the music industry. The likes of Elton John, Britney, Cher and Celine have had resident gigs in the town. The musical fountains at the Bellagio on the strip attracts vast crowds, but the strip is always crowded. Get away from the madness with a visit to the Liberace Musuem where you can see his over-the-top, diamond-studded costumes, pianos and cars. If you looking at getting away take a day trip to the Hoover Dam, an engineering masterpiece as when it was constructed it was the largest concrete structure ever built. The wall impounds Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States. Another awesome day trip is a flight through the Grand Canyon. The size of this natural wonder is breathtaking and the colours of the rock formations will have you gazing in wonderment. The bright lights of Las Vegas
Photo by Ricardo Esquivel from Pexels
Photo by David Vives from Pexels One of the most beautiful cities architecturally is Chicago. With its huge LGBTQ+ community and world-famous Legacy Walk, an outdoor public display celebrating LGBT+ contributions to world history and culture, Chicago is a great, very gay-friendly destination. Get on a boat and see the city from the network of Mag 28
If your dream is to make it big in Hollywood then the West coast mega-city of Los Angeles is sure to beckon you. This sprawling city is home to the superstars who grace both our big and small screens daily. There is so much to do in LA, especially if you interest is the movies. There’s the Hollywood Walk of Fame comprising more than 2,690 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard. Visits to the studios and theme parks. Then there are the beaches where beautiful people show their talents and wares ... many are out-of-work, wannabe actors who are waitering to get by, before getting discovered. Be sure to stay in the gayvillage in West Hollywood where there’s great nightlife, superb restaurants and eye-candy for days. Make a effort to wander down Rodeo Drive, star watch and feel like Julia Roberts in “Pretty Woman” for an instant. The city has a huge Mexican population, so this is a perfect opportunity to try out authentic Mexican food, delicious tacos, quesadillas, burritos, enchiladas... the best ever! For something completely different and alien to
the star-studded image of the city is a visit to the La Brea Tar Pits, where you will see natural asphalt (also called bitumen, pitch, or tar—brea in Spanish) seeping up from the ground. The city experiences a number of minor earthquakes every year, sitting astride fault lines, the major one being the San Andreas fault. The San Andreas Fault is the sliding boundary between the tectonic Pacific Plate and the North American Plate and slices California in two, San Diego and Los Angeles are on the Pacific Plate, while San Francisco sits on the North American Plate. Charlize Theron’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Photo by Paul Deetman from Pexels
The iconic Hollywood sign San Francisco is a beautiful city situated in San Francisco bay which is straddled by the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. But for LGBTQ+ travellers it is the city’s tolerant and welcoming attitude towards its gay population that made it the most famous LGBTQ+ destination throughout the last quarter of the 20th century. San Francisco is home to one of the first gaybourhoods, which is centred around Castro Street. It is home to the Nuns of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of drag-queens who roller skate through the streets collecting money for charity. The Castro was decimated during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980’s and Harvey Milk at Pride 1978
The Golden Gate Bridge over San Francisco Bay So as you can see, the United States is a country of contrasts. Each city, has its own special flavour, often determined by the original settlers who brought their food with them from the mother country. Over the years Americans have added their own special twists to make it uniquely theirs. Italian food in New York, or San Franscisco’s Chinatown specialities, New England’s chowders and New Orleans southern dishes make this great country a feast - culinary, visually and experiences - visit the states, you’ll find your special flavour. Art Deco hotels line Ocean Drive in South Beach, Miami
90’s but is still has a vibrant gay nightlife, San Francisco is also famous for being the home of Harvey Milk. Milk campaigned for gay rights at a time when attitudes towards gay people were deeply hostile. As you know Milk was shot dead by a fellow homophobic councillor. The city is home to the infamous Alcatraz maximum security prison. During the 29 years it was in use, the jail held some of the most notorious criminals in American history, such as Al Capone, Robert Franklin Stroud (the “Birdman of Alcatraz”), George “Machine Gun” Kelly, Mickey Cohen, Arthur R. “Doc” Barker, and Alvin “Creepy” Karpis (who served more time at Alcatraz than any other inmate). The prison is now a tourist attraction. Best of all is the food, don’t miss out on great seafood at Fisherman’s Wharf, it’s one of the city’s busiest tourist areas with loads of souvenir shops and stalls selling crab and clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls ... so yummy.
Photo by One Shot from Pexels Mag 29
FEATURE
RICKI KGOSITAU-KANZA
Tshepo Ricki Kgositau-Kanza is a transgender social worker and activist who campaigns tirelessly against the discrimination and inequality of LGBTI+ people throughout Southern Africa. Her activism is internationally acknowledged, and she has spoken at forums and conferences both locally and abroad. Ricki will be receiving a Cape Town Pride Icon Award at a glittering event in March ... Out Africa Magazine caught up with her to get more insight in to what motivates this remarkable woman ... Mag 30
OM: Tell us about your background, where you were born and raised, the schools you went to and further education… Ricki: I was born in Gaborone - Botswana. With my family originating from Mahikeng in North-West Province and having settled in Barolong Farms in the South of Botswana, I was raised between Barolong Farms and Gaborone. I began my elementary schooling at Masa Primary School, then progressed to Moselewapula Junior Secondary and completed my high school education at Gaborone Senior Secondary. My educational passions had always been to pursue medicine to train and practice as a medical doctor, with law as a second option and psychology as the third. These were born from an affinity for social justice, equality and helping those in most need. Ultimately I studied International Human Rights Law Protection and Proliferation as a specialisation under International Relations with Monash University. Becoming an International Human Rights Law practitioner, advocate and activist drew me in even more as I continued to find and define myself in a world that did not understand trans persons’ existence in the greater invisibilisation of LGBTI persons within the global and continental human rights, public health and developmental agenda setting. OM: At what age did you first realise that you were a girl in a world that did not see you as one? Ricki: The first 3 years of my life I lived with my maternal grandparents who raised me while my mother was fending for me as she went to work in Gaborone while I remained with my grand-dad and grand-ma in the village of Mokatako in Barolong Farms. In my formidable years while living with my grandparents I already knew myself to be a girl because I had an assimilated older brother who is in actual fact my cousin born to my aunt who’s mother’s older sister. Growing up in Barolong Farms with an older brother who was a typical boy who enjoyed all the macho things that other boys got up to, I knew my own gender in comparison to his. I enjoyed doing girly things including play-
“
of shooting their pee over the back wall of our school. I often used the toilet so I could sit and one time as I was entering the toilets one of the more outspoken boys called Modise called me to come join them in this game of pee. I froze at this invitation and didn’t understand what this boy saw in me that made him believe that I would be fascinated by this game or the audacity to invite the girl that I was to partake in such a boyish escapade. This would come to be my first real experiences of conflict with the gender I innately identified as versus that which was perceived of me. Following this were a few other incidences of my conflict with teachers and other pupils. One such incident on the playground was the gendered games where boys would be pinned against girls with a natural sorting order that came with a simple instruction for girls to go to one side and the boys to the other. Simple as it may seem, it became complex where I was concerned because I naturally aligned with girls, only to be called out by teachers in a rude and embarrassing manner trying to correct me from seeing myself as a girl but rather as a boy. This would contribute to the early challenges with the definitions of girls and boys which absolutely confused me for I identified as a girl but was told I was a boy instead. OM: Did you experience any discrimination or bullying growing up because you identified differently? Ricki: My early schooling experiences were those of constant ridicule from students and teachers alike for my identifying and behaving as a girl. I vividly remember having some of my school work such as Setswana and English composition writing exercises where I narrated myself in feminine and girly pronouns and context which was often crossed out in red pen by my teachers and got me into trouble. I had a childhood best-friend who was a girl whom I had been friends with since before we went to pre-school; we would get to be best of buddies as we were in the same class at primary for 7 years, went to the same junior school and high school and the same university for 4 years and graduating on the same day. This girl had been the best support
She put the journals down without uttering a word and looked back at the tv screen. Her next words left me gobsmacked when she said, “we’ve always known”. I felt like screaming ...
ing the role of a “mom” when we played house while my older brother would play “papa”. I did not receive any reprimand for being girly or get any correction from my grandparents, although at times he and I would receive the same clothes for Christmas and I enjoyed that as the only little kid in the house because I enjoyed feeling equal to my older brother. My mother would eventually get married while I was 3 years and I was then taken to live with her in Gaborone and commence pre-school at the age of 5. It was in pre-school that I encountered the true concept of gender where boys would be segregated from girls in chores and roles assigned to them by teachers. During this period, boys would be allowed time for the toilet at a different time to girls. This was to be the beginning of my woes with gender. Given my natural inkling to squat when I pee’d and to respond to social cues as a girl, I had a natural connection to other girls in my class and to that effect knew my toilet time to be with the rest of the girls...that is until one of the teachers pointed out that I was not to go to the toilet with girls but instead with the boys since according to her I was one of the boys. The boys in my class had noticed that whenever boys went on their toilet time I did something different to them as they often opted for an alternative to a toilet and instead made a game
”
system for me throughout schooling as we played together and belonged to the same cliques of girls. At one point in primary school we had a dance group of about 7 girls (counting myself in) that would often be selected to perform in front of the whole school during general assembly times. This group of girls were a safety net for me against the bullies because they did not see me differently and came to my defence when an attack on me was launched. This would subsequently be the place that grew my agency and vocal attitude about my gender and confidence in the self, adding to my natural intellect that often landed me in the top achievers list of my class and grade. My intellect and natural outspoken nature were truly my shields against bullies for I was not an easy target. I can never thank my standard 5 and 6 teacher Mma. Seotlwe enough who was the first teacher in my life at primary school who’d had a candid conversation with me about my being different to the other students and her wish to support me to be the best I can be. She truly saved my life at a time when I was growing more and more into the girl I was born as. Her background in childhood development psychology truly enabled her to embrace me for who I was and not what many teachers before her struggled with. My academics would for the whole of my student life be the “A-shield” as I often call them; for beyond just being an A* student I was also an avid debate Mag 31
champion all through to university. What this meant was that I read quite a lot to inform my opinions and positions, and partnered with top grades I had the best defence mechanism against bullies being my mind and my mouth. This meant it was quite intimidating for bullies to try their luck on me. OM: Obviously growing up identifying as a girl but in a body typically known to be for/ of boys was very confusing, which brought about gender dysphoria, how did you navigate this? Ricki: Unlike the stereotypical construct that says trans people feel they were born or even trapped in the wrong bodies, I did not feel I was either of those. I instead loved my lean body with tall legs and a beautiful face, it was a body that afforded me “passing privilege” for I looked like any girl who experienced “late blooming” and I loved my body for that. However, I had grown to hate one particular part on my body which was what was between my legs from birth. I detested that part so much that I had a few incidences of attempted self mutilation which my mother had intercepted while in the bathroom, all because I realised that what came naturally as the sex on my body carried a lot of expectations and requisites I could not fulfil nor wanted to even if I could. When self mutilation failed I pursued an urban myth of a particular lizard called lekgaolatshega in Setswana that was said to have the ability to bite one and change their sexual construct. I would spend certain afternoons chasing down these black and gold lizards in the attempt to have one bite me so I could fully become a girl as I knew myself to be. As you can imagine, most lizards fear and run from humans, so that was a futile exercise I would eventually yield from. In my times as a master debater, I read up quite a lot on matters of gays and lesbians which often left me unsatisfied with the answers I found to the question of who and what was I feeling like a girl on the inside with a body typically meant for a boy. In the time of this quest for answers there was no transgender literature available and I remained with visions of my growing up into a woman, getting married to a man while I was in a gorgeous bridal gown and becoming a mother. While I was yet to get the direction as to how this would come to be later on in high school, I learnt early on to invest in tight briefs so as to enable me to have a flat groin area and this was how I managed to keep away the one part on my body I hated from being visible. I think that my mind also learnt to dissociate from my reality and offer me a reprieve where in my dreams I began to dream myself as a complete girl. This offered relief from the daily torture to have to coexist with a dual existence of being a girl inside of me and having to resign somewhat to that I was seen to be a “girly boy”, however this reprieve was often met with the disappointment to still have a male sex organ between my legs upon waking from my beautiful dreams. It would be from my learning of transgenderism, transexualism, sex reassignment surgery as it was called back then and gender dysphoria from the medical journals my mother had bought me in high school in support of my dream to study and practice medicine, that I would come to know in more detail who and what I was, and ways in which people like me could be assisted to live life as their true gender. Mag 32
Although it was to be some 2-3 years before I would be able to embark on this journey of medical and surgical transitioning, I began a journey to reclaim the full appreciation of my body with the understanding that the very part I hated the most on my body was the biological material needed by surgeons to give the part I wanted the most. With that kind of mentality I began to see my body differently, I began to interact with my body differently; in a more appreciative attitude and eventually a loving manner. My dysphoria had seen me grow into a 21 year old virgin that was in university having never had any sexual intimacy with the boys I was attracted to. This was till, I met a young man I was absolutely attracted to on a physical sense and not romantic level; whom I had eyed all of my first year of varsity but couldn’t tell how I felt about him out of fear that he would not understand the woman I was. As I began wanting to end my virginity and gain my sexual debut, I put it out into the universe that I wished to break my virginity with this guy though I did not know how this would come to be. Long story short, by the end of the second semester while awaiting our final results for the year would bump into him in town, only to find that he had been eying me too. This would be the start of a mutually beneficial sexual arrangement that allowed me space to be affirmed as a woman while learning my own sexuality. The biggest benefit would come to be the growing appreciation and love I was gaining for my own body. This greatly improved my dysphoria as I learnt gradually that I was beautiful, sexy and desirable as different to many girls as I was. As I continued studying, through graduation and later on in early adulthood grew to love my body even more, learnt to derive and give pleasure with all of it without reservation and unapologetically. When I began to dispel the notion that dysphoria is premised; that being that one’s differences are peculiar, ugly and undesirable, I started to love my self with the body it was in. OM: You are well known for your human rights and social justice activism. When did this begin and what inspired this in you? I was raised in a broken home that was rife with abuse from my mother’s ex-husband who is also my former step-dad. I grew up seeing the precarious position women occupied in society particularly in marriage settings. My former step-dad beat my mother and me on a daily basis, to a point where I lived with constant fear that one day he would kill us both. I grew up knowing that I wanted to do all I could to ensure that no other women or children had to live like we did. I was a part of an initiative at primary school called the “Girl & Boy Education Movement (GBEM)” which was an initiative of UNICEF in various schools meant to support students who were struggling with various social, economic and familial circumstances that otherwise impeded on their optimum performance in their academic life. For this I became a child rights activist who worked hard to provide peer-to-peer support to other students while affording myself the support I needed to cope with the abuse at home which at its peak adversely affected my grades. Unbeknown to me, this would come to be the formation of my politics and affinity for fairness, equality, justice and freedom for all. It is this very knowledge of the self that would form the basis for my choice of discipline of study in varsity and ultimately the choice of career. By the time I was in
high school my passion for women’s rights grew even more and I got to represent the diversity that women come in and I had opportunities to speak about this on various fora, one very close to my heart being the Southern Africa Young Women’s Festival. My medical transition began in my first year of varsity and this coincided with my joining the SRC (Student Representative Council) as a coordinator to the university’s annual fashion show and ultimately as its first ever queer member of the SRC called MUSASA (Monash University South Africa Student Association) as an Arts & Culture Officer. It was in my time in MUSASA and through the first year of my medical transition that I learnt of the challenges of a lack of a protective and conducive learning environment for trans an LGBTI persons, and that would be a challenge I would take on to ensure that all students including those like me got to enjoy studying in an environment that saw them as worthy of respect and dignity like all other non-LGBTI students. A lot of that work happened unintentionally as I was quite a visible and active character on campus as a founding conductor of the Monash Choristers, a strong member of our debate team, a founding member of the poetry club and creative director to one of the dance clubs on campus. While on the other hand, I was deliberate in using my narrative to shift social discourse on campus around transgender and LGBTI persons which really shifted norms and attitudes towards and about LGBTI persons. All these coupled with my choice of international human rights law as my field of study, were all building blocks for my social justice, equality and human rights for all activism and advocacy. OM: You are the Executive Director of Accountability International. Tell us about the aims and achievements of the organisation. Ricki: Accountability International (AI) is an African-led civil society organisation that works to improve accountability to the most marginalised. We conceptualise and implement innovatively designed projects that are led by our collaboration with marginalised communities. Accountability International’s vision is a world where there is accountability for the lives, human rights and wellbeing of all persons, across all spheres of society. As a watchdog ourselves, our mission is to amplify the diverse voices of marginalised communities, by ensuring that the voices of the community lead all our work. We collaborate with these communities to actively exercise their role as watchdog and hold various leaders accountable - all premised on a dedication to human rights for all, transparency, collaboration and diversity as values. Major highlights worthy to note is the fact that our scorecard methodology is endorsed by the WHO and UNAIDS. AI conceptualised and manages the first project run by civil society that is Global South led and works across movements to Challenge Criminalisation Globally . Accountability International has played a lead role in keeping the Maputo Plan of Action popularly known as the MPOA (Africa’s most important commitment on SRHR) on the agenda. From our first MPOA Scorecard in 2011 to many trainings of CSOs on the MPOA and Accountability Literacy, as the online database mentioned above, to the review of the MPOA when it ended in 2016. AI
also successfully requested that a minimum 15% of Global Fund’s Country Coordinating Mechanism’s (CCMs) budget be allocated to community consultations for NGOs only - Actively promoted & improved the quality of stakeholder participation in CCMs globally. Accountability International has worked with the AUC Dept of Social Affairs specifically and the Youth Division since 2010. AI has provided technical expertise, ensured that human rights gets priority, and worked to keep accountability high on the agenda. AI has continued to promote the importance of human rights in the attainment of health in line with the continental aspirations of leaving no one behind. Our advocacy has contributed to highlighting the importance of universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights as evident in the revised African health policies. Accountability International has made a contribution to the advancement of human rights and inclusion of young people (adolescents and youths) through the development of advocacy tools/reports, face-to-face advocacy with policy makers and implementers. This includes work that has been conducted with the African Union Youth Division and our bi-annual State of the African Youth Report, which highlights the evidence around youth issues for evidence based advocacy for youth advocates and allies. Lastly, Accountability International launched the Accountability International Scorecard on LGBT, and did significant advocacy around the gaps in data available on sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as providing technical support to complete the first ever regional trans diverse situation analysis on the African continent in partnership with the Southern Africa Trans Forum launched in 2017 that was premised on our Participatory Action Research (PAR) model. OM: When and how did your transition happen, and what were the challenges on your journey? Ricki: Understanding transitioning to be a life long process and not a once off event, mine has been at various intervals across my life from childhood to present day as I do believe that one does not stop transitioning as transitioning is not inherently a trans phenomenon; all human beings transition at various points across their lifespan. My personal transition begun at the age of 5 when I first learnt of the binary lens many people at social level apply to gender when it is quite a diverse aspect of humanity; the point of realisation of the fact that I was a girl though others wanted to negate this about me was the beginning of my transition in my opinion. Another phase to my transition was the social aspect of my unapologetically and unashamedly living as a girl in my family set-up where I chose to do girly or feminine chores in the homestead and dressing according to my gender. Learning of the terms transgender, transsexual, gender dysphoria and gender affirmation surgery in Form 4 at high school and informing my mother and siblings of the fact that I wanted to undergo these procedures was another phase of my transition that constituted a social transition as I began to bring my family and friends onto the journey I was embarking upon. It was only in my first year at university that I commenced my medical transition taking gender affirmation hormonal therapy, which by the way is a life long process. As my body began to change and conform to that of a female, my boobs grew, hips grew, my skin Mag 33
got softer and body hair began to soften and lessen in certain places. This was also partnered by an element of a social transition because there were some people on campus who knew that I was registered as a male and there was an element of having some of them get on board with the fact that I fully identified as a female, needing them to acknowledge and respect this shift in my gender identity. This also included having to negotiate with the university to not have the male dead name I was given at birth being included on my degree and to have my gender registered as female even though my official identity documentation had not yet changed. It was not easy to transition in front of an entire student body while I was a student leader and an active member of various varsity clubs and associations. There were too many prying eyes on my privacy, there were invasive questions posed at me out of curiosity of many fellow students, faculty and administrative staff. OM: How did your friends and family react to your transition? Ricki: It was in 2004 at Form 4 in high school that I found the answers to my life long (by then) question of who and what was I. I had as far back as junior high learnt fully about LGBTI matters with a particular emphasis that the literature placed on gay and lesbian identities. However, no matter the amount of searching I did at our school library, I could not find anything on people who were born like me. In high school that I got to see an episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show with a little boy who was on the show with his parents, who explained how he had been female assigned at birth but was insistent that he was a boy and not a girl. The parents of this little human uttered the word that would send my brain on an exciting journey of discovery...”transgender” was how they described him. I watched this episode with my older brother Tebogo and he immediately looked at me and said “that’s exactly who you are” and I immediately knew that the person who had been my best friend since I was a baby was already on board with the journey It would be about 2 months before I would sit my other siblings and my mother down to inform them of my decision to embark on this journey of affirmation. I made sure to read-up more on transgender people and even found it in the medical journals my mother had bought me when I was still certain I wanted to become a practicing GP. It was in the section on cosmetic surgery that I found the outdated sex re-assignment surgery as a procedure recommended for transgender people who lived with gender dysphoria. I bookmarked the sections on transgenderism, transsexualism, gender dysphoria and sex re-assignment surgery in my medical journals and asked for a family meeting after dinner on one evening. Present were my 3 brothers, my sister-cousin and my mother. I then handed my mom the book marked journals for her to read the areas I had selected. As I waited with baited breath my mother pierced her eyes into each section which raised my anxiety even more. She put the journals down without uttering a word and looked back at the tv screen. Her next words left me gobsmacked when she said, “we’ve always known”. In this very moment I felt like screaming at her but all I could do is respond in a chilled manner why she had been silent about this all along. It was then that my mother reminded me of how Mag 34
she had been in contact with some social worker colleagues of hers about “my case” to get advise and guidance from them as to how she could better support me on my journey. My mother would later on seek out a Dr.Molelekwa from Princess Marina Hospital whom we had heard on radio at some point post our family meeting speaking about transgender and intersex persons in Botswana being afforded help by his hospital. My mom went to various appointments with Dr.Molelekwa who would come to inform us of the challenges of transgender people to get the same support as intersex persons. He did however point us in the right direction in that I could better access gender affirmation health care in South Africa than in Botswana. This came to be the basis on which I chose to pursue my tertiary education in South Africa because my mother was clear she would not have me take a break from pursuing my studies just to transition. My brothers on the other hand had been shaken by the eventuality that I would be undergoing such a major transformation that would not be possible to hide from the already curious friends they had in our neighbourhood. It took my mother’s firm hand that continued to have family discussions to remind us all that we were her children whom she loved equally and needed us all to be pillars of strength for each other. This would be the turning point that would win my brothers over to embrace that they would have a fully fledged sister in me. I would get to witness in the months to follow as I completed high school would be various instances where my brothers defended me as their sister to insults, ridicule and attempted bullying by some people in our neighbourhood. My mother also fought hard for me to live a dignified and happy life even prior to the family meeting I hosted. At the age of 10 my mother began buying me Barbie dolls as toys for Christmas, at the age of 12 I was permitted to wear nail polish and light eye makeup as well as choosing my own clothes instead of her previous insistence to wear boys clothing; I could and would now wear androgynous clothing. From the point that I declared to my family that I would be undergoing gender affirmation procedures, to actually commencing the gender affirmation hormonal therapy and I would eventually have my mom, my aunt and my bestfriend travel with me to Thailand where I went for my gender affirming surgery. Upon return from Thailand, my whole extended Kgositau family hosted a one of a kind cultural ceremony to welcome me back in my new body inviting their church mates, colleagues, families they have married into, neighbours and friends who all came to celebrate with my whole family as they welcomed their trans daughter as a woman whom she had been seeing herself as since childhood. Two of my brothers would come to walk me down the aisle as I married my husband in a sequel wedding that took place in Cape Town and Good Hope - Botswana respectively. OM: What advice would you give your younger self, to help youngsters who are working to find and define their own gender?
Ricki: To my younger self I want you to know that you are built to not only survive but thrive. It is going to get better, but it will happen because you fought the good fight not only for yourself but for others like you as well. It will not be an easy journey but you are built for the long haul. Be gentle and kind to yourself because you only have this one body and one life to live; like it knowing that tomorrow is not guaranteed so make each day you are alive one where you positively impact others’ lives and leave a legacy of changed hearts and changed minds for the celebration of diversity, inclusion and justice. Take time to tend to yourself for an empty well cannot give water; you cannot give when you are empty as the self. Further, know that you are your own advocate and own best-friend so do not expect anything from anyone...instead work hard to attain and achieve all that which you want and wish for. Lastly, do not wish to be like anyone, be you because there is only one you and know that the norm is adversity, any one who tells you that you are non-conforming is seriously lost for diversity is actually the norm. Look at the fish in the sea, birds of the skies, trees and plants, animals in the wild and those that are domesticated...don’t they show that indeed diversity is the norm of all of creation!?! Believe me when I say you are the beauty of creation, the rainbow between the black and white and indeed the salt of the earth. OM: You describe yourself on your social media platforms as a “Researcher. Advocate. Trans.Feminist. Artist. Designer. Spiritual. AntiCrim. Kgosi. Leader. Columnist” Can you give us a brief insight into each one of these? Ricki: I am a mix of multiple intersecting identities, positionalities and hats I wear all as one person. I head-up an organisation that uses research to form a basis for civil society to hold leaders accountable with. Research and evidence form a huge part of all my advocacy and politic. I am not afraid, ashamed nor intimidated to stand my ground on matters closest to my heart, issues I see need for their transformation and elevating matters of livelihoods, dignity and justice pertinent to the most left behind, underserved and marginalised of communities. I have used and continue to use my lived reality and experiential knowledge as a black, African, trans, woman, feminist, theologian, activist to shed more light on the intersecting struggles of these very communities and issues I represent and more. I happen to have been given a natural talent to design and make garments particularly for women and my artistry extends to my classical training as a choir master, a shoe designer, a singer, a poet and sketch artist amongst some of the artistic expressions I am gifted in. I fully believe in a powerful God who created me with all intent to use me for greater works in my life. I believe not only in God the Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent but the Omniparent as well; a God that is both mother and father in one, a God that is not a He but a spirit that is an It with power and control beyond the limitations of humans. I draw very strong social justice, equality, feminist, radical and transformative lessons from a God who used the narrative of a Christ to teach great lessons of how to be good neighbours and humans overall. It is for this reason I am able to see the work I do as a calling and finding it well aligned to my spirituality and faith or a superior position From a sustainable development, global and continental health, and economical perspective there
is higher cost to regulating people’s choices and penalising them for them than it does to afford people their freedoms and ensuring their safety while exercising those civic liberties. I am the descendant of a historic royalty in the North West Province, from a lineage of Tau who was the son of a King and ultimately became a King himself. Kgositau as my surname of birth is a merger of two entities; that being Kgosi which is a King or Queen in English, while Tau is a Lion being my great-great-great-grandfather’s name that saw his descendants choose to take his name and title to create our surname Kgosi-Tau. Interestingly, in Setswana there is no difference between a Lion and Lioness; “Tau ke Tau”. It is for this reason that one of my mantras in life is that “The daughter of a Lion is a Lion her Self” for I come from a lineage of powerful lionesses who are the matriarchs in my family when I speak of the lived feminism that didn’t call itself feminism in my own mother, grand-mother and great-grandmother who all raised me. Knowing myself this well has given me a nuanced and deep understanding of the world around me enough to know that I am a thought leader on so many subjects, qualifying me to have my own self titled column in the Botswana Gazette. My column is titled Queer I which in essence speaks to my identity as a queer woman, while metaphorically denoting the queer lens I offer my readership on this column that aims to challenge normative thinking about various subject and topics, while destabilising a cisgender-heteronormative eye that many walk about life with. I am not just a columnist, but the column has been part of my flexing my writing muscles as I am busy completing my manuscript for my debut auto-biography I am working to get printed in the coming months to share in full length and depth what has made me be me as such platforms do not necessarily offer me enough space to delve deep into chapters and events of my life, so watch the space on this next project of mine. OM: You’ve been with your husband, Beltony Kanza for 7 years and counting. Please tell us what the secret is to the sustenance of your relationship? Ricki: Beltony and I met in 2014 when I relocated to Cape Town. Tony, was the most intimidating man I had ever been with because of his tall stature, muscular physique, his sharp looks and West African background. I feared telling him about my trans status in person and chose to do so via whatsapp just to be safe. He took me by surprise in that he completely understood all. I would learn very quick into us dating that he was such a gentle soul who spoke soft and slow. What I learnt was that he was my complete opposite on everything, which balances me well and makes for a well rounded relationship. In no way should it be a call for praise when a cisgender-heterosexual man who is African wholly loves a transgender woman but it cannot be watered down how much of an uphill battle it is to do so openly and commitedly. We got engaged in 2015, married in 2017 in a western-themed civic wedding in Cape Town and again in 2018 in a Setswana traditional wedding in Good Hope - Botswana. Loving me and being with me has not come without sacrifice. We made a conscious decision to lead our marriage on our terms, which has meant that we have remained as the individuals we were coming into the relationship. I could write a book about our relationship but I am truly in awe of the good choice I made in a husband. Mag 35
“pansy performers”, experienced a surge in underground popularity, especially in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and San Francisco.
QUEERS IN THE MEDIA
This article attempts to show why it is important that the media has accurate queer representation ... written by Maya Vukovska, the article deals with the need for positive portayals of our community...
A
s recently as up to two decades ago, the LGBTQ community was largely underrepresented in movies, TV and social media. Nowadays, heteronormativity as a prevalent social belief and sexual orientation is slightly but steadily giving way to alternative ways of thinking and living. The new tendency calls for specific measures to be taken for this large community to be adequately represented to the average media consumer. FROM PANSY CRAZE TO RUPAUL Let us go back to the 1930’s when the gay subculture in America emerged in Greenwich Village and Harlem and was brought onto the mainstream culture. Drag queens, known then as “pansy performers”, were the ones who kick-started gay public life first in Manhattan, and then in Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Fransisco. The “Pansy Craze” period lasted until 1933 when, with the end of Prohibition also came the end of the satiric portrayals of gay characters in Hollywood movies... or so we thought. 20 years would pass before there was any real improvement in queer representation. On December 1, 1952, the first American transgender woman, Christine Jorgensen, made the headlines of the newspapers. The Stonewall riots of 1969 led to cardinal changes in the code of the National Association of Broadcasters. The latter agreed to treat LGBT people with more sensitivity in the media. The 1972 made-for-television drama That Certain Summer was Mag 36
Christine Jorgensen made headlines
the first serious gay-themed movie to deal sympathetically with homosexuality.
Ellen famously came out on her show in 1997
1983 was an important year for LGBTQ representation as it broke into Broadway. La Cage aux Folles was the first musical centred on a gay relationship. One of the songs, I Am What I Am, was praised as a “gay anthem” and widely recorded. The public coming out of the comedian Ellen DeGeneres in 1997 boosted the positive representation of homosexual women on TV. In 2009, RuPaul increased the representation of transgender people with her popular show RuPaul’s Drag Race. MEDIA CONSTRUCTS (SOMETIMES FALSE) REALITIES A survey carried out by Pew Research Centre shows that the Americans are mainly conservative about LGBTI people and the acceptance of homosexuality is quite poor compared to other Western countries. The conservatism is derived from the dominant puritan thought in the USA and is further boosted by the media, which are powerful messengers of the zeitgeist. The images we see are often simplified depictions, stereotypes really. We laugh for a few minutes, but the side effects of this laugh can last for years. It is up to the audience to interpret these images in a critical manner, but it’s difficult to overcome the ideological messages behind media representation. As media tends to reinforce their own ideologies rather than challenge the consumers’ views, it’s been quite hard for the queer community to receive accurate representation. For example, a media owner who supports a far-right ideology may deliberately provide content about queer people that is misleading. They might be portrayed as acting weirdly or differently to anyone else, thus adding to the common belief they are abnormal.
La Cage aux Folles on Broadway
BEING ON THE WATCH There are various NGO’s, media institutes, and volunteer communities that oversee the representation of the LGBTI people on TV and streaming platforms. LGBTI Fans Deserve Better is one such organisation of fans from across the world whose mission is to inform people of the harm negative LGBTI representation in the media may do. They come up with advice and recommendations to broadcasting companies regarding the better representation of the full diversity of the LGBTI community with the hope that the numbers of the queer characters in the TV series and movies would move upward in the future. WHAT DO THE STATISTICS SHOW? Statistics from GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) came up with some good news in their 2019-2010 annual report on the LGBTI+ representation in the media. What they found out was that 90 TV characters from the LGBTI+ community were represented, which makes for 10.2% of all 792 characters, and that is an increase of 1.4% from the previous year. What’s more, 31 of the 38 transgender characters were played by transgender actors. Whilst many of us have no objection as to whether the person playing the role is gay or not, as long as the depiction of that character must be in a positive light and not just another side-swipe at the community in order to maintain or reassert prejudices. The role of the media in the queer representation is indeed enormous. Today, there’s more urgency than ever for attacking negative depictions and generalisations and creating a culture change that makes it safe for LGTBI people to lead authentic lives, thus offering inspiration and hope for the future to the less fortunate ones who are deprived of the opportunity to be themselves. Mag 38
Ru Paul
WE NEED YOUR HELP NKOLI HOUSE* CAPE TOWN PRIDE COMMUNITY CARE CENTRE
Photo by Kampus Production from Pexels
ABOUT US
Cape Town Pride in conjunction with OUTREACH AFRICA is a registered NPO (157-896 NPO) serving the needs of the LGBTI+ community in Cape Town, South Africa
AIM
We are currently in negotiations with the City of Cape Town, and Provincial and National Government and other stake-holders, to secure the premises which have been ear-marked and exist, However, it is in dire need of renovation in order for it to be fit for purpose. To achieve this goal in getting the Nkoli House* Project up and running we NEED to raise R1 million To this end we appeal to the international LGBTI+ funders for their help.
VISION
#youmatter
The Nkoli House* Project, so named in honour of the late Simon Nkoli, a gay activist and anti-apartheid campaigner, who fought tirelessly for freedom, equality and social justice.
It does not matter how small your donation is – every amount matters. We hare hoping to have this funding in place by 1 June 2021
TO MAKE YOUR DONATION ...
Please pay using your credit or debit card to We have identified the need for a community our paypal account at: centre aimed at providing a home and safe paypalpayments@capetownpride.org space for our diverse LGBTI+ community to gather, meet and mix with like-minded people – with special emphasis on the or pay on line by EFT to: often-over-looked needs of the silver First National Bank (FNB) South Africa seniors in the community. Branch Code: 201809, Account Number: 62578991278 Account Name: Outreach Africa, Swift Code: FIRNZAJJ Our Ref: Nkoli House Fund (+ your Name) Your gift is tax Cape Town Pride & OUTREACH AFRICA, P O Box 397, Sea Point, South Africa 8060. deductible!! 86 Pienaar Road, Milnerton, Cape Town, South Africa 7441 * Name registration in process - Note OUTREACH AFRICA & Cape Town Pride are registered NPO
Photo by Griffin-Wooldridge from Pexels
COVID-19 & THE LGBTI COMMUNITY
The opening session of the 2020 International AIDS Conference shared the findings of a rapid online survey demonstrating the increased socioeconomic vulnerability of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people due to COVID-19.
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC INDREASES THE VULNERABILITY OF LGBTI+ PEOPLE ... Mag 40
Sourced from https://www.usaid.org/ and https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/ https://www.avert.org/
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NAIDS, the LGBT+ Foundation and researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and other universities around the globe convened a COVID-19 disparities working group. It surveyed more than 20 000 LGBTI people in 138 countries in April and May and found that three quarters (74%) were fully or partially locked down, leading to economic consequences for many. About 13% of the survey participants have already lost their jobs in the wake of the pandemic and a fifth (21%) are expecting to lose it in the near future. Nearly half the survey participants (47%) faced economic difficulty, with a quarter unable to meet their basic needs, skipping meals or reducing meal sizes. Of concern, 21% of participants living with HIV reported that they had experienced “interrupted or restricted access” to refills of antiretroviral therapy and 42% of those said they had less than a month’s supply on hand. Worrisome disruptions were also reported for pre-exposure prophylaxis and access to HIV testing. The study also highlights that racial and ethnic minorities consistently have lower access to HIV services and in South Africa the previously disadvantaged communities and poorer communities suffer the most, and it is these communities where HIV and Covid-19 infections are more predominant. Erik Lamontagne, Senior Economist at UNAIDS and one of the members of the working group, reported at the conference that the crisis had pushed 1% of respondents to start engaging in sex work and that 2% had to continue to sell sex during the COVID-19 pandemic, risking exposure to the coronavirus. The pandemic has reduced the ability to negotiate safer sex for 13% of respondents, potentially increasing their risk of acquiring HIV. Respondents also reported reduced access to safe injecting equipment and opioid substitution therapy.
made overt by such figures as the President of Burundi, who claimed that “homosexuality is the origin of curses like AIDS and the coronavirus. Jason Ferguson, acting assistant professor, department of sociology, University of California, Los Angeles, pointed out that in Western consciousness, the trend toward liberalisation seems clear. Starting in the 1970s, European countries, especially, began to move away from homophobic laws toward gender and sexual equality. More recently, however, African and some European countries have begun to swing back toward repression and even criminalisation of homosexuality, and the trend toward liberalisation has slowed. “By 2015, 40 percent of countries still had to decriminalise homosexuality,” he said. “Gambia increased criminal penalties for homosexuality. Ankara (Turkey) banned LGBT events; even Europe is moving backward on gay rights,” Poland and Hungary are prime examples. In the United States the Trump administration has been rolling back LGBTI+ rights, something Biden vows will be corrected in his first 100 days. While these may seem random, such trends may be explained in terms of sociodemographics, he said. That first wave of normalisation, for example, coincided with the loosening of the Eastern bloc and Eastern European countries’ desire to join with the more democratic, and wealthier, West. On the other hand, increasing nationalism — particularly among colonised countries — has sparked a pullback from what may be cast as Western decadence or immorality. “The global struggle for gay rights always plays itself out in this theatre of inequality,” he said. All the more reason for the LGBTIQ+ community to continue to be vigilant and fight to protect the strides we have made, as they are all to easily eroded or taken away completely.
“What worries us is that socioeconomic factors, such as limited access to health care, lower income, unemployment and food insecurity, combined with higher anxiety and depression rates, may place some at higher risk of contracting HIV and affect treatment adherence among people living with HIV,” said Mr Lamontagne. The study shows that COVID-19 increases the vulnerability of groups that are already disproportionately affected by HIV, this is particularly prevalent here in South Africa where the country has the highest incidence of HIV in the world with 7.7 million people living with HIV. South Africa has the world’s largest antiretroviral treatment (ART) programme. This has been largely financed from its own domestic resources: in 2017, the country was investing more than $1.54 billion annually to run its HIV programmes.4 The success of South Africa’s ART programme is evident in the increase in national life expectancy from 56 years in 2010 to 63 years in 2018. Solutions and targeted programmes are required from the global community and governments to sustain prevention, testing and treatment services and to help the LGBTI community not only to survive but emerge from the crisis. This has been exacerbated by attitudes towards homosexuality, particularly in Africa as outlined in an online conference as part of Worldwide Week at Harvard. George Paul Meiu, John and Ruth Hazel Associate Professor of the Social Sciences, Department of Anthropology and Department of African and African American studies, tackled the identification of homosexuality with illness and how that association is playing out amid a global pandemic. Equating homosexuality with illness has deep historical roots. In Africa in particular, homosexuality is often cast as a Western idea that has “infected” native cultural traditions. The leap to associating it with actual sickness has been
Photo by RF._.studio from Pexels Mag 41
“I’ve always been Sarah. My gender identity has always existed. I’ve always been a woman. Gay people aren’t straight before they come out as gay, and transgender people are who they are before they come out and transition.” Sarah McBride, trans advocate IMPORTANT NUMBERS
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BIG SHOULDERS
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Of course, these exercises, as will all workouts, must be done as part of a balanced full-body routine.
BARBELL BENT OVER ROW
BARBELL OVERHEAD PRESS The overhead or military press is the single most effective muscle building movement you can do for your deltoids. It can be performed both standing or seated and with barbells or weights. And for that very reason, it makes my short list of exercises for dominant posture. When you build your shoulders up using this exercise, they will broaden and thicken. • • • •
Photo: workouttrends.com/ Bent over rows are the single most effective back building exercise. It builds your lats and upper back and improves your posture. When your upper back is strengthened it causes you to stand up straighter holding your shoulder blades further back making your shoulders appear wider and your chest appear larger.
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Hold a dumbbell in each of your hands, stand straight, with your feet shoulder width apart. Pull up the dumbbells up till the height of your head by rotating your arms forward and up. Keep your triceps parallel to the floor and bend your elbows at 90 degrees. While exhaling keep your back straight and use only your arms to extend through your shoulders and elbows to drive the dumbbells straight up. Keep bringing your arms close together until both Hold for a count of one, while squeezing your shoulder muscles. Your arms do not reach their fully extended position. Inhale and return to the starting position. Repeat.
In regards to its muscle building potential, it’s the most effective back exercise in existence. Aside from the deadlift, which doesn’t focus exclusively on the back, the bent over row allows you to most the maximum weight possible using your back. And this leads to optimal muscular development. • • • • • • • •
With slightly bent knees and feet shoulder’s width apart, stand in front of the barbell. Make an over hand grip on the barbell to hold it and bend towards your waist to hold it. Even though your are to bend down to hold the barbell, make sure your back is straight and parallel to the floor. Starting position: Keep your neck and head straight. While exhaling your breathe, and not moving your torso, pull the barbell towards your waist. Use your forearms to support the weight of the barbell. Final position: While you p are performing bent over barbell row exercise, try to squeeze your back muscles. Inhale and return to the initial/starting position.
Photo: ignorelimits.com Shoulders are the muscles primarily benefited by performing this exercise. Secondary muscle: Triceps are the muscles benefited secondarily by performing this exercise.
Primary muscles that are worked on by the Bent over Barbell Row exercise are: Middle & Lower Back / Lats, Shoulders. Secondary muscles: Biceps, Upper Back / Traps The overhead press builds the delts, triceps, and upper chest
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REAR DELT FLY
LATERAL RAISE / FLY
The bent over rear and lateral delt fly are amazing exercises for building thick shoulders and a beastly upper back. The bent over rear delt fly movement which can be done standing or seated, will help you sculpt your back. A dumbbell rear delt fly strengthens your upper back muscles and shoulders while working on stabilisation strength in your spine, deep abdominals and hips. It requires you to maintain a neutral spine position and avoid moving your torso, allowing you to hold your shoulders further back and by default – improving posture resulting for the same two reasons already mentioned earlier.
The lateral raise or fly is one of the best exercises for those looking to build shoulders like boulders. It’s also a very simple movement: essentially you just raise weights to the sides and up to shoulder level, then lower them again Don’t let the simplicity of the exercise fool you into thinking you’re in for an easy time. The lateral raise is devilishly hard, even with very light weights. What seems incredibly simple on rep one is absolute murder by rep eight, so pick your weight wisely. As well as stronger, larger shoulders, the benefits of the lateral raise extend to increased shoulder mobility. If you brace correctly throughout the lift, your core also benefits, and muscles in the upper back, arms and neck will also feel the strain after a few sets.
• •
•
•
Stand with your legs about hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand by your side. Choose a weight that allows you to perform eight to 12 repetitions. Bend your torso forward at your hips and bend your legs slightly so that your arms extend below your body with your hands facing each other as you hold the dumbbells. Keep your back flat. This is the starting position. Exhale and raise your arms out to your sides with your hands facing down, squeezing your shoulder blades together during the movement. Do not round your spine or move your head forward. Inhale and lower your arms to the starting position. This completes one repetition. Perform two to three sets of eight to 12 reps. • • • • •
Stand or sit with a dumbbell in each hand at your sides. Keep your back straight, brace your core Slowly lift the weights out to the side until your arms are parallel with the floor, with the elbows slightly bent. Lower your arms to you sides again in measured fashion. Repeat 2 to 3 sets of 12 reps - that’ll get you feeling the burn!
Mag 47
MENS HEALTH
NEW YEAR, NEW YOU? YOU?
5 ways to prioritise your health this year Mag 48
Photo by doTERRA International, LLC from Pexels
Every year most of us make health goals, but sticking with them becomes a different story. Whether those goals include regularly testing for HIV, getting on PrEP or using condoms consistently, many of us start off the year strong only to have our resolutions disband into nothing by the time March hits. Don’t let that happen this year. We have devised 5 ways in which you can prioritise your sexual health in 2021. by: Amanda Ndlangisa, Content manager at Anova Health Institute
FIND A CENTRE OR SAFE SPACE TO GET TESTED Finding a safe space where you are respected and treated with dignity is important because how you are treated will determine whether or not you will come back. Prioritising your sexual health means going regularly for tests and check-ups so it’s important to have a space you will be comfortable in. Cape Town has the newly renovated Ivan Toms Clinic, where MSM can go get access to free healthcare services such as PrEP, PEP and ART.
GO FOR REGULAR CHECK-UPS Regular check-ups are so important, especially if you have multiple partners. It’s advised to go for check-ups every three months. Ask your clinician for a full STI test, the next time you go for an HIV test. There are free rapid tests for some STI’s at Ivan Toms clinic. It’s no secret that many people do not check for STIs unless they notice a symptom, let’s normalise testing for other STIs when going for HIV tests.
GET BACK ONTO MEDICATION Nowadays living with HIV is easily manageable if you seek out and take the proper treatment. It’s very important that ARVs are taken every single day (preferably at the same time) in order to prevent the virus from developing a resistance to the medication. ARVs should be continued for life, but we understand that there might be reasons why you would stop. Getting back onto treatment is simple and beneficial to your health.
GET ON PrEP PrEP is one of the best ways to prevent HIV. It’s as simple as taking one pill a day to significantly reduce your risk of getting HIV. PrEP could be used by gay, bi and other men who have sex with men (MSM), who bottom, top, or who are versatile. When you take PrEP every day, you will have more than 92% protection against HIV. That’s because the medication in PrEP prevents HIV from replicating inside your body. If you are taking PrEP and having sex without a condom you will still be protected from HIV but remember that PrEP does not protect you from other STIs so it’s always a good idea to get regular check-ups and treatment when needed.
GET TO KNOW YOUR PARTNERS It’s always best to know your partner’s sexual history and to be comfortable talking about each other’s needs and desires. A good place to start is figuring out the best ways to have safer sex for each of you. Whether you are positive, negative, on PrEP, or not, there are so many ways to get it on safely nowadays. You can even book a couples appointment at Ivan Toms and come in together for free testing, STI screening, PrEP, condoms, and lube. What are you waiting for? Take control of your sexual health today. Make your appointment today on our Call4Care line: 060 633 2512. Monday – Friday, 09h00 – 16h00, Call, WhatsApp or SMS. Mag 49
OUT ON FILM TRANSGENDER CHARACTERS OF FILM While Golden Globe winning TV like Transparent and the prominence of Orange Is The New Black’s trans actor and activist Laverne Cox may have convinced you that trans issues have been integrated into the mainstream, cinema still has a way to go before it catches up with television’s evolving attitudes to the world beyond cis-gendered perspectives.
T
he history of trans characters in cinema isn’t a particularly happy one. Prior to the 1960s, audiences who wanted to seek out non-cis characters would be forced to fall back on men in drag like in Some Like It Hot. Still, while SLIH was offensive, it wasn’t as malevolent as something like Psycho, whose killer was famously troubled by his gender and who dressed in his dead mother’s clothes. Thankfully, the past few decades have ushered in a more progressive exploration of trans identity. While many of the films below aren’t perfect (often starring high-profile straight, cis actors in trans roles in lieu of trans actors), they do function as a good jumping off point for getting into modern transgender movies. We take a look at some of the best films dealing with transgender issue, which make for essential viewing ...
The Danish Girl (2015) Director: Tom Hooper
This fictitious love story was loosely inspired by actual people: Danish artist and transgender pioneer Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Elbe was born Einar Wegener, a landscape painter who Eddie Redmayne is exceptional in The Danish Girl
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was married to artist Gerda Wegener and who in his own words “could withstand storms.” However, he felt he was two people in the same body and his other self, Lili Elbe, was, as she herself recorded in notes for an autobiography, a “thoughtless, flighty, very superficially-minded woman.” Still, Lili grew stronger every day and by February 1930, Wegener felt he could no longer resist: “I am finished,” he wrote. “Lili has known this for a long time. That’s how matters stand. And consequently she rebels more vigorously everyday.” While it’s a beautiful film, it does have some notable weaknesses. As Vulture journalist Kyle Buchanan has noted, the film centers more on Elbe’s wife Gerda than it does Elbe. Eddie Redmayne did in-depth research into the experiences of trans women, telling Out Magazine “I felt like, I’m being given this extraordinary experience of being able to play this woman, but with that comes this responsibility of not only educating myself but hopefully using that to educate [an audience]. Gosh, it’s delicate. And complicated.” However, his cloying, vague performance as Lili suggests the LGBTQ complaints that an actual transgender woman should have played the role are justified. Still, it’s a moving, visually striking account of someone’s attempt to be themselves in an era when transgender surgery was at its very infancy.
Transamerica (2005) Director: Duncan Tucker
Felicity Huffman in Transamerica
This 2005 film earned 30 awards including a Golden Globe for actress Felicity Huffman and was nominated for 19 further awards, including a Best Actress Oscar. Bree (Felicity Huffman) is less than two weeks away from the final operation that will complete her transition from a male to female body when she learns she has a teenage son, Toby, as she receives a call from him from a New York city jail hoping that his dad, Stanley (her dead name) will bail him out. Bree is unwilling to do so but when her therapist refuses to sign a consent form for the sex-change operation until Bree reaches closure, she’s forced to fly to New York to collect Toby. She poses as a church do-gooder who is mysteriously willing to drive him to LA to fulfil his dream of becoming a porn actor. It’s a parent-son road trip movie with one key twist: Toby has no idea that he’s sharing a car with his biological father. While there’s inaccuracies in the way the transition and surgery-approval process is portrayed, overall it’s a warm, sensitive drama about the difficulties of parenthood and gender.
All About My Mother (1999)
Pedro Almodóvar’s All About My Mother
Director: Pedro Almodóvar Trans issues lie at the centre of this smart, nuanced drama from legendary Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar. The film opens on Manuela’s attempt to locate her late son Esteban’s father – she never revealed to Esteban that his father, like her best friend, is a transsexual woman, Lola. The film treats trans issues with dignity but never accords them the sentimentality you see in so much cinema on the same topic, with Agrado’s monologue on authenticity exciting our admiration over our pity. This wasn’t the only time that one of Almodóvar’s films starred trans actors and characters — The Law Of Desire (1987), High Heels (1991), Bad Education (2004) and The Skin I Live In (2011) all structure their narrative around transsexual and transvestite characters and actors. But perhaps Almodóvar’s focus on all types of femininity, cis or trans, wasn’t for LGBTQ progress, so much as expedience: in a 1981 interview, he said “I write better for women than for men, who are dramatically boring for me.”
Boys Don’t Cry (1999) Director: Kimberly Peirce Hilary Swank earned herself an Oscar for starring in this moving drama about a budding romance between a trans boy and a cis girl (played by Chloë Sevigny) in not-soLGBT-friendly ‘90s Nebraska. Based on the true story of Brandon Teena, a young transgender man who was sexually abused and murdered in Humboldt, Nebraska, the film has been criticized for its stereotypical painful trans person death – but let’s face it, the ending not only reflects Teena’s life but those of so many trans people today. As do the film’s other unhappy themes: transgender homelessness (it is estimated that one in five trans individuals will experience homelessness at some point in their lifetimes) and mistreatment at the hands of the police (transgender people are seven times as likely to experience police violence as cis people) are all sadly still par for the course over twenty years after Teena’s death. Mag 52
Chloe-Sevigny and Hilary Swank in Boys Don’t Cry
Sin-Dee-Rella in Tangerine
Tangerine (2015) Director: Sean S. Baker It’s Christmas Eve and transgender sex worker Sin-Dee Rella has just gotten out of jail and discovered from her BFF Alexandra that her pimp-boyfriend Chester has been cheating on her with a cis-woman. She decides to take matters into her own hands by avenging herself on her loverival; and so begins this chaotic, salty comedy. Sure, the technology used to record the film is exciting: Tangerine was shot mostly on iPhones augmented with other devices and the film suffuses with an orange glow that evokes the title. But it’s really the film’s treatment of its two trans protagonists that’s genuinely innovative. There’s no pity and no sentimentality here, though the film recognizes how hard these two women have it — how many smart, irreverent trans-led comedies do you get to watch?
Paris Is Burning (1990) Director: Jennie Livingston
Paris is Burning
Jennie Livingston’s debut documentary transports us back to 1980s New York’s queer culture, following AfricanAmerican and Hispanic gay men, transgender women and drag queens as they compete in vogue-dancing battles while sporting different costumes (think: “Town and Country”, “Luscious Body”). Livingston has been accused by critics like feminist scholar bell hooks of voyeurism and encouraging cultural appropriation (given the popularity of phrases the documentary launched, like “shady” or “fierce,” she makes a good point). Whether or not you agree with these accusations, they pushed trans issues into the mainstream, with Madonna taking inspiration, and directly pulling cast members from the documentary, for her “Vogue” video and it winning the Grand Jury Prize at the 1991 Sundance Film Festival. While trans characters dying in fictional films is something of a cliché, real-life trans woman Venus Xtravaganza’s murder during filming is completely heartbreaking and confronts cis audiences with the horrific reality of the high murder statistics that trans women account for.
Laurence Anyways (2012) Suzanne Clément & Melvil Poupaud star in Lawrence Anyways
Director: Xavier Dolan Laurence Anyways took the Queer Palm Award at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival while actress Suzanne Clement took home Best Actress in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard category and it’s easy to see why — the film isn’t just touching, but visually compelling, with writer/director Xavier Dolan’s movie focusing on the love between cis woman Fred (short for Frederique) and a transgender woman Laurence being compared to Stanley Kubrick’s late-career work. The film is smart and observant about the difficulties of a relationship where one partner wants to restart their life in a different gender — while Fred is initially supportive of Laurence’s struggle, as their community turns against them, she finds their life harder to deal with.
In A Year With 13 Moons (1978) Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder Arguably, this is New German Cinema pioneer and director Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s most personal film; he shot it shortly after the suicide of his lover Armin Meier (who appeared in many of his movies). Fassbinder himself ranked Mag 53
it second on his list of The Top 10 Of My Own Films (found in the book The Anarchy of the Imagination: Interviews, Essays, Notes by Rainer Werner Fassbinder). This is unsurprising, since this unflinching, close-up portrayal of the last few days of transgender woman Elvira’s life contains multitudes: a Göethe recitation, a musical comedy number staged by gangsters, autobiography – whether of Fassbinder or Meier remains unclear, history (it focuses on the first post-World War II generation and this is relevant to the plot, with Elvira transitioning in response to a throwaway “If only you were a woman” from a Holocaust survivor she’s in love with). Given the relentlessly bleak tone the film establishes, with Elvira effectively being rejected by everyone she comes into contact with and 13 Moons’ negative portrayal of surgery, this is difficult viewing for trans audiences. However the film remains invaluable as a screenshot of a earlier, much harder time for people who didn’t identify as cis.
THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT (1994) Director: Stephan Elliott
Elvira - In A Year With 13 Moons Terence Stamp as Bernadette in Priscilla
Centring on three travellers: a drag queen, a transvestite and transsexual woman Bernadette, the musical extravaganza Priscilla follows the trio as they trek across the Australian desert to perform in a drag queen residency show. Priscilla was a landmark movie in Australia, where its seductive combination of sequins and even glitzier show tunes pushed LGBT issues into the mainstream, while its irreverent but intimate treatment of queer and trans issues means it’s a lighthearted romp of a film for viewers across the sexual and gender spectrum. Sure, the performances are incredible, but it’s really the film’s handling of the group’s everyday life and witty responses to the prejudice they experience that makes it so special.
THE CRYING GAME (1992) Director: Neil Jordan
This high stakes 1992 British-Irish psychological thriller is set to the backdrop of the Irish Troubles and centres on Fergus, an IRA guard who makes a promise to a prisoner. When he fulfils his promise by seeking out the prisoner’s girlfriend, he falls for her and is about to make love to her when he discovers that she is transgender. Fergus’ initial reaction is one of revulsion but a few days later he discovers he can’t get her out of his head and continues to woo her. While the cis-trans romance isn’t the main focus of the thriller, it’s a key plot point and despite Fergus’ problematic reaction it is still worth watching.
KISS OFTHE SPIDER WOMAN (1985) Director: Hector Babenco
What “Kiss of the Spider Woman” at first seems to be about is the changing nature of the relationship between two very different men who have been locked together in the same cell. Molina, played brilliantly by William Hurt, is transgender and his cellmate, Valentin (Raul Julia). They are opposites in every way. But they share the same experiences, day after day, and that gives them a common bond. Gradually, an affection grows between them, and we assume that the movie will be about the ways in which they learn to accept each other. Only gradually, mysteriously, do we realise that the movie is about a good deal more. Details of the plot are revealed so subtly and so surprisingly that the film does not lead in the directions the viewer anticipates. The performances are wonderful.. ”Kiss of the Spider Woman,” is a film of insights and surprises. Mag 54
Jaye Davidson in The Crying Game
William Hurt’s is brilliant as Molina in Kiss of the Spider Woman
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (2013) Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée
This Oscar-winning drama tells the story of Ron Woodruff, a homophobic Texan who is diagnosed with HIV and becomes business partner to Rayon, a drug-addicted transgender woman. Based-on-a-true-story set in the mid-1980s, the height of the AIDS crisis in the United States, the film centres on Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) a red-neck, hard-partying, ever-onthe-make quasi-cowboy who, on finding himself HIV-infected and with a very-soon-to-come death sentence hanging over him, who aggressively explores alternative meds. He unwittingly becomes an advocate and activist, who grows in character, allowing himself to work side by side with a flamboyant transsexual, Jared Leto (Rayon) a person he not only wouldn’t have given the time of day to in his prior mode of life. The film conscientiously attempts to portray a group of people in trouble in a troubled time and with a great cast achieves its goal. In an age in which there’s even more violence against transgendered people than ever before, both in the United States and here in South Africa, putting more trans characters and actors on screen isn’t just about diversity quotas, but potentially a matter of life and death. The world’s suffering from a distinct lack of empathy at the moment and fantastic, non-patronising cinema which puts cis viewers in the shoes of the trans community is exactly what we need.
GET TICKETS TO CAPE TOWN PRIDE 2021 EVENTS FROM QUICKET #YOUMATTER DUE TO COVID-19 restrictions ALL the pride events have limited numbers -
Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club If you haven’t seen any of these films, or have and this article has wet your appetite to re-watch them, lockdown is the ideal time to batten down the hatches and rent, stream, beg, borrow or buy these iconic movies.
IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU BOOK EARLY... go to:
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From: www.highsnobiety.com/p/best-transgender-movies/ Mag Mag 55 47
WORD PERFECT
DINNER AT SOMIZI’S
O
ut, Media personality Somizi Mhlongo-Motaung says he has his 3.7 million Instagram followers to thank for inspiring his new cookbook. Dinner At Somizi’s: I Am Not A Chef is inspired by his family’s cooking and celebrates food that is proudly South African. According to local news reports, figures from South African book retailers, show that the self-taught chef’s guide to culinary excellence has outsold books from renowned chefs, including Mogau Seshoene’s The Lazy Makoti’s Guide to the Kitchen, food writer Ella Woodward of Deliciously Ella and even world-renowned Jamie Oliver. The book follows the success the cooking show of the same title, which saw Somizi whipping up some of his best meals and dining with some of Mzansi’s top celebrities on the DSTV 1Magic hit show. Somizi thanked his followers on Instagram saying, “When the book was released, I said I want to break records … and I asked you to help me do that, coz I was told cookbooks don’t really do well in South Africa … [but] here I am … Number 1 … thanks to all of you who continue to make my dreams come true…” When interviewed, Somizi stated “When putting this cookbook together, I really wanted to create something truly authentic and special for my fans. I wanted to show South Africans how easy it is to add “Pizzazz” to everyday meals.
cooking with splashes of colour such as photographs of the media star in glamorous, sometimes outrageous outfits, (nothing new in that!), with inspirational quotes and comments.
The cookbook features local South African
Here we give you a sampling of some of the pages … there seems to be no challenges this superstar is prepared to take on and turn in to a success – and when it comes to “Pizzazz” he has in bucket fulls well done!
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MUSIC MOVES
TAYLOR SWIFT FOLLOWS UP
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n July 24, 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Swift surprise-released her eighth studio album, Folklore, to widespread critical acclaim and commercial success. It became the best-selling album of 2020, and garnered five nominations at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. On December 11, 2020, the artist released her ninth studio album which she describes as a “sister album” to Folklore and likened Evermore to fall and winter, in contrast to its predecessor’s spring and summer. Referring to lockdown regulations in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Swift wrote: “You’ve all been so caring, supportive and thoughtful on my birthdays and so this time I thought I would give you something! I also know this holiday season will be a lonely one for most of us and if there are any of you out there who turn to music to cope with missing loved ones the way I do, this is for you”. Evermore has reached number-one in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The album opens with Willow, a chill chamber folk love song which became the seventh number-one single of her career and her second number-one single in 2020. Champagne Problems is a mournful ballad which tells the story of difficult girlfriend whose personal struggles disrupt her romantic relationship.
sirens and featuring Haim, is a country rock song. Telling a macabre story of a woman named Este murdered by her unfaithful husband in favour of his mistress. Happiness, is a melancholic ambient post-breakup/divorce ballad and is the albums seventh track.
Gold Rush is a glimmering chamber-pop song driven by drums, horns, violins, swivelling shifts in tempo and a dreamy chorus. The song references the California Gold Rush discussing the narrator’s jealousy and insecurity towards an attractive subject, by mentioning folklore.
The folk-tinged Dorothea is a song from the perspective of the male subject in Tis the Damn Season. It is steered by a honky-tonk piano, tambourine, guitars, and notes of Swift’s lower register.
The fourth track, ’Tis the Damn Season, is a Christmas song that pulls a twist on festive balladry.
Coney Island, the ninth track, is an alternative rock, waltz and indiefolk duet with Matt Berninger of the National.
Chronicling a young woman in an age-gap relationship, Tolerate It is a slow-building ballad narrating the agony of a resentful protagonist looking to terminate the unbalanced relationship with her partner. It’s guided by notes of piano and tense synth-beats.
The folk song Ivy documents a married woman’s infidelity, over a ticking arrangement of banjo, picked guitar, trumpet, Vernon’s gentle harmonies and a jaunty chorus.
No Body, No Crime opening with police
In the eleventh track Cowboy like Me, Swift sings about two con artists who
fall in love. It is an alternative, country, folk rock and blues tune, with hushed guitars, harmonica riff, mandolin, piano, lap steel, and Mumford’s backing vocals. Long Story Short is an indie rock song with a rousing post-chorus hook. Swift summarises the worst moments of her life and explains her personal redemption in the song. The poignant Marjorie details Swift’s grief and guilt over her grandmother and opera singer, Marjorie Finlay, who passed away. The lyrics consist of Finlay’s advice to her granddaughter, as well as Swift’s memories and regrets, while the production samples Finlay’s soprano vocals over buzzing synths. Closure, the fourteenth track, is Swift’s kiss-off to its subject. A reply to their self-serving requests and fake niceties, by pretending to be amicable. The title track, Evermore, concludes the album on a cold and sombre, but hopeful, note. It is a piano ballad in which Swift is joined midway by Justin Vernon’s falsetto in a call and response kind of vibe. Mag 57
OUT TAKES I am still the same old “Brud,” but Nature made a mistake, which I have had corrected, and I am now your daughter. HAND-DELIVERED LETTER SENT BY JORGENSEN TO HER PARENTS AFTER HER REASSIGNMENT SURGERY
Robyn Peoples and Sharni Edwards exchange a marital kiss.
Mag 58
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Anderson Cooper
I think being gay is a blessing, and its something I am thankful for every single day
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Being gay is like glitter ... it never goes away Lady Gaga
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We are both ‘the girl’ in the relationship - that’s kind of the point!