Issue 47, WINTER 2021
AFRICA
MAGAZ I N E
HATING PETER TATCHELL
THE FUTURE OF TELEVISION & NEW GENERATION ICON
YAYA MAVUNDLA FREE
TAKE PRIDE IN YOUR HEALTH
Whether you want to get on PrEP, test for HIV, start your HIV treatment, or screen for STIs, the Ivan Toms Centre for Health is here for you. You can also consult with our nurses and doctors about any other sexual health concern that may be on your mind including your testicular, prostate, and anal health. We also offer support for hormone replacement therapy. Visit us for a private, non-judgmental, and supportive sexual health check. All our services are free.
Book your appointment online today at
www.ivantomsbooking.com or WhatsApp
060 633 2512
Monday - Friday | 09h00 - 16h00 | Cape Town Please note that all COVID-19 safety precautions are in place at the clinic. We look forward to seeing you.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE FEATURES
2 Editor’s Comment 3 IDAHOBIT 21 4 VISA Icon Awards 2021+ 6 Hating Peter Tatchell 10 Nkoli House Project Merchandise 11 The Need for Nkoli House 12 FEATURE: Fighting for our Rights 15 Congratulations to Mr Gay World SA 16 Illustrating Homoerotica 19 Guy Candy - The Hottest Sportsmen 26 TRAVEL Going local - Explore the Western Cape 30 FEATURE: Meet Yaya Mavundla - Reality star! 36 Love Unites 40 The Demise of the Gay Village 42 Important Numbers 44 FITNESS: Winter Wellbeing 48 The Buzz: Snippets of news 53 MUSIC MOVES: The Perfect Gay Patsy 54 WORDPERFECT: Robert 56 UNITED PRIDES OF AFRICA - 26 June 2021 58 OUT TAKES
4
6
30 12
16 FASHION 22 - 25 Summer Trends
SCENE OUT
44
19 - 21 A Sporting Life
REVIEWS
50 OUT ON FILM: Binge worthy gay mini series
“Every gay and lesbian person who has been lucky enough to survive the turmoil of growing up is a survivor. Survivors always have an obligation to those who will face the same challenges.” Writer/actor Bob Paris
50 Mag 1
FROM THE EDITOR Welcome all The whole world is still in the grip of the Covid pandemic which is reeking havoc on the country especially those who relied before on the hospitality and allied industries. With winter settling in, there seems to be a rise in infections across the country and the Governments painfully slow role out of an effective vaccination programme means that we are not going to overcome the pandemic in the near future. Pride this year was cancelled due to the laws prohibiting large gatherings there were however a few small events which were well attended. Check out the Icon Awards page and Pride events pages. (pages 4,5 & 9). In this issue we celebrate some of those people who are brave enough to fight for our equality. One of those is British activist and campaigner, Peter Tatchell, who became a LGBTI+ hero worldwide when he attempted a citizens arrest of Robert Mugabe - Hating Peter Tatchell is a new documentary of this courageous man’s life-long fight for LGBTI+ rights worldwide. We also look at some of the South Africans spear-heading the fight in this country... Our cover features Yaya Mavundla, the new reality star of TV’s Becoming, due to start airing this month. Glamorous and gorgeous with dollops of confidence, Yaya is set to become one of the country’s household names. Turn to page 30 to find out more. Our fashion pages feature some of the latest trends to keep you warm this winter and look fabulously street-wise and comfortable. Outreach Africa and Cape Town Pride are desperately looking for help with the Nkoli House Project, and needs the communities help in bringing the project to fruition. To donate to the Project fund, please go to page 39 where you will find all the details. 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. South Africa’s Charlize Theron together with Sir Elton John and a number of other high profile personalities and community leaders have joined forces to urge G7 countries to renew the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic which has been neglected with Covid-19 being the priority. Go to The Buzz where you can read about this drive as well as other important happenings like the first ever Rwanda Pride which is desperately in need of funds to get it off the ground. Stay safe, remember to social distance and mask up... and here’s to hoping that the country can get a handle on this devastating pandemic.
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: YAYA MAVUNDLA 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.
THE INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA, TRANSPHOBIA AND BIPHOBIA The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia was created in 2004 to draw the attention to the violence and discrimination experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex people and all other people with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, and sex characteristics.
T
he date of May 17th was specifically chosen to commemorate the World Health Organisation’s decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder. The Day represents a major global annual landmark to draw the attention of decision makers, the media, the public, corporations, opinion leaders, local authorities, etc. to the alarming situation faced by people with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, and sex characteristics. May 17 is now celebrated in more than 130 countries, including 37 where same-sex acts are illegal. Thousands of initiatives, big and small, are reported throughout the planet.
MESSAGES OF HOPE & SUPPORT CAME FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD
THE VISA ICON AWARDS At a glittering dinner held at the Royal Cape Yacht club, the first Cape Town Pride Icon Awards were given out ...
Dr Anastsia Thompson-Myburgh recieves her award for Outstanding Contribution to Health & Wellbeing in the LGBTIQ+ Community The Hometown Hero Award went to Roberto Quintas
The winner of the award for the Top Contributing Musician of the Year was Latheem Gabriel
Sisanda Kapisto Kayza Fatyela recieved the award for Outstanding Work in Disadvantaged Communities The winner of the award for the Top Contributing Performer of the Year was Manila Von Teez
Roger Paulson recieved the award for his Outstanding Contribution to Cape Town Pride over the years.
A charity auction was held to raise funds for the Nkoli House Project The auctioneer for the night was Joey Burke, ably assisted by Miss Gay Western Cape
Director of Cape Town Pride, Matthew Van As recieved the awards on behalf of Treyvon Moo, Ricki Kgisitau-Kanza and Allison who were unable to attend
Perfromers on the night were Manila, Blah Blah and Latheem Gabriel. Blah performed a tribute to those in our community who have passed away with a special tribute to Alvon Collison
The powerful and inspiring true story of the controversial human rights campaigner whose provocative acts of civil disobedience rocked the British establishment, revolutionised attitudes to homosexuality and exposed world tyrants. As social attitudes change and history vindicates Peter’s stance on gay rights, his David versus Goliath battles have gradually won him the status as a national treasure. The film follows Peter life of activism to his riskiest crusade yet - seeking to disrupt the FIFA World Cup in Moscow to draw attention to the persecution of LGBT+ people in Russia. He now has his eyes on the Qatar FIFA World Cup in 2022!
H
ating Peter Tatchell - A new documentary film that has just been released on Netflix is the inspiring true story of world-renowned human rights activist. The documentary is centred around an interview led by Sir Ian McKellen reflecting on Tatchell’s 50-year career as a campaigner on all human rights.
The Director Chris Amos noted: “This is the true story of how one man defies critics to create change and bring human rights issues into the mainstream.” Saint or sinner, you’ll discover why Peter Tatchell, for decades has been a public hate figure, is still being targeted by hate campaigns and smears by the far right and far left. Yet he has single-handedly brought so many human rights issues to the forefront of global politics, resulting in the admiration of millions of supporters the world over. His attempted citizens arrest of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe over his stance and treatment of gay people and his abysmal human rights record made Tatchell an instant hero to many - or as Steven Fry put it “He became a national treasure”. The Irish Times reported at the time “The president’s bodyguards had to intervene when Mr Peter Tatchell, a prominent British gay rights campaigner, tried to make a citizen’s arrest. Mr Mugabe is a hate figure for homosexuals, whom he has branded as “dogs”. Mr Tatchell yelled: “Arrest Mugabe, arrest the torturer!” as Mr Mugabe left the Hilton Hotel in Brussels”.
“Don’t accept the world as it is, Dream of what the world could be - and then help make it happen.” - Peter Tatchell “Over the past decade, Peter has gone from being one of the most despised public figures in Britain to one of the most loved. His unique brand of human rights activism has brought him both media and public scrutiny. The documentary which credits Sir Elton John and David Furnish as executive producers charts his 50 years of human rights activism and the immense personal price he has paid: the hate mail, death threats and violent assaults - with the latter resulting in brain and eye damage. Documenting his triumphs and tribulations, which have impacted British politics and the politics of other countries as far reaching as Russia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Peter Tatchell was Australian born and moved to the UK in 1971. His political activity began at Mount Waverley Secondary College, where in 1967 he launched campaigns in support of Australia’s Aboriginal people. He also campaigned against the USA and Australia’s involvement in the war in Vietnam. He came out publicly in 1969, and in London became a leading member of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) until its demise. Known primarily for his campaigns regarding discrimination against LGBTIQ+ people he co-founded the direct action group OutRage! In the 1990’s. OutRage was viewed by many LGBT+ organisations and people as taking Mag 7
things too far and some saw the organisation doing more harm to the LGBT+ fight for equality than good. By being militant and outing hypocritical high-profile gay people OutRage got the headlines they were looking for and the conversation being forced into the forefront of politics, talk shows and therefore into the public arena. He was a founding organiser of Britain’s first Gay Pride march in 1972, and recently has been vocal on Twitter calling for a return to the values of Pride, seeing modern day prides as commercial ventures, having lost sight of the original reason, as a form of protest against inequality and the labelling in many countries of homosexuality as a ‘medical illness’. He is currently still trying to get Boris Johnson’s government to outlaw conversion therapy for LGBTIQ+ individuals. Hating Peter Tatchell includes challenges to, and encounters with, Margaret Thatcher, Robert Mugabe, Mike Tyson, the African National Congress leadership and successive Archbishops of Canterbury. In fact the former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey as well as actor Stephen Fry also appear with their comments and experiences with Tatchell. “This is a true story of overcoming adversity and of incredible personal achievement: how one man can bring marginal human rights issues into the mainstream to create positive change,” said Chris Amos. Hating Peter Tatchell is riveting viewing, a no holes barred direct and honest account of this remarkable man’s sometimes single handed campaign for human rights for all oppressed people everywhere. A very courageous person who deserves accolades
SOME OF THE EVENTS AT CAPE TOWN PRIDE 2021
Pride Hike Pride Movie Night
Pride Bookcase
Justice for Lulu March
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
THE NKOLI HOUSE PROJECT Do silver gays when moving to a care home or retirement accommodation need to go back into the closet? With the Nkoli House Project - Definitely not!
A
lmost everybody wants to live independently, and this applies all LGBT+ people as they get older. However, in most countries there comes a time when this is no longer possible anymore.
Moving into a care home or retirement facilities is a big step which involves moving out of one’s comfort zone or familiar social environment, apartment or house necessitating the need to connect to new people. For a lot of LGBTI+ folk this scenario causes immense anxiety as they worry about how fellow residents and staff will react to their sexual orientation or gender identity? There’s the anxiety of whether they will be discriminated against and perhaps the need to retreat back into the closet is a very real issue. The good news is: There is a local initiative to circumvent this event with the establishment of a retirement home – The Nkoli House Project. The establishment of Nkoli House will make a space, the first of its kind in Cape Town, where members of the LGBTI+ community will be welcome and feel at home, with the knowledge that their sexuality is not an issue for them as residents as well as the staff. In some countries, homes for elderly LGBTI+ exist, for example ”Roze Looper“ in the Netherlands, “Regenbogenschlüssel“ (German Roze Looper) and “Lebensort Vielfalt“ in Germany and “Pride in Care“ in the United Kingdom. The Nkoli House Project also aims at developing a fact sheet for the community in regard to existing aged facilities with a SilverRainbow-Fact-Sheet, similar the one developed by LGBTIQ+ Health Australia in collaboration with the Silver Rainbow Training Partners across Australia. There is no such certification procedure in South Africa. But to some extent, everybody can check the LGBTIQ friendliness of a care home/retirement village by working through a checklist: If you are an elderly LGBT+ person here are a few points to consider when choosing a care home: Is diversity part of the mission statement? Does the promotional material of the home display members of the LGBTI+ community? Do house rules and a code of conduct exist to ensure a nondiscriminatory environment? Is inclusive and gender-sensitive language consistently used? Do residents and employees have access to LGBTI+ information within the home? Are surveys about the happiness of residents which include LGBTI+ topics conducted regularly? Do some staff members have specialised knowledge of LGBTI+ matters for example regarding health issues? Can residents live their sexuality? Will residents be supported during their coming out or while
transitioning? Are there gender-neutral sanitary facilities? Is there a list of LGBTIQ friendly health professionals? Is the care home cooperating with LGBTI+ organisations? Is the care home participating in LGBTI+ events? In the case where you do have to go into a care home, what would you prefer? To live in LGBTI+ sensitive home together with heterosexuals or in a home solely for members of the community? What are your expectations and demands from a care home? The Nkoli House Project plans to tick all these boxes being LGBT+ specific, incorporating a community centre and social area where talks and activities of interest to the LGBTI+ community will take place. Such as drag performances, outings to LGBTI+ events etc. The idea is to have en-suite flatlets, which will be means tested, meaning that residents will pay for the accommodation in line with what they can afford. Nkoli House will be safe space for like-minded LGBTI+ individuals, where they can be a part of the community instead of feeling ostracised due to their age. Should there be any readers who would be interested in getting involved in this project or are needing to move to a care home like Nkoli House please get in contact by emailing the Nkoli House Project at: outreachafrica@telkomsa.net There are a few overseas sites to check out with guides for care homes and clinics which can be a reference for you to know what to look out for if you have to or want to go into a care home which is LGBTQ affirmative: BWHC LGBT & Allies Employee Resource Group: https://www. brighamandwomens.org/ LGBT Aging – SAGE: https://sageusa.org Mag 11
ICONS
THE BRAVEST LGBTI’s FIGHTING FOR OUR RIGHTS The LGBTQ community is made up of a diverse group of people from all over the world, and some have left their mark in powerful ways, but there are new faces who are changing the way LGBTI+ people are viewed in the wider community.
D
ating back to the early ‘80s, activists like Marsha P. Johnson, Larry Kramer, and Billie Jean King and here in South Africa, Simon Nkoli, Ed Cameron, Lesego Motsepe, Glen Retief, Eudy Simelane, Sally Gross and others helped in the fight for LGBTQ rights. Today, icons like Zackie Achmat, Beverley Ditsie, Zanele Muholi, Somizi Mhlongo, Ricki Kgositau-Kanza are picking up where past influencers left off and bravely continuing the fight for equal rights for all LBGTI+. South Africa is the shining light on the continent when it comes to LGBTI+ rights, however, whilst the laws may have been changed and the community has legislative acceptance and equality, homophobia is rife, which is seen with the high number of people who are murdered, “correctively” raped, ostracised and beaten because of their sexual orientation. According to a report released in 2017, one in four South Africans knew someone who had been murdered because they were part of the LGBT community. Additionally, Black people were disproportionately affected versus their white counterparts. Here we look at a few of those people in our community who are making waves, changing perceptions, and fighting for the inclusion of LGBTIQ+ rights – in fact, they are the most influential LGBTQ+ figures in South Africa.
ZACKIE ACHMAT
Zackie founded the National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality in 1994, ensuring protections for gays and lesbians in Mag 12
Georgio Armani
the new South African Constitution. He is also a co-founder of the Treatment Action Campaign, a grass roots organisation that secures crucial drugs for low-income South Africans and is known worldwide for his activism on behalf of people living with HIV and AIDS in South Africa and LGBTI+ rights activism, putting the AIDS epidemic in South Africa on the world stage. He wrote a much-cited article about sexuality in South African prisons, based on his personal experiences. His work has been recognised with a number of awards over the tears including the Desmond Tutu Leadership Award in 2001, in 2003 he was named one of Time’s 2003 European Heroes; In 2004 he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by the Quaker humanitarian group American Friends Service Committee and 2011 he received the City of Cape Town Civic Honours. He has also been recognised as one of the SABC 3’s list of 100 Great South Africans.
EDWIN CAMERON
Justice Ed Cameron is well known for his HIV/AIDS and gayrights activism, was hailed by Nelson Mandela as “one of South Africa’s new heroes” who appointed him in October 1994, as an acting judge of the High Court. In 1999, he was given an acting position on the Constitutional Court and in 2008 President Kgalema Motlanthe made his appointment permanent. He was also appointed to the Supreme Court of Appeal where he served for eight years. Justice Cameron was instrumental in securing “the express inclusion of sexual orientation in the South African Constitution”. Well-known for his HIV AIDS activism, he shook-up the 2000 International AIDS Conference in Durban with a speech detailing his own HIV status, leading Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng to pay tribute to Cameron as “a brave and bold man”, recognising the catalytic role he played in mobilising authorities to roll out a mass ARV programme. Ed Cameron also addressed the crowd in the very first Pride Parade in South Africa in October 1990 and has worked tirelessly for the rights of the LGBTI+ community in South Africa all his adult life. He retired on 20 August 2019, the 25th anniversary of his appointment to the bench. President Ramaphosa appointed him as Inspecting Judge of Correctional Services from 1 January 2020 and in October 2019 he was elected Chancellor of Stellenbosch University. An iconic figure in our community, Justice Cameron continues to fight for the LGBTI+ rights and those of sex workers in this country.
Justice Edwin Cameron
ZANELE MUHOLI
Zanele Muholi is a world-renowned photographer and visual activist. Her work has been recognised internationally for “its radical emphasis on marginalised communities in South Africa, queerness, blackness, femininity and the intersections in between” said the SAHO. “Her work chronicles that which is systematically erased from both South African and international narratives: lesbian weddings, trans men dressing in tuxedos, survivors of ‘corrective rape,’ lovers in bed together”. In her body of work she directs her camera towards members of the black lesbian and trans community in South Africa making a social, political and positive LGBTI statement to a society which in many cases sees violence against this community as justifiable. Using herself as the subject of the bulk of her work, she commented, “I looked directly at the camera in order to create a sense of questioning or confrontation which could be read by viewers in different way”.
Zanele Muholi Beverley Ditsie
BEVERLY DITSIE
Beverley Palesa Ditsie is a South African lesbian activist, artist, and filmmaker. She made a name for herself as an activist as far back as 1990 when she spear-headed the Gay & Lesbian Organisation of the Witwatersrand (GLOW) which organised Mag 13
the first Gay Pride March on the continent, which took place in Johannesburg. Having become known for her LGBTI+ activism, she was invited to address the UN World Conference on Women in Beijing, China in 1995, becoming the first openly lesbian woman to do so, and the first African Lesbian. During the drafting of South Africa’s constitution, she was at the forefront of arguing for protecting people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Somizi Mhlongo Motaung
In her address in Beijing she campaigned for sexual orientation protections for women, saying, “No woman can determine the direction of her own life without the ability to determine her sexuality,” she stated. “Sexuality is an integral, deeply ingrained part of every human being’s life and should not be subject to debate or coercion. Anyone who is truly committed to women’s human rights must recognise that every woman has the right to determine her sexuality free of discrimination and oppression.” Last year she made a short documentary
SOMIZI MHLONGO-MOTAUNG
We all know the multi-talented Somizi – he’s an actor, choreographer, media personality, writer, cook, style-icon, SA Idols judge – well you name it, Somizi will try it and make a success. He is known for his outrageous fashion sense; be it drag or androgenous outfits or just pure glitz. Glamour is the name of the game, and it is this outrageousness that has made him famous, and which has encouraged more tolerance in an otherwise very conservative society. He is in-your-face and has is candid about his homosexuality on air and in interviews. His activism to have LGBTI+ people treated equally was demonstrated when he walked out of a homophobic sermon saying ““This is who I am. I am a gay man. Get it straight into your skull. My soul is alright with my God. Let me deal with my God and my soul. Don’t tell me.” His highly publicised traditional wedding got tongues wagging and the ever-verbal Somizi commenting “The world was going to know about it. It was going to happen. I always knew that I was going to get married, even before we had the right to same-sex marriage.” When he was asked in an interview on East Coast Radio, “are you really, really gay?” he candidly retorted, “that is the most stupid question; it is like asking are you really, really black?” Outspoken and controversial, Somizi brings LGBTI+ issues to the fore by not hiding in the closet like many high-profile people. “I always knew that I was born here to live my life and I am not going to live according to someone else’s acceptance of me.” Much like the world-famous Ru Paul whose Drag Race is produced and aired around the globe bringing LGBTI+ people into the public consciousness, Somizi’s activism is very much the same.
RICKI KGOSITAU-KANZA
Ricki Kgositau-Kanza is a transgender social worker and activist who campaigns tirelessly against the discrimination and inequality of LGBTI+ people throughout Southern Africa. She is the founder and Executive Director of Accountability International’s whose vision is a world where there is accountability for the lives, human rights, and wellbeing of all persons, across all spheres of society. The NGO acts as a watchdog with a mission to amplify the diverse voices of marginalised communities with a dedication to human rights for all, and transparency, collaboration, and diversity as values. She campaigns for transgender rights both here in South Africa and her native Botswana and has addressed organisations and groups as far afield as the United States and Europe. Mag 14
Ricki Kgositau-Kanza
CONGRATULATIONS GO TO LOUW BRETENBACH MR GAY WORLD SOUTH AFRICA Louw Breytenbach, who lives in Gauteng was crowned the winner at a glittering event at The Galleria conference and event venue in Sandton, Johannesburg where 11 contestants competed for the coveted title. Bonginkosi Ndima, from KZN, was the first runner up. Shanon Kannigan, a 27-year-old banker from Benoni, Gauteng, came in third.
Mag 15
Photos from Instagram
FEATURE
ILLUSTRATING HOMOEROTICA
Mag 16
E
xamples, in the visual fine arts, of male on male sexuality range through history from Ancient Greek vase art to Roman wine goblets (The Warren Cup), in decorative pottery, statues, friezes and paintings.
Several Italian Renaissance artists are thought to have been homosexual, and homoerotic appreciation of the male body has been identified by critics in works by the masters such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. More explicit sexual imagery occurred in the Mannerist and Tenebrist styles of the 16th and 17th centuries, especially in artists such as Agnolo Bronzino, Michel Sweerts, Carlo Saraceni, Caravaggio and the lesser known Dutch painter, Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem whose work The Massacre of the Innocents was described by The New York Times Style Magazine as work featuring “Powerfully muscled backs, piston thighs, meaty buttocks you could bounce quarters off for days,” describing his art as “ Totally Homoerotic”. Moving in to the 20th Cenhury American advertising used illustrators to sell their products and there was no one more influential than J.C. Leyendecker. Leyendecker was the pre-eminent illustrator of the early twentieth century, painting more than 400 magazine covers and hundreds of advertising images for diverse clients including Cluett, Peabody & Co. (Arrow Shirts), Interwoven Socks, and the US military.
Charles A. Beach
His paintings are iconic and instantly recognisable even now, a century after he first came to prominence. Leyendecker, who used his lover, Charles A. Beach, as the subject of most of his illustrations, was instrumental in defining the image of the all-American male. His advertising campaigns featured men whose interest seemed to be more interested in other men than any women accompanying the advert or illustration. In the early part of the 20th Century, he produced iconic illustrations and adverts, the Arrow collar ads and Football Hero are perfect examples. With the outbreak of World War II recruiting posters and the now famous towel adverts have become iconic examples of Leyendecker’s homoerotic art. In the mid 20th Century the super-hero comics emerged and it turns out that all of those barely-concealed homo subplots in your favourite comics were no accident aside form the perfectly chiselled bodies they sported as they flew around the world saving those in distress! The Comics Code Authority forbade any explicit mention of homosexuality in the comics they controlled until 1989, but that just forced our dashing homo heroes to find Mag 17
more creative ways to reveal themselves. DC and Marvel’s artists filled our young minds with visions of muscle packed into spandex with older guys who fought crime, and saved the world, and boys the world over couldn’t get enough of them. Most famously, Batman epitomized the sublimated gay comic theme by introducing Robin the Boy Wonder in the ‘50s as Bruce Wayne’s young “ward.” Robin not only lived with Bruce but slept in the same bed with him. Once that image was introduced, almost any crime-fighting words put in their mouths became loaded with sexual innuendo. So much so that the series was attacked by psychologist Fredric Wertham as having an “atmosphere of homoeroticism which pervades the adventures.” Sometimes the writers and illustrators employed irony. Check out the rampant use of changeling storylines in the comic world that made gay sex more of a transsexual phenomenon-something the industry was oddly more comfortable with than outright homosexuality. The later part of the century saw the extreme homoertic art of Tom of Finland emerge in tandem with the gay liberation movements in the USA and Europe and the popularity of gay subcultures like the leather scene.
Finnish-born Touko Laaksonen spent much of his youth obsessing over the sweaty laborers of his homeland and after being conscripted into the army in the Second World War, where he encountered hardened fighters, sealed the archetype deep into his psyche. By the 1970’s he was exhibiting his work as Tom of Finland and was able to quit his job to focus solely on his now famous illustrations. Combining sexual fantasy with a kind of hyperrealism that stretched the limits of the possible almost to the breaking point, he resonated deeply with an emerging generation of gay men searching for a new homosexual ideal. “These are the characters and fantasies gay men grew up with, so they come to me because I help them express that,” notes current comic artist Iceman Blue. “Not only that, gay men, much like anyone else, love admiring perfect specimens, and I can provide them with my own style of unflawed male beauty.” Clearly, erotic illustration has taken twists and turns throughout its history. But the quest for perfection and the desire to explore new worlds of fun and pleasure remain consistent. From the earliest times the desire with portraying males as a form of beauty has persisted despite laws, objections and rules from homophobic religious and moral groups and individuals. Source: www.noizemag.com
Mag 18
David Oliver - Track & Field - USA Sizzling hot former College football player
GUY CANDY A SPORTING LIFE
WITH THE OLYMPICS LOOMING IN JAPAN ... WE TAKE A LOOK BACK AT SOME OF THE HOTTEST OLYMPIANS WHO PARTCIPATED IN THE 2016 RIO OLYMPIC GAMES Mag 19
Chris Brooks - Gymnastics - USA Drop-dead gorgeous
GUY CANDY
Hansle Parchment - Track & Field - Jamaica Dedicated & so good looking
Chad le Clos - Swimming - South Africa Down-to-Earth, regular Mr nice guy
Damian Allende - Rugby - South Africa Humble, Hardworking, Hunky & Hot Mag 20
Pita Nikolas Taufatofua - Taekwando - Tonga His oiled physique set social media buzzing
Grigor Dimitrov- Tennis - Bulgaria That smile is a winner!
Tom Daley - Diving - Great Britain Openly gay, super sexy with a great body!
Marcello Chierighini- Swimming - Brazil Sexy, cute & a winning smile as well!
Daryl Homer - Fencing - USA Sexy & hot with all the right moves Usain Bolt - Track & Field - Jamaica Super confident & a great champion
Mag 21
VESTS Photo b y Tiger Lily from Pexels
PUFFER
warm WINTER
The trends for winter 20 wearable. We take a look at looks trending m bro fro y cotton Photo b
Pexels
Plaid shirts are in - team it with your favourite beanie or hoodie for a casual trendy look
For keeping away the winter chills, puffer vests are all the rage. Featuring soft interiors and soft outer, they can be styled for most occasions. For neutral outfits, stick to dark shades like black, grey or charcoal. However, if you’re feeling adventurous, choose a bold colour - blue or even red. Style these with longsleeved shirts, jackets or jerseys. For colder climes, go for puffer jackets. They’re practical, sensible and most importantly will keep you warm. Go for oversized jackets to rock your vibe.
PUFFER JACKETS
Photo by cottonbro from Pexels Mag 22
Photo by cottonbro from Pexels
mest R LOOKS
FI
E
EANI
N’S B
MA SHER
021 are bold, bright and t some of the latest designer g this winter ... els m Pex kye fro a o B ilip by Ph Photo
Photo b y Bil
akis fro m Pexe ls
Plaid comes and goes but is always around ... a look that will be welcomed by so many of my gay girlfriends where it’s always been a trend. But yes, this season plaid is back, bright or dark colours - that’s personal - any plaid, check, tartan or cross stripe ... Especially welcome for those of you who are lighter of top, the classic fisherman’s beanie is this winters must have ... snug and comfortable, for all ages, it looks like winter 2021 is all about what’s real, neat and easy-to-wear Photo by Vanessa Garcia from Pexels
Photo by cottonbro from Pexels Mag 23
One of this season’s biggest trends is loud, bright colours, especially when it comes to long pants ... the bolder and brighter the better - the message is “go big or go home”. But if you’re not one for those big bright looks and prefer a more sombre colours, don’t dispair, role up them up - shorter is the look. Casual pants no longer drag on your heels, just above the ankles is very much in vogue ... mix it with sweaters, leather jackets or tailored frock length coats and feel good...
Photo b y cotton bro from
Pexels
Knits, chunky or light jerseys, jumpers and sweaters can always complete your look. Sriped, plain, thin or cabled - dont be shy and get wearing the chunkier the better Photo by RENE MADRID from Pexels
Photo by Djo Hm
Mag 24
from Pexels
Photo by cotto nbro
from Pexels
Dig out your leather biker’s jacket - they versatile, easty to wear, go with just about everything and always look great!
Photo b y cotton bro from
Pexels
Stylish, tailored coats are all the rage this winter ... and they look so good Photo by cottonbro from Pexels
Photo by cottonbro from Pexels xels nbro from Pe Photo by cotto
Mag 25
TRAVEL
Mag 26
The Atlantic Seaboard
Photo by Taryn Elliott from Pexels
Cape Town from Table Mountain
CLOSER TO HOME ...
Photo by Taryn Elliott from Pexels
With Covid restrictions still in place in most parts of the world and international travel pretty much closed to South African tourists, the obvious solution for a much needed get away is to travel locally, after-all South Africa is a world in one country. In this article we take a look at what the Cape has to offer ... from sunny, sandy beaches to snow-capped mountains and everything else in between. Many of us have not travelled extensively in our own country, opting for the excitement of overseas destinations. Now is you opportunity to explore this beautiful, diverse country and here are a few hints for places to visit...
F
or those of you who do not live in the Mother City, it is by far the gayest destination in Africa. Combine that with beaches and mountainous wine routes it is the best place to begin your journey of discovering the gems of this country. The city of Cape Town nestles at the foot of the world-renowned Table Mountain, one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. Take a cable car ride to the top of the mountain where the views of the city are breathtaking. Admire the flora of the mountain and spot the dassies that inhabit the environment. For those wanting to sun themselves on one of the city’s fabulous beaches, the obvious choices are Camps Bay 3rd beach, popular with both the local and tourist gay men. For the more daring make a visit to the iconic Sandy Bay, a favourite haunt for naturists. Bear in mind that the waters around the Cape are cold so swimming in the sea is only for the brave, but on those blistering hot February days its a relief to take a few minutes dip. Boulder’s Beach in Simon’s Town is known for the African penguin colony that lives there and is a huge attraction to locals and tourists alike. The water on the south side of the city are a tad warmer so swimming with these amazing creatures is possible.
The west coast beaches in Table View, Blaauberg and Milnerton are popular, especially with South African visitors, and you can get that holiday snap-shot with the classic view of Table mountain behind you. Cape Town of course, offers great restaurants, bars and outside of Covid restrictions, great entertainment. But a visit to the world-famous Kirstenbosch Gardens will give you a feelings of calmness and solace away form the bustle of the city. The protea gardens are spectacular and there is a tree-to walk which is simply stunning with the imposing mountains as a backdrop. Kalk Bay in the cities southern suburbs is known for its quint antique and brick-abrac shops. If you take the coast road along Chapman’s Peak drive you’ll get to Hout Bay, well-known to Capetonians for its sea food, Chapman’s Peak and the incredibly scenic coastal drive to Fish Hoek and Kommetjie. Travel further south and you’ll reach Cape Point, situated within the Table Mountain National Park, within a section of the park referred to as Cape of Good Hope. This section covers the whole of the southern tip of the Cape Peninsula. Thought by some to be the most southerly tip of Africa, where the cold Benguela current and warm Indian currents meet is isn’t. The most southerly point on the continent is Cape Agulhas, 170 km southeat of Cape Town and the beginning of the dividing line between Mag 27
the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The Peninsula national park is wild and undeveloped and makes for a very interesting day trip from the city. The Chacma baboons at Cape Point are protected by law but can be a problem to tourists.
African penguin
The west coast is less well know but no less inviting. Langebaan, about an hours drive from Cape Town is famous for its restaurants and if you are looking to enjoy a meal at a the curiously named Wolfgat Michelin Star restaurant, head up the coast to the small village of Paternoster where chef Chef Kobus van der Merwe creates culinary masterpieces in a 130-year-old cottage and cave on the beach. Booking is absolutely essential. Come August and September, especially is the winter rains have been good, the west coast blossoms. Visitors from all over the world travel to this part of the world to marvel at the abundance of wild flowers that carpet the country. Visit Darling, the home Wolfgat Restaurant, Paternoster
Photo by Jean van der Meulen from Pexels
But the Cape is not all about Cape Town. Venture out of the city to the wine lands, revered not only for their famous wines but also for their beauty, classic examples of Cape Dutch architecture, quaint roadside stalls and historical towns and monuments. Visit Stellenbosch, where its Cape Dutch architecture gives one a sense of South Africa’s Dutch colonial history, as do the Village Museum’s period houses and gardens. The town was established in 1679 and today is a thriving hub in the centre of the Cape wine lands and university town. Nearby is Franschhoek, famous for its great restaurants and Paarl, where you can visit the Taal Monument. Designed by the architect, Jan van Wijk, the monument gives recognition to the diverse origins of Afrikaans, one of the worlds youngest languages and widely spoken throughout South Africa, especially the Western Cape. Cape Winelands
If big cities are not your cup of tea, head fup the east coast to Hermanus. The drive along the coast read is breathtaking and the village, I’m sure the cleanest in the Cape, is known for its whale festival in August when hundreds of Southern Right Whales converge on the bay from their feeding grounds in Antarctica. Southern Right Whales frequent the South African waters from June to December to mate and to give birth to their offspring. A short hop further along the coast gets you to the village of Gansbaai now famous for shark-cage diving .... Mag 28
of South africa’s favourite Afrikaans tanie, socialite and activist Evita Bezuidenhout, created by satirist Pieter Dirk Uys, Inland from Cape Town, travelling north of Paarl through the Hugenout Tunnel you’ll get to the agricultural town of Worcester. Framed by mountains, snow-capped in winter, the town heralds the start of the Klein Karoo. From here you can make your way to Robertson and the quaint town of Montagu, where there are a number of gay and gay-friendly guest houses. If hiking and mountaineering are to your liking, Montagu is known the world over as a mountain-climbing destination, or you can visit the local hot springs and spar to relax, unwind and enjoy some pampering. West Coast wild flowers
Lord Milner, Matjiesfontein Snow covered mountains around Worcester
of supermarkets nationwide. Here there are a host of activities to make your stay memorable - including zip lining, 4×4 routes, MTB trails, golfing, hiking trails, fishing spots, horse & carriage rides and many more.
Photo by Benhard Wiese
the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The Peninsula national park is wild and undeveloped and makes for a very interesting day trip from the city. The Chacma baboons at Cape Point are protected by law but can be a problem to tourists. But the Cape is not all about Cape Town. Venture out of the city to the wine lands, revered not only for their famous wines but also for their beauty, classic examples of Cape Dutch architecture, quaint roadside stalls and historical towns and monuments. Visit Stellenbosch, where its Cape Dutch
architecture gives one a sense of South Africa’s Dutch colonial history, as do the Village Museum’s period houses and gardens. The town was established in 1679 and today is a thriving hub in the centre of the Cape wine lands and university town. Nearby is Franschhoek, famous for its great restaurants and Paarl, where you can visit the Taal Monument. Designed by the architect, Jan van Wijk, the monument gives recognition to the diverse origins From Worcester, travelling westerly off the N1 will take you to the towns of Tulbagh and Ceres. The rural village of Tulbagh nestlies in its bowl of magnificent mountains and a serene, unspoiled valley. The town itself is filled with historical buildings where there are great places to eat. Just a short drive from the town you will discover Klipfontein Rustic Naturist Farm and Camping area, where you can get away from it all and clothing is optional. Gay owned and operated, Klipfontein is ideal jumping of place to explore the local wine district or enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the farm itself.
History buffs will enjoy a visit to small village of Matjiesfontein. This small village was established in 1884 by the legendary and energetic Scottish railway man, James Douglas Logan. The village established itself as a fashionable Victorian health spa, and is now well known for its splendid historical buildings. The highly acclaimed author of The Story of an African Farm, Olive Shreiner said of Matjiesfontein “It is curious, and to me very attractive this mixture of civilization & the most wild untamed freedom; the barren mountains & wild Karoo & the railway train.”- March 25th, 1890. Explore the historic ambience of Check in at the famed Lord Milner Hotel, its old world charm, gracious servers, and elegant décor—not to mention discovering its ghost stories. Here, you can dine by candlelight in The Hotel Dining Room, be served by red-jacketed porters, while feasting on local specialities such as Karoo lamb. A must see is the Marie Rawdon and Transport museums, as well as a visit to the courthouse and jail, the British Army Remount Camp and the old English Bus—which promises the shortest tour on earth around the village to see its sights. For lovers of cricket, and history buffs, James Logan was instrumental in developing the game of cricket in South Africa. One of the first international matches between South Africa and England took place at Matjiesfontein and many famous English cricketers and teams have played this unforgiving Karoo pitch; including in 1894 and 1896, when touring English teams under the direction of Lord Hawke visited South Africa. Logan even staged one of Matjiesfontein’s test matches on the very eve of the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War in October 1899. So as you can see the cape has an incredibly diverse range of landscapes, cities, towns and villages, activities are endless ranging from surfing and swimming, hiking and camping, sampling superb wines and Michelin-Star fine dining to sharkcage diving and delighting in the world’s most prolific floral kingdom. As the first place to be colonised by Europeans, there is an abundance of historical buildings and monuments, as well as modern luxurious conveniences - indeed it’s a world in one Province. Chapman’s Peak Drive, Cape Town
Also in this area of the Cape in the heart of the Witzenberg, lies the beautiful town of Ceres, named for the Goddess of agriculture and famed for its fruit juices which pack the shelves Mag 29
FEATURE
YAYA MAVUNDLA Jessie Cohen sits down with Mzansi Magic’s “Becoming” Reality TV Star, Yaya Mavundla, who’s been in the forefront of trans-visibility in South Africa for many years. Feather Awards winner, founder of Mzansi Queer Festival and the first African person to wear the Amsterdam Rainbow Dress, the artworks of which are displayed at the Constitutional Court of South Africa public gallery situated at the iconic Constitution Hill in Johannesburg.
Photo Instagram
Words by Jessie Cohen Photographs by @pedrothe3rd Photographed at Constitution Hill Yaya Wears DAVID TLALE & Thula Sindi available at Africa Rise Store Stylist Nceba Classen Make Up Diva Cadach Mag 30
I
meet the infamous Becoming Reality star Yaya Mavundla at her apartment in Houghton on a cold day in Johannesburg. I am neverous to sit down with her for such a big story. She welcomes me like we have been friends for years. She asks me to sit comfortably next to her on her plain white leather couches and offers me a drink with an option of coffee, wine, juice or champagne, I opt for coffee for starters. What catches my attention being in Yaya’s space, besides her beautiful aura, is the setup of her apartment, it’s so modern and royal, but it is the full wall height print that gets me star struck - it even more iconic in person than it looks on the promo of Becoming. I ask her about it and she tells me it was a gift from Prof. Sir. Zanele Muholi and she then got it framed. She then went on to show me other art pieces hanging on the white walls of her apartment, most of which are images of herself.
“In a perfect world I would win a South African Style Award, GLAMOUR’s Most Glamorous and many Fashion & Style Awards without having to compete.” In person, Yaya looks so beautiful and striking, her skin is so smooth, I ask her what products she uses for her skin and she tells she will only reveal that the day she becomes the face of the brand. We tap into her style, which she says she believes it something she was born with and in actual fact fell in love with style at a very young age. “My fondest style memory was of me making a skirt and a crop top out of a rice plastic bag when I was still in primary” she says. I ask her to show me some of her favourite items in her closet and she invites me to her bedroom. Her bedding is pure white Egyptian cotton, neatly made up with views facing The Houghton Hotel and overlooking Sandton, she modestly says, “please don’t mind my tiny bedroom”. She struggles to choose outfits as her closet is packed with loads and loads of designer garments. She finally pulls out a pleated shirt from LSJ, a two black & silver polka dots pieces from Mmuso Maxwell, and loads of David Tlale garments I couldn’t even count which she says are some of her favourite items. She says she always struggles to shop and pick just one item as ususally, well, clothes just work on her. She defines herself as a style visionary and says that in a perfect world she would win a South African Style Award, GLAMOURs Most Glamorous and many Fashion & Style Awards without having to compete - she also dreams of having her own fashion line and a Fashion Police type of TV show. What also sticks in my mind is the beautiful fresh scent around the room, which I couldn’t pinpoint . I ask her what’s her go to fragrance on a normal day - her response is that of a true city girl, as the viewers of the show call her. “You know I don’t have one specific fragrance I love, but at the moment I’m obsessed with Narciso Rodriguez the original black bottle, Gucci Guilty, DKNY and I recently discovered Dior Charcoal, when I want something very light going to the shops to get a few items I use the new David Tlale fragrance”.
“I once dated a guy who was famous, this was before I became a TV star myself.” She insists on opening a bottle of champagne, she pours for both of us, and while we sip on the first glass there’s a knock at the door, it’s Mr. Delivery. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t cook, I decided to order in, I’m saving my cooking skills for my husband and family” she jokes. Talking about the husband, I ask Yaya about the dating scene Mag 31
Mag 32
in Johannesburg as a transgender woman and also as a reality star, she laughs at me and asks if this a prank or do I really want to know, replying, “Listen, for me as a transgender woman dating has never been easy since day one. Especially with heterosexual men, I think mostly they think they are doing you a favour. If you do happen to find someone who doesn’t think like that, he’s most likely going to be very abusive. I come from both those experiences.” I ask her if she would mind opening up more and whether these relationships have been in the public eye. She quickly says they weren’t, that the relationships she’s referencing were between her, her friends and the exes. “I once dated a guy who was famous, this was before I became a TV star myself,” she laughs. “That guy put me through so much and he knew I was never going to say a word because no one was ever going to believe me, and besides I loved him, I made sure I protected him from anything that could damage his career.” She goes on to add, “recently I tried my luck with a transgender man whom I thought I could build something with but unfortunately things didn’t work as he wanted to date more than one person at the same time and I’m not about that life, so that unfortunately fell off along the way, I’m not going to lie I was disappointed.” I want to get more of these stories from Yaya but I can see her eyes are teary, I’m trying to keep her spirits up as I still want to spend more time with her and for her to share so more with me so I’m forced to let this one go.
“All I want is for Transgender people to work where they want to work as themselves, be compensated fairly and be treated with respect.” I ask, “Now Yaya, people see you on prime-time TV on 1Magic every Saturday and Wednesdays every week on Mzansi Magic, how did Becoming come about and how does it feel to let people into your personal space? She says that she was at her apartment when former Miss South Africa and media mogul Basetsana Khumalo gave her a call sometime in September 2020 and told her about the project. This is after her friend Diva Cadach had briefed her that she must expect a call from Khumalo. “To this day I’m still grateful for that call because it changed my life. Being on TV has helped me gain so much confidence and see myself in a different light which is positive.” She is also grateful to her content director who is one of the people who pitched her for the show saying, “I’m also grateful for Sizo Vena who also wanted me to be on this show so much, I must be grateful to him, I remember when he interviewed me before they pitched me to the channel. He allowed me to be honest with him ... and because of my honesty & authenticity I was cast.” She says this moment feels so right, especially because people for the first-time are learning of her story through her own voice. She has control of what people learn about her and her fellow transgender people. She goes on to say that especially with the murders happening in the LGBTIQ+ community, the show couldn’t be on air at a better time. “Becoming is going to bring so much hope to transgender people in South Africa, this is a show that’s going to be a confirmation to us that its possible.” She expresses the desire that Becoming will result in greater transgender visibility. “I really hope this show also open doors for many transgender people, all I want is for transgender people to work where they want to work as themselves, be compensated fairly and be treated with respect, I also want transgender people to have access to government services fairly - that includes health care, at Home Affairs and protection by the police” explains Yaya. Mag 33
We chat about her journey working with Connect TV, the production company producing Becoming which is owned by Basetsana Khumalo. “At first it was so difficult as there were things we didn’t agree with, and I think I was misunderstood and probably came across as a Diva, and no, truth is I just wanted things done right, yes it might have been the first time I’m on a reality show but truth is I know better therefore I deserve better just like anyone else,” adding, “I’m grateful for people like Sechaba Ramotse, Portia Hlubi, Mbali Saphula and the entire crew members from Connect TV who allowed me to be myself and treated our stories with respect, I didn’t even ask for respect, they knew Transgender people deserve respect too.”
“...disadvantaged people on the ground are the ones doing the actual work, and they are also the one dying targeted by homophobes...” We touch base on activism, I ask about her views on activism during such difficult times in South Africa for the LGBTIQ+. She doesn’t even think twice and says, “Its bad”, and further engages me more. “Activism in South Africa is divided, it so bad that the disadvantaged people on the ground are the ones doing the actual work, and they are also the ones dying targeted by homophobes, what saddens me is that those people that do the actual work don’t get funding to actually do the work,” She takes a sip of water and pauses. “The unfortunate part is that the people with resources and get funding are the ones that are safe in the city and the reports they share to their funders are reports they don’t have first-hand experience of, before I say too much, let me keep quiet.” She asks us to please close that chapter as it is something emotional for her. Emotional Mavundla than decides to open up about her friends who have worked for LGBTIQ+ organisations who were mistreated and in some instances, paid peanuts. She says in her book and documentary Trans Scars she is going to name and shame and is not afraid of any legal implications this might have on her; she has proof and all she wants is for her peers to be treated fairly with respect. “As transgender people, either we are paid almost nothing, mistreated by the same organisations where we supposed to be safe at or not paid at all come month end. I myself come from that experience. I have been a victim, so are some of my transgender friends.” .” She says Transgender people are treated as help in most cases. Yet these organizations make so much money with their experiences they know nothing of.
“That night still gives me goosebumps, unbelievable really, I think especially because all I did was to live my life, at first I didn’t even know it was activism and what I’m doing might inspire anyone” On arriving at the apartment, I spotted a Feather Award on her deco stand, which according to her social media profile and Google, says she won it at the 10th Year Anniversary of the Feather Awards hosted by Somizi Mhlongo-Motaung at The Johannesburg City Hall. She describes the moment as unreal. “That night still gives me goosebumps, unbelievable really, I think especially because all I did was to live my life, at first I didn’t even know it was activism and what I’m doing might inspire anyone. Winning that award, to me was a priceless moment, especially because I didn’t think I was going to win as I was nominated with very famous people; Dr Smile and the Modiselle sisters.” When my name was called by Lalla Hirayama & Bujy, I was in disbelief, the entire auditorium stood up and people were so happy for me. Feather Awards have a special place in my heart, the LGBTIQ+ visibility amongst other important things they do means so Mag 34
much.” She further jokes and say now they must give her Role Model of the Year, Hot Chick of the Year, Diva Extraordinaire and Best Styled individual. I want a collection; they must give me all of them.” She laughs. I personally think looking at the work she has done, she deserves all of them.
She also explains that emotionally she’s in a good space and ready for the next chapter of her life and her family and friends supports her. Our conversation is flowing, and she suggests a second bottle of champagne, which she then grabs from the fridge. I ask her about where she’s at with her transitioning journey, mentally and medically. She tells me that medically it hasn’t been really easy because of health complications, her doctor diagnosed her with a liver problem, it was damaged. “My liver got damaged, during the consultation with my doctor, she discovered that Grandpa unfortunately damaged my liver, I used to take Grandpa without water every time I had hangover after a night out and that unfortunately that caused massive damage.” She seems at peace and taking everything slowly, she also explains that emotionally she’s in a good space and ready for the next chapter of her life and her family and friends supports her.
“I’ve just fell in love with television, my dream now is to have my own talk show” Now that she’s a reality star, unfortunately it not going to be easy to work at a 9-5 office job, what’s the plans? She than corrects me. “I haven’t worked at a 9-5 environment in years, it’s not for me, I’ve been working for myself for a while. What I really did was to make sure I create my own opportunities so I can survive as in South Africa it’s not easy to get a job as a Transgender person,” ...I’ve just fell in love with television, my dream now is to have my own talk show, I want to tell stories of other women, I will call my talk show Woman to Woman when the opportunity comes,” she explains. “I also want to get an agency so I can act, I would love to also be a judge on a talent show, more reality TV, I’m now ready to do radio, I want to do something in a fashion and beauty space and without a doubt, I want to be on a global stage, and I know its gonna happen, I know the universe is listening my ancestors also wants this for me.” she concludes. Catch Becoming season 1 on 1Magic every Saturday at 7h30pm and Wednesdays at 8pm on Mzansi Magic.
Mag 35
The 30+ piece collection draws inspiration from the ‘Do-It-Yourself’ culture that has played an important role in LGBTQ+ sport communities
LOVE UNITES 2021 PRIDE COLLECTION As a celebration of the love that connects us all, adidas is taking its long-running ‘Love Unites’ platform global for Pride 2021.
S
port and Pride began in the true DIY spirit. Both are rooted in the belief of creating community spaces allowing individuals to flourish. Adidas will release a 30+ piece Pride collection alongside a global campaign spotlighting influential members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community. With pieces spanning style and performance wear, the expansive collection looks to hero a ‘Do It Yourself’ (DIY) visual aesthetic born from the LGBTQ+ communities who had sought to create their own spaces for self-expression. This ‘DIY’ aesthetic is what inspires the fluid geometries as well as the expressive and layered graphics seen throughout the collection which includes special Pride colourways of classic adidas footwear silhouettes as well as a colourful line-up of apparel. Adidas first-ever Pride Pack was released in 2015, developed by a group of adidas employees who came together to explore ways they could create more meaningful products for a coming PRIDE march. The product served as a symbol of our rich history in sport merged with our long-standing support of the LGBTQ+ movement. What was hugely important and continues to be, is that we not only celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, but also give back. By funding and creating multi-year partnerships with organizations devoted to ending homophobia and transphobia in sport—like Athlete Ally and Stonewall UK—we Mag 36
South African fashion designer Rich Mnisi
have been able to elevate existing work as well as co-create new programs to break down barriers for LGBTQ+ communities. Our brand actions are all firmly rooted in the adidas belief that to end homophobia and transphobia in sport we need to see equal representation of LGBTQ+ people in all sport and fitness communities, at all levels. Providing our brand as platform, this year’s ‘Love Unites’ campaign will spotlight the adidas partners who are active members and supporters of the LGBTQ+ community, a collective of athletes and artists who have made incredible strides forward as champions of inclusivity: • Rich Mnisi - South African fashion designer • Thebe Magugu - South African fashion designer • Layshia Clarendon –First openly transgender professional basketball player • Amanda Zahui B - Professional basketball player and vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement • Chelsea Gray - Professional basketball player • Collin Martin - Professional soccer player • Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger – Professional soccer players, teammates, and married couple • Rachel Daly - Professional soccer player • Tom Daley - Former world champion 10m diver and current World Series champion • Aleia Hobbs - American track and field athlete • Pabllo Vittar - Brazilian singer and songwriter • Chinae Alexander – Lifestyle and wellness expert • Jessamyn Stanley - American yoga teacher, writer and body positivity advocate • Cody Rigsby- Famed fitness trainer The 2021 ‘Love Unites’ collection will be available from 25th June on adidas ecom and adidas stores. Follow adidasZA using #LoveUnites on Instagram for updates.
“adidas has a worldwide platform and by showing that they care and support and by acknowledging equality is just awesome and shows how their athletes are treated and should be treated; it’s like a family and as for the rest of the world , I’m just ecstatic about the changes that have been made so far and how many more people are supporting the movement.” Aleia Hobbs - American Track & Field athlete
Thebe Magugu - South African fashion designer
“adidas has supported me as an athlete since I signed my first professional contract, and since my coming out, they have further backed me as an athlete, not only to support me throughout my career, but to let other young athletes know that they will be supported in the world of sport if they are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community” - Collin Martin, American professional soccer player. Mag 38
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
Mag 39
THE DEMISE OF THE GAY VILLAGE
Acceptance Street Greenwich Village
T
he late 50’s and 60’s saw the development of gay villages in some of the western world’s large cites: there was Greenwich Village in New York, the Castro Street district in San Francisco, Oxford Street area of Sydney, the Marais in Paris, around Wellesley Street in Toronto, Soho in London, Manchester’s Canal Street, Hillbrow in Johannesburg and de Waterkant area of Green Point in Cape Town. These areas saw a concentration of gay people and venues and became identifiable as gay villages within the suburb or city. Here LGBTI+ people lived in what was a tolerant, accepting, and like-minded society. Predominantly established and populated by gay men (mainly white and middle class), they were appropriated as places of safety and support and were area where LGBTI’s could and did establish political, social and economic security and activism. Queer women also inhabited these urban locations and neighbourhoods and utilised the gay village spaces albeit in distinctive and less visible ways.
Johannesburg the crisis saw the development of action groups to pressure government and with the lead up to the postapartheid constitution, to include rights for LGBTI+ citizens. By the late 1970s and 1980s, gay villages in some of these cities were firmly established and seen as worldwide examples the that these cities were welcoming of tolerance and diversity. San Francisco is a prime example, establishing itself worldwide as a LGBTI-friendly city. With the advent of more liberal laws relating to gay sexuality and the more tolerant attitudes towards the gay community many of these gay villages are experiencing forms of ‘degaying’ within broader political, social and economic processes at work.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, these districts increasingly engaged in local politics, consolidating their presence, and creating community through economic development, the provisions of services and political activism around rights protections. The HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s, helped cement villages as a hub of LGBT life, and in some such as Toronto, New York and Sydney, they provided core services including hospice care, outreach, health education and counselling services. In Mag 40
Oxford Street, Sydney
In South Africa, the adoption of the post-Apartheid constitution saw not only the world’s most liberal laws relating to LGBTI citizens, but the group areas act was repealed resulting in areas like Hillbrow, an area of high-rise apartment blocks, being occupied by non-gay people - the gay minority gradually moved out. Gay villages became as tourist venues as well as shopping and entertainment districts attracting a wide variety of consumers and businesses not necessarily identifying as LGBTI. Many LGBTI venues became popular with heterosexuals and we see other social spaces such as bars and restaurants becoming more mixed in some instances losing their queer sensibility entirely. The 1990’s and 2000’s have seen legislative and social recognition of LGBT people as the primary factor resulting in increasing visibility in a broad range of locations beyond the gay village in places understood to be ‘gay friendly’. While some people argue this new visibility is only available to certain normatively gendered and sexualised gays and lesbians. Others suggest these spatial changes reflect greater acceptance of sexual and gendered difference as well as a growing social cohesion across a wide variety of neighbourhoods. Nevertheless, while some gays and lesbians are able to fully integrate into the mainstream, others continue to be marginalised as ‘queer’, that is, those living outside of the homonormative lifestyles supported by legislative and social change. In South Africa racial economic factors play a huge role in the neighbourhoods where people reside. The Apartheid era’s racial segregation laws which determined where the various racial groups could live, resulted in the establishment of huge black townships as well as coloured and Indian areas. These are still in existence today with the former white suburbs being more expensive and so less affordable able for the disadvantaged majority.
Soho, London Some researchers also suggests that gay villages are in decline because of increased internet and social media use allowing LGBT and queer individuals to find other likeminded individuals without the need for expressly LGBT and queer spaces such as a gay village. There is also the suggestion that some LGBT and queer people (particularly youth) perceive the gay village as reflective of ‘older’ generations’ histories, sensibilities, and lifestyles. These locations are arguably of little interest to newer generations, able to experience a wider variety of locations, identities, and subjectivities and who are less interested, perhaps, in subscribing to the essentialised gay and lesbian identities associated with a gay village. In some cities the well-established gay villages, which, over last 30 years have been fully integrated into the fabric of each city’s downtown core remain the hub of gay social, economic and political life with its collection of bars, restaurants, bathhouses, convenience stores, restaurants and boutique shops. Serving a substantial LGBT population, many of whom live in the surrounding residential neighbourhood. However, with gentrification, and the establishment or refurbishment of property, plus the economic ups and downs experienced in the 2000’s has seen rentals soar forcing many longstanding and iconic businesses to shut their doors. Shifting demographics of gay village life marked by an increasing number of non-LGBT people living, shopping and/
Gay villages often grew in the proximity of gay venues … which Manhattans in the heart of the de Waterkant in Cape Town
were often established in less salubrious parts of the city. This certainly was true of Cape Town’s de Waterkant district, which was an area of warehouses, small workman’s cottages populated by lower income people who worked in and around the harbour. It was a “red-light” district. The establishment of the Bronx bar led to gay people moving into the area and its subsequent gentrification. Today de Waterkant is unrecognisable as its former self, with multimillion rand houses, and other developments having taken over.
or socialising in the area has also diluted the queer ‘feel’ of the gay village as a whole, as well as particular individual venues. This was the experience of Hillbrow. Another perfect example is Beefcakes in de Waterkant, which was literally taken over by hen parties forcing their LGBTI clientele to move on. In some cities, a growing ‘straight’ nightlife presence and increasing homophobic street violence has negated the gay village as a ‘safe space’, resulting in queer people moving out, a concern that has been expressed by both the LGBT and mainstream press. Mag 41
In some place’s ‘alternative’ LGBT neighbourhoods are being established, and perhaps Woodstock in Cape Town will be that area. In other cities such as Sydney and San Francisco there are concerted efforts by the City councils to revitalise ‘gay character’ of the gay village. However, cities are not static, there is a constant ebb and flow as populations move, age and attitudes change. The 2000’s have seen exponential growth of online communications. People meet, shop and relate online. The need for whole areas of like-minded people is no longer a priority. Bars and clubs are no longer seen as gay or straight. Lesbian and gay men hold political office in areas were most their electorate is straight. Openly gay people head of governments as seen in Ireland where the Teichoic was Leo Varadkar. Iceland and Belgium have both had gay Prime Ministers, and the incumbents in Serbia and Luxemburg are openly gay. So perhaps those days of identity, be it colour, sexual orientation or any other determining factor to how we live, are days gone by. Some of us, nostalgic for those heady days, see this as a sad thing, but younger people see this as the way forward where one’s lifestyle is not determined by being put in a box. Perhaps the gaybourhood is a thing of the past. Source: ResearchGate
Castro - San Francisco
IMPORTANT NUMBERS
IM NO POR PR TE TH TANT I CR DE SH E NEW ISI S N ELT NIC UMB ER 072 OLE ER 287 631 0 Mag 35 Mag 42
WINTER WELLNESS
Mag 44
Staying fit and healthynin winter is a trial for some of us ... for those readers who live in KZN, winter is the best time to get out and about be it walking, running or working out. The weather is near perfect without the debilitating humidity that comes with the summer months. The Gautengers have lovely warm days and cold nights, so your best time is before the temperature drops in the late afternnoon. For those that hail from the lowveld, again the nights can be chilly but the days are great. But those readers who reside in the Western Cape the cold wet weather and short days can be a challenge. Add a spot of wind and exercising out doors can be a little off-putting... but don’t despiar, gyms are open so there realklky is no excuse to not stay fit or get your body ready for the long summer season.
HERE ARE A FEW TIPS TO HELP KEEP YOU MOTIVATED THIS WINTER Even the most dedicated exercise enthusiast can have a hard time in winter. Cold days and long nights make it hard to get out of bed, let alone get the body moving, but there are simple ways to get motivated when the weather outside is frightful. Winter can be very disruptive to your exercise routines, and there’s a sort of wave effect where physical activity levels start to decrease as temperatures go down. Light is also a factor, getting up when it’s dark to go to gym can be very de-motivating. Get out of the house If the weather is ok, take a long, brisk walk or go for a run during lunch hour. The fresh air will get rid of the cobwebs and reinvigorate your body by getting the blood pumping, freesh air will clear your head and get you ready for the afternoon session.
Get yourself an exercise partner or join a group When exercising alone, there is only one person you have to convince to skip a session. But by exercising with a partner or group, there’s some social pressure. Exercise partners can also provide social support, camaraderie and distraction from bad weather. There’s the additional benefit of making friends and hanging out with like-minded people, he added. Even if you’re exercising at home, consider joining a live class on Zoom or on Instagram — which are great winter workout options that don’t require you to brave the cold or the pandemic.
3. Make it a goal just to get to the gym Just focus on getting dressed and showing up at the gym or in your living room in front of your laptop, nothing else. Once you’re there, the problem is solved. You’re kind of committed. Once you’ve changed into your gear, once you’ve made the initial step, the rest of it is a lot easier. 5. Focus on the mental health benefits Many people who start exercising get frustrated and demotivated when they don’t lose weight or feel fit right away. But those benefits take a while to show up. The mental health benefits, on the other hand, happen almost immediately. After a training session you will feel better, less stressed, more relaxed and have a very satisfying sense of achievement. In winter many people suffer from seasonal affective disorder. Feeling good about something you’ve done does wonders for your mental wellbeing.
Mag 45
Plan ahead and anticipate For outdoor workouts, watch the weather forecast and know what you’ll be up against the next day, whether rain, gale-force winds or those icy highveld days where the wind chill is minus degrees. Plan what you need to wear, so best stock up on some winter workout gear - just be prepared. Have everything ready when for when you wake up: gear, gym bag and snack - its motivating! Once you start gearing up, you’re getting your head in the game.
SET YOURSELF GOALS Set a goal for when spring comes round - like running a marathon, entering a fitness competition or taking a summer beach holiday. With a goal or event to work toward you’ll be less likely to slack off. GET A PERSONAL TRAINER There is nothing better than knowing that your routine at the gym is right for you and that you are doing the various exercises correctly. Hire a personal trainer The investment alone will keep you motivated to get to the gym. And it’s a trainer’s job to help push you safely through a workout even when you might not feel up to it. At the end of the day you’ll be happy you did it. Results will be quicker and again you mental wellbeing will be better. You won’t regret it.
Mag 46
Mag 47
THE BUZZ TELETUBBIES GO GAY!
THE TELETUBBIES ARE FINALLY EMBRACING THEIR RAINBOW COLOURS
F
ans of the iconic children’s show which ran from the 1990’s to 2001 are ecstatic to learn that the colourful little characters they grew up with have finally embraced their gay colours with an adult collection of street wear for their fanbase. The collection which offers everything from socks to T-shirts to a bucket hat and a sling bag are hot items for those fans wanting to relive their childhood memories of Tinky Winky, Dipsy, LaaLaa and Po.
AND LEGO ... “EVERYONE IS AWESOME” LGBTQ TOY SET
T
he Denmark based company recently announced in a tweet. “We’re super excited to treveal our new set - LEGO Everyone Is Awesome! because we celebrate every LEGO builder.” The set features a rainbow wall plus black and brown, in the colours of the transgender flag: Sky blue, white and pink. The set was designed by Matthew Ashton, who said in a Twitter post that he wanted to create a simple little set with a powerful message of love, inclusivity and acceptance.
The collection consisting of 90s-inspired streetwear, focuses on two themes: “Big Hugs, Big Love” and “Teletubbies Love Pride.” Released for Pride Month in the USA and Europe, WildBrain Chief Brands Officer Michael Riley said, “The Teletubbies have always embraced their own offbeat quirkiness and sense of style. This Pride Month, we’re celebrating that ‘love who you are’ spirit through our collection of ready-to-rave fashion that makes Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po very proud. We’ve taken the most iconic elements fans know and love about the Teletubbies and designed a playful collection with fashion flair that we hope fans will love to wear this Pride Month and all year-long.” John McCourt, Senior Director at GLAAD (USA), said, “Proceeds from this collection will support GLAAD’s culturechanging programs, including our work to expand LGBTQ images and inclusion in kids’ and family programming.”
Mag 48
“Over the last few years, there’s been a lot of social struggles in gthe world and I think that really made us reflect as individuals and a society that we could probably all be doing something a little bit more to show empathy and love and acceptance for other people,” Ashton said in a video uploaded to the brand’s YouTube channel.
JODIE DOESN’T GIVE A ...
E
arlier this year at the Golden Globe Awards in March, Jodie Foster, who has been tight-lipped regarding her private life over the years, made a bold statement when she kissed her wife before picking up her award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. Nominated for her role in The Mauritanian, the actress created a buzz when she kissed her wife Alexandra Hedison before accepting the award. In her acceptance speech she acknowledged everyone involved in the film, saying “I love my wife” In 2013, the actress alluded to her sexuality a the Golden Globes ceremony saying, “I guess I have a sudden urge to say something that I’ve never been able to air in public that I’m a little nervous about .... so I’m just going to put it out there ... I am ... single,” before acknowledging her former partner, Cydney Bernard. “There’s no way I could ever stand here without acknowledging one of the deepest loves of my life: my heroic co-parent, my ex-partner in love but righteous soul sister in my life ... most beloved BFF of 20 years.” Her speech was criticised by gay rights activists for being “cryptic” and “defensive”, but coming out is a personal journey and there’s never a right way or wrong way. It is different for everyone. If Jodie has chosen to wait 50 years, so be it. The kiss with her wife tells us she is out and for that she should be admired. So whilst she didn’t go the route of “Yep, I’m gay” the way so many of her fans and critics wanted - she did it her way with a kiss - you go girl!!!
THE FIRST RWANDA PRIDE
JODIE DOESN’T GIVE A ...
C
harlize Theron, together with Eton John, and a host of world leaders and activists implored British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in an open letter, to advocate G7 countries for stronger preventative measures in regard to HIV/AIDS. “The Covid-19 crisis has shut down HIV prevention and treatment services, in many countries literally overnight” the letter read. “It has cut off millions of girls from school, and driven up poverty, gender-based violence, and human rights violations: All of these factors increase people’s risks of acquiring HIV or of developing AIDS”, the letter went on to say. With the increase in teenage pregnancies the letter notes that a surge in HIV infections cannot be far behind. Pointing out that “The Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria has warned that HIV service delivery has been massively disrupted with HIV testing falling by 41% across 502 health facilities in Africa and Asia.” Whilst acknowledging that the Covid pandemic is foremost, another infectious pandemic must not be put on the backburner. It needs to be out on the agenda of the G7 nation’s priorities. Elton John describes the shutting down of HIV/AIDS services in many countries as “The New AIDS Emergency” The letter notes that recent UK budget cuts have directly impacted aid organisations, especially those providing prevention and testing services to people all over the globe, but particularly in the poorest countries in Africa.
R
wanda Pride is looking for funding to host the first ever LGBTI+ Pride in the country.
This tiny landlocked nation is the only beacon of hope for LGBTI+ people in the region. With neighbours like Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania and the Congo where their LGBTI+ populations suffer from extreme laws and constant government sponsored homophobia, this small country has made a few strides in support of their community, -Rwanda is the only country in the immediate region without anti-homosexuality laws.
strength by coming together. All Out, a global movement for love and equality is helping the fund raising effort to help get the first Rwanda Pride off the ground. (Visit https://allout.org/). So far their members have funded Pride Uganda three times. “This global show of support means so much to me and my community here – and has a real impact on the work that we do,” said Isaac.
“Pride gave me the confidence to believe in myself, come out of the shadows, and fight for my rights. It is n 2011, Rwanda became the only country such an empowering opportunity for in Central East Africa, one of six in Africa, us to stand together in solidarity – and one of 85 in the world to sponsor especially here in Uganda, where we the United Nations’ joint statement face some of the harshest anti-LGBT+ condemning violence against LGBTI laws and discrimination in the world. people. Rwanda also signed onto a U.N. It gives us the strength to keep fightresolution condemning countries who ing. That’s why I was so excited to use the death penalty as a punishment hear that LGBT+ activists in Rwanda, for consensual same-sex relations. one of our neighbouring countries, are Despite this, “Rwanda is largely still an working hard to organise the very first intolerant country for LGBT+ people. We Pride Rwanda.” have zero protections and experience little acknowledgement that we even exist,” says All Out is partnering with a group Albert Nobonibo, a popular Gospel singer called Isange Rwanda to raise enough who was ostracised by family, friends and to cover all the costs for this historic the public after coming out in 2019. “Many event. Please show your support by people use twisted religious views to call us visiting their website and pledgsinful or evil. Young LGBT+ Rwandans see ing whatever you can. Every little virtually no positive representation here.” bit helps, after all we have so much to thankful for here in South Africa Isaac, Pride Coordinator for Uganda Pride where we have achieved legislative says, “For most LGBT+ people in Africa, equality and can live our own lives Pride celebrations are a protest against without the threat of government government brutality, anti-LGBT+ laws, interference and harrassment. and hate crimes. They are also a precious moment of community building. We use SUPPORT RWANDA PRIDE! Pride events to say ENOUGH and to find Mag 49
OUT ON FILM BINGE ON THE BEST OF RUSSELL T. DAVIES There are a whole host of gay-themed mini series to keep you engrossed during the long winter nights. Light a fire, turn on the heating or snuggle up under a rug and settle in for some great viewing. The best of these are the brain-child of Russell T. Davies. Often described as a genius, Russell T. Davies is one of the leading British television writers of this generation, who specialises in emotional dramas, frequently with gay and sex-related adult themes.
F
irst and foremost is the relatively new series IT’S A SIN. The series released by HBO earlier in the year, follows a group of friends living in London through the 1980s — a decade that begins, for them, with the promise of liberation and moves, as the AIDS epidemic takes root, towards isolation and pain. Brilliantly written and produced by Russell T Davies, the 8-part series is a depiction of a horrific period in the life of the gay community, whilst set in London, the experiences of this small group were repeated the world over. Particularly poignant for those of us who lived though the AIDS pandemic, where you’ll be transported back to those dreadful years when thousands of friends and acquaintances were struck down as well as the uplifting memories of how the community rallied to help, raise funds and protest against governments who seemed to ignore “the gay plague”. The series is essential viewing for younger LGBTI+ people who didn’t live through the crisis to see how the various organistions sprang up and galvanised us into becoming a community. For there first time there was unity - gay men, lesbians and the various sub groups joined forces to help in the fight against the disease. The series, masterfully produced with great performances from the cast ... as one reviewer enthused ... “I read a tweet Nigella Lawson posted saying she felt ‘poleaxed’ by it and thought that was the perfect description of what an enormous impact this Eddie Redmayne is exceptional in The Danish Girl
Mag 50 42 Mag
show has emotionally, psychologically, ethically and culturally. I watched the whole series the day after it dropped. Cried myself to sleep. Woke up thinking about it. Watched it from start to finish again. Told everyone I know to watch it. Then the next day I put it on again because, if there’s one downside to the show, it’s that it may have ruined TV forever! How will anything ever come close? Is anything else even worth watching?? Will I just watch It’s A Sin over and over and torture myself with the beautiful pleasure and pain of it?? I am SO pleased it’s getting such an overwhelming outpouring of applause- truly unprecedented and so well deserved. That kind of unitedness is what we need right now. Something we can all be passionate about, share important conversations around, a pure work of art to marvel at and something that conveys such an important message in such a profound way. I’ve watched shows where I haven’t been as emotionally invested after 5 seasons, let alone 5 episodes. It’s a masterpiece in every way. The story - making the inevitable outcome so jaw-droppingly shocking (I felt the world stand still just as Jill did) the script, (Shaun Dooley’s ‘there’s only one actor in our house’ is so subtle but it haunts my brain), the epic moments (Ritchie’s sexathon and his AMAZING monologue), the small moments that are gargantuan in meaning (‘there’s something wrong with your skin’, ‘don’t touch me I’m bleeding’), the epic music, the set but most of all, THE CAST!! The reason you fall in love with them on screen is probably because you’d fall in love with them off screen. Their bond and their passion for the story and for each-other just bursts through the screen. Olly Alexander as a leading man is
truly phenomenal- his star is going to be stratospheric. I have certain expressions, body movements or enunciations rooted in my brain. What an astute, perceptive, emotionally intelligent man he must be to channel his talent in such a powerful way- a character so full of complexity that he made so unequivocally lovable. But they are ALL epic. Keeley Hawes. Insane. Lydia. Omari. Callum! Gloria! Savage mum with the squash! The level of detail. The pace. No scene or shot wasted. So expertly constructed. Ritchie’s opening scene about women’s unfathomable historic lack of standing in society- such a shrewd way to set context for the story. The masterful balance of uplifting, heartbursting fun and the juxtaposition of the most heart-breaking story you’ve ever seen. I tear up just thinking about certain moments, scenes or lines! But the level of unforgivable tragedy in Richie’s death is something that will haunt me forever. After living a vibrant, vivacious life he dies alone, in the place that stifled him, when all he wanted was his friends around him to celebrate his life and that it had all been real, and amazing. And all she did was play a song he loved as a child as if his whole adult life never existed. Only prepared to see the version of him that existed in her mind ‘before’ he was gay, and dying. I hope they win ALL the awards and I hope they all know what a colossal impact this show has had on people. I’m a bit embarrassed to be stanning so hard, but it’s true!! LA! Thank you Laura A ... If that doesn’t motivate you to stream it, then nothing will. The cast of Queer As Folk UK - Charlie Hunnam (Nathan), Aiden Gillen (Stuart) and Craig Kelly (Vince)
Another brilliant series is his first and possibly most iconic series focusing on the queer community is QUEER AS FOLK. Released in 1999, this ground breaking gay adult drama, chronicles the lives of three gay men living in Manchester’s gay village around Canal Street. The show was ground breaking in that it was the first tv show to focus exclusively on the lives of out of the closet gay men, The characters are strong, there’s Stuart and Vince, and 15-year-old Nathan. Stuart played by Aiden Gillen is good looking, the embodiment of sexual charisma and struggling to come to terms with his age, he’s 29! - he is promiscuous, sleeping with anyone and everyone he can find. Selfish and cruel. His friend and the person who sorts out the messes he leaves in his wake is Vince Tyler (Craig Kelly)who is a Mr Nice Guy, who’s less confident and spends more effort getting out of dates than falling in to bed with them. The third is a young 15 year old, Nathan Maloney, who is coming to terms with his sexuality, played by a very young Charlie Hunnam. The best part in the 2-part series comes in the second when Stuart’s nephews decide to blackmail him about him being gay ... what follows is a monologue that has become one of the most quoted from series
Charle Hunnam starred in Queer As Folk UK
... “I’m queer. I’m gay. I’m homosexual. I’m a poof, I’m a poofter, I’m a ponce. I’m a bumboy, battyboy, backside artist, bugger. I’m bent. I am that arsebandit. I lift those shirts. I’m a faggot-ass, fudge-packing, shit-stabbing uphill gardener. I dine at the downstairs restaurant, I dance at the other end of the ballroom. I’m Moses and the parting of the red cheeks. I fuck and I am fucked. I suck and I am sucked. I rim them and wank them, and every single man’s had the fucking time of his life. And I am not a pervert. If there’s one twisted bastard in this family, it’s this little blackmailer here. So congratulations, Thomas. I’ve just officially outed you.” Wow! How amazing is that! An American spinoff of the series is considered by some as more real and sympathetic with so much of the nastiness that typified the original. The American version features a great performance by the great Sharon Gless. The show made milestones by being the was the first hour-long drama on American television dealing with the lives of homosexual men and women. The series ran for 5 seasons and is great viewing.
In 2018, A VERY ENGLISH SCANDAL was aired for the first time on British TV. Written by Russell T Davies and directed by Stephen Frears its a British television comedy-drama series based on John Preston’s 2016 book of the same name. It is a dramatisation of the 1976–1979 Liberal MP, Jeremy Thorpe scandal and more than 15 years of events leading up to it. It tells the story of an attempted murder of Norman Josiffe (later known as Norman Scott) by his ex-lover, Jeremy Thorpe MP. The story which only now, after Thorpe’s death, can be told without the threat of him suing defamation of character. The strongest suit of the mini-series is the acting, particularly on the part of its two stars, Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw. Both give magnificent performances. Hugh Grant’s Jeremy Thorpe is charming, highly intelligent, ruthless and manipulative. It is quite a contrast to the type of roles Grant usually plays and it is really satisfying seeing him depart from his typecast. Ben Whishaw’s Norman Josiffe is unstable, emotional and broken by the many hardships he has experienced. The real Norman Scott spoke out about the show’s characterisation of him and its portrayal of his life. He told the Irish News that “Artistic license is fine but this isn’t my story. And there’s nothing funny about someone trying to kill you...I’m portrayed as this poor, mincing, little gay person ... I also come across as a weakling and I’ve never been a weakling”
embarks on a new stage. Though Henry and Lance (Cyril Nri0 live a comfortable life and are settled in their relationship, everything changes after a disastrous date night. The night -which ends in a death, a threesome, two police cars and Boney M - shatters 46-year-old Henry’s life, and he must move on to new pastures. Henry moves into a house-share with unexpected roommates, handsome Freddie (Freddie Fox)and 19-year-old Dean (Fisayo Akinade). Whether these new companions become his friends or foes remains to be seen. One reviewer said, “Cucumber is an extraordinarily raw and honest look at gay sexuality in an over-sexualized world. A world where the bad one and the victim aren’t necessarily who you think, at first. A very worthwhile journey.
The series holds an approval rating of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes so is worth watching.
Henry Best (Vincent Franklin) and Lance (Cyril Nrio) star in Cucumber Unlike Cucumber, which focuses primarily on middle-aged gay men, BANANA is a series focusing on LGBT youth in Manchester, but set around the narrative of Cucumber. Unlike Cucumber, which is a self-contained serial following the story of one gay man, Banana is an anthology series focusing on the wider LGBT spectrum. Banana develops some of the story lines of characters featured in Cucumber as well as introducing many new characters. Banana follows the contrasting lifestyles of younger characters on the periphery of the Cucumber narrative, including a young lesbian, Scotty, and 19-year-old Dean. The Guardian newspaper noted in an article that “Until Russell T Davies’s Queer As Folk drama arrived in 1999, TV portrayals of gay characters had largely been comedic stereotypes (Are You Being Served?), deliberately ambiguous (Brideshead Revisited) or worthy and a bit dull (Michael Cashman’s character, Colin Russell, the first gay man in EastEnders). Hugh Grant plays Jeremy Thorpe alongside Ben Whishaw in A Very English Scandal Another triumph from Russel T Davies is the 8 part series CUCUMBER. Part of a trilogy Banana, Cucumber and Tofu the series looks at gay life in the 21st Century. The titles of all three shows come from a scientific study into the male erection which divided the erection into a hardness scale consisting of tofu, peeled banana, banana, and cucumber; upon reading the study, Davies remarked that “right there and then, I knew I had my drama” Set in the UK, Cucumber follows the life of middle-aged Henry Best (Vincent Franklin) who’s comfortable life unravels and he Mag 52
There were isolated portrayals of gay, lesbian and bisexual characters, but you had to look for them – Dirk Bogarde’s 1961 film Victim, about a barrister taking on blackmailers; John Hurt as The Naked Civil Servant in 1975; and an episode of Crown Court a year later, about a gay transvestite entrapped by a policeman. [There was also the] 1959 ITV play called South ... believed to be the first gay TV drama. The story of a dashing Polish soldier exiled in the US deep south who has to choose between the plantation owner’s niece or a handsome officer on the eve of the civil war, One critic wrote: “I do not see anything attractive in the agonies and ecstasies of a pervert, especially in close-up in my living room.” But it was only when Queer As Folk aired that gay characters became mainstream featuring what was described as “the longest lick down the backside of a boy of any TV broadcast in history”.
MUSIC MOVES
TUNES TO PLAY FOR THE GAYEST PARTY
I
f you’re tired of the lock-down and you’re looking to party up a storm with a few friends like people did long ago ... and with the gayest music to date, then search your playlist for these tunes and have a ball ... Whitney Houston — “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” - There’s nothing like a great Whiney number to get the party started and is a great throw-back for some of your older friends who might need an early night ... Still hankering for past memories, try listening to Elton John’s - “The Bitch Is Back”. It’s also a really great tune to play as someone re-enters the room. Another old-time classic is “Rebel Rebel”, when Bowie showed us that great music didn’t have to be disco.
One of the greatest bands ever was Queen and “Radio Ga Ga” is guaranteed to get you on your feet ... Talking about going Gaga, don’t forget to include Lady Gaga’s - “Born This Way”. Her anthem that gay clubs played to death and gay boys never get tired of. No gay party is complete without at least one of Madonna’s iconic tunes, “Vogue” for starters, but early in the evening, it needs concentration to do those moves, and you must do the moves ... After all where would Madge be without her huge gay following ever been to one of her concerts - it’s like gay heaven. Another artist with the biggest gay following is Cher. “If I Could Turn Back Time” is a must play and keeps your gay cred in tact. Of course no gay dance party can happen without the queen of gay pop - Kylie, and there are endless songs, like “Can’t Get You Out of my Head”, “All the Lovers”, “It’s in your Eyes” and her latest offering the queens are screaming for “Disco” to add to the playlist. If it’s anthems you’re looking for, “YMCA” by the Village People will zoom you back in time to 1978 when the gay liberation movement in the States was having its heyday and it was great to be gay, cruising bath houses, raunchy bars and the biggest disco’s. This will most definitely get your straight bro on his feet, after all it’s played at every hetero wedding More recently, and another hetero-wedding fave, especially for the boys, is Martha Wash
and Izora Armstead, those Weather Girls with “It’s Raining Men”, taking you way back. In 2001, former Spice Girl, Geri Halliwell released her version which featured on Bridget Jones Diary movie and went straight to No 1 ... again!
Who can forget Carly Rae Jensen’s “Call Me Maybe”, well at least the video anyway. If you haven’t seen it because you were still being spoon-fed whilst some of us were partying already, check it out on YouTube it’s sexy as hell. Her track “Julien” is also a great one to add to the playlist.
For a nostalgic dance night, include anything from Donna Summer. We’ve forgiven her for her anti-gay comment, finally! - but we just love her dance music.
Now I know you’re glued to, and loving Ru Paul’s Drag Race ... your must see fix of the week ... well don’t forget to include “Sissy That Walk”, you’ll be sashaying your way round the room as you work it...
After this hectic disco, and you need a breather or just fix your hair, powder your nose or do what young people do then there’s nothing like a little George Michael to chill out the vibe, unless its “Outside” ... that brilliant song he released after getting arrested for cruising the public loo.
If you follow Queer Eye, then “All Things” by Betty Who is great to keep the party going.
If 90’s was your era go for any Bump album ... just put it on and party! If you’re glam-rock is your thing, then Mika’s “Grace Kelly” is excellent! As is Scissor Sisters, “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’” - but believe me ... you will.
When you just wanting to chill out, take off the red slippers, perhaps do a little pole dance thing or twerk, then there’s nothing better that some groovy Frank Ocean ... yeah he’s gay, so he knows what we’re looking for. But the best of the best for chilling is Lil Nas X - “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” ... Whatever, your vibe, be it chilled, classic, disco or anthem, a playlist with these artists will be a great party. Mag 53
WORD PERFECT
HOPES AND DREAMS THAT SOUND LIKE YOURS: Stories of Queer Activism in Sun-Saharan Africa
A
n anthology by Taboom Media and @GALA Queer Archive.
This is an anthology of stories from 20 human rights defenders who share their activist journeys and reveal what inspires their fight for LGBTQI+ equality. Some are deeply personal stories of self-discovery and acceptance. Others chart the challenges LGBTQI+ rights groups face in discriminatory environments. All carry messages of hope and dreams for a better tomorrow.
In recognition of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), Taboom Media and GALA - Queer Archive prouudly launched Hopes and Dreams That Sound Like Yours: Stories of Queer Activism in Sub-Saharan Africa on 17 May. .
Queer and ally artists bring each story to life with original illustrations that depict the joys and struggles of our collective movement. The result is a beautiful archive and powerful anthology of resilience.
BLACK BOY OUT Hari Ziyad OF TIME
B
lack Boy OUt of Time is a moving memoir about Ziyad’s experiences growing up Black and queer in America and explores what it’s like to reunite with the past and come of age in your own way.
Available online at Amazon the book is described as an eloquent, restless, and enlightening memoir by one of the most thought-provoking journalists today. One of nineteen children in a blended family, Hari Ziyad was raised by a Hindu Hare Krishna mother and a Muslim father. Through reframing their own coming-of-age story, Ziyad takes readers on a powerful journey of growing up queer and Black. Exploring childhood, gender, race, and the trust that is built, broken, and repaired through generations, Ziyad investigates what it means to live beyond the limited narratives Black children are given and challenges the irreconcilable binaries that restrict them. It is both heartwarming and heart-wrenching, radical and reflective. It is for the outcast, the unheard, the unborn, and the dead. It offers us a new way to think about survival and the necessary disruption of social norms. It looks back in tenderness as well as justified rage, forces us to address where we are now, and, born out of hope, illuminates the possibilities for the future.
T
THE QUEEN’S ENGLISH
his gorgeously illustrated glossary features more than 800 words and phrases created by and for queer culture, and acts as a guide to the LGBTQ+ community’s contributions to the English language. Described by as a landmark reference guide to the LGBTQIA+ community’s contributions to the English language. Do you know where “yaaaas queen!” comes from? Do you know the difference between a bear and a wolf? Albeit an American version, so does not include South African queer slang like Sheila, Dora, Rita, Moffie and so on, it is never-the-less a comprehensive guide to modern gay slang, queer theory terms, and playful colloquialisms that define and celebrate LGBTQIA+ culture. This modern dictionary provides an in-depth look at queer language, from terms influenced by celebrated lesbian poet Sappho and from New York’s underground queer ball culture in the 1980’s to today’s celebration of RuPaul’s Drag Race. The glossary of terms is supported by full-color illustrations and photography throughout, as well as real-life usage examples for those who don’t quite know how to use “kiki,” “polysexual,” or “transmasculine” in a sentence. The Queens’ English is at once an education and a celebration of queer history, identity, and the limitless imagination of the LGBTQIA+ community. Mag 54
Chloe O. Davis
WORD PERFECT
ROBERT: A queer and crooked memoir for the not so straight and narrow
R
obert Hamblin was born in 1969, he’s an artist, father, photographer, writer and a gender activist. His fine art work is concerned with issues of masculinity and transgender activism and his commitment to these subjects was invoked in a time when he transitioned from female to male. He was also a founder member of trans rights organisation Gender DynamiX. Robert’s much awaited memoir ROBERT A Queer & Crooked Memoir for the not so Straight or Narrow, traverses a childhood that has a cast of unique and marginalised characters. There’s his queer conman father, his mother intent on pushing the feminine, there’s the mysterious Alexis, his teenage first love, who convinces him during his childhood, when he is still a girl, into the power of the feminine, and teaches him how to be a woman. He loses her when she disappears into the underworld of the Joburg sex industry. It haunts him. ROBERT is also about secrets and lies. It is about excavating the truth in a time in a South Africa where the law and the church decided which body could love another, based on colour or gender, who got to have power and who had to pander to it. The memoir explores the violence of men both in Apartheid South Africa as well as within Robert’s family, and the pressures and confines of the straight trajectory. With Robert as the eye in the centre it throws convention in the fire. Although along the way, Robert transitions in his 30’s from female to male, this is not a predictable trans story of a girl who couldn’t bear to be in a female body. Rather it is a tale of a human who refuses to live in a box, who questions the straight line. Throughout his journey, the author is bent on seeing what it is that real humans all around him are really doing. He is drawn to people who embrace humanity, pursue love and happiness despite the limited frameworks dictated by a patriarchal consumerist racist system. ROBERT is ultimately a book about confronting and healing from gender confines and racism, embracing a family that refuses to buckle to convention, whose ethos is love. You can join Melinda Ferguson for an online chat with Robert on the 2 June … Mag 55 Mag 57
Mag 56
P
ride organisations around Africa have come together to organise a United Prides in Africa event on Saturday, 26 June 2021, in response to all of the Pride celebrations that have been cancelled or postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and because of the Human Rights abuses throughout the African Continent. It is also for those community members on the continent who are unable to celebrate Pride as we do in South Africa, because of anti-LGBTI legislation in place. People who’s sexuality is illegal and where they face discrimination, public humiliation, imprisonment, and in some countries, death - just for being who they are! In 2020, United Prides of Africa received 1.3 Million views during its live broadcast from countries all over Africa, United States and Europe. Uniting Prides in Africa will use online platforms to deliver a Pride in which everyone can participate, wherever they are in Africa and the World. The event will be live-streamed, and people are invited to join in the event from their homes. United Prides in Africa is happening conjunction with Prides and Pride Organisations from: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, Egypt, Nigeria, Tunisia and Eswatini - to name some - with more organisations joining, to come together, united and representing the African continent. The online event will be broadcast with the participation of all the organisations mentioned as well as a bevy of top artists,
performers, activists and contributors who will be lending their voices in support of the unsung, and silenced voices across the African continent. Our vision is to create a United Pride Movement that promotes and respects bodily integrity and equal protection of human rights regardless of culture, faith, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) within Pride and Pride-like movements. We stand together to unify and strengthen LGBTIQ+ organisations in Africa through Pride and Pride-like activities in order to challenge the status quo in various African countries where state legislation exists that impedes SOGIESC-related work. We aim to expand throughout the African Continent providing support to Pride and Pride-like organisations so that they can achieve their primary objectives and service their communities to the best of their abilities. To find out more, please visit our social media pages and sites: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnitedPridesofAfrica Instagram: @unitedpridesofafrica Twitter: PridesOf YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCLcjDNpNhudnelM8iWUo14w Website: www.unitedpridesofafrica.org
SAVE THE DATE: 26 June 2021,
OUT TAKES “Love him and let him love you. Do you think anything else under heaven really matters?” – From the iconic novel Giovanni’s Room, by gay author James Baldwin
“If I wait for someone else to validate my existence, it will mean that I’m shortchanging myself.” – Zanele Muholi “I’m not missing a minute of this. It’s the revolution!” – Sylvia Rivera during the Stonewall Riots “The Lord is my Shepherd and he knows I’m gay.” – Founder of the Metroplitan Community Church Troy Perry, and the title of his book Mag 58
