triangle project

challenging homophobia apreciating sexual diversity

FIRST QUARTER JANUARY-APRIL 2013

welcome!
Our Voices is Triangle Projects rst edition in a series of newsletters for the LGBTI community and the community at large!
We aim to provide educational content of interest to Lesbians, Gay men, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) persons.
We will address issues of exclusion and social injustice. In the coming issues we plan to highlight why it is important that we all continue the struggle for LGBTI peoples dignity, in particular those aected by severe prejudice and violence. We all need to work towards developing a discrimination-free society, both towards and within the LGBTI community, so that we may make real what Chapter 2, Section 9 of our Constitution promises. Most importantly, in this and in upcoming newsletters, we will provide information that we hope will help to reduce ignorance and contribute through education towards reducing the common occurrence of hate crimes. You will also get to hear stories from people who we live, work and play amongst. We hope you enjoy the read!

CONTENTS
Who is Triangle Project? .................1 Our move from Observatory to Mowbray ............2 Working with Schools ..................2 The importance of Human Rights Day for LGBTI people ...................3 Highlights of the Month ..............4
1st Year Social Work Students at the University of the Western Cape ........ 4 Back-to-Basics Camp in Grabouw ........... 4 Cape College of Nursing ............. 4 The Section 9 Project: Holocaust Centre ...Back Cover

about the

editor

Im Dineo Mofoka, 19 years of age. I was born and bred in Nyanga East a township in Cape Town, well known for its outrageous statistics of criminal acts including homophobic and gender based violence.
One of my dreams is to pursue a career in psychology. My vision for South Africa is for a country that accepts every individual for who they are, rather than be judged according to heterosexual norms. Id like to think that Im playing my part in achieving that in my community, taking it one day at a time.

who is

Triangle Project?

Triangle Project works to ensure the full realisation of constitutional and human rights for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) people
Support Groups
We oer a wide range of support groups that cater to diverse needs. Group meetings take place over weekends or after hours.

Our vision is to work towards a nondiscriminatory society, where organisations such as Triangle Project are a choice and not a necessity. Our mission is to contribute towards eradicating all forms of discrimination against and within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community, and to provide dened services to the LGBTI community until they are no longer required.

Womens Wellness Clinics

A Womens Clinic- run by a female doctor- oers pap smears, HIV-related counseling and testing, STI testing and management, and general medical examinations.

General Medical Clinic

On Tuesday evenings our doctor consults on various physical health issues including HIV and AIDS, STIs, safer sex and general health issues. The clinic operates on an appointment basis only.

HEATH AND SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAMME (HSSP)

The main objective of the Health and Support Services (HSSP) is to ensure autonomous and self-assured LGBTI persons who engage in self-care and are in control of their own mental, physical and emotional health and well-being and are able to live in, and with dignity. The HSSP aims to contribute towards the mental, physical and emotional well-being what we of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and oer... intersex people by providing quality health and support services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people, their families and dependents in a holistic manner that takes into account the full person (mental, physical, emotional and spiritual), by oering the following:

Client Assistance & Crisis Intervention

We provide nutritional assistance, toiletries and vitamins to clients who have undergone an assessment. We also do crisis intervention, helping clients access hospitals or clinics and providing referrals for medications where required.

Home Based Care

Visits are provided to those clients who are ill and are unable to come to the centre.

LGBTI RESOURCE CENTRE

Triangle Projects resource centre is equipped with an internet station as well as books, DVDs and magazines. The purpose of the resource centre is to provide access to information. The internet access allows you the opportunity to look on line for jobs, draw up and/ or send o your CV, or perhaps think of some creative ways to start your own business The resource centre is open Monday to Friday from 9h00 16h00.

Community & Professional Face-to-Face Counselling

We have trained counsellors in various communities oering face-to-face counseling in Afrikaans, isiXhosa and English. Our team of social workers and psychologists oer counselling and therapy to LGBTI individuals, samesex couples and their families.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME (CEEP)

CEEP facilitates the creation of Safe Spaces for LGBTI individuals in urban and rural communities around the Western Cape. With these safe spaces the community partner organisations, CEEP and community partner organisations promote community-based activism through workshops and the establishment of community-based support networks. Both the Health and Community Engagement Programme areas, undertake dierent and varied public education and training events and sessions.

Helpline
Our Gay & Lesbian Helpline operates everyday between 13h00 and 21h00 and is accessible to anyone in South Africa. Simply call 021 712 6699 and leave your name and number. An experienced counsellor will call you back. You do not incur the cost of the return call.

SAFE SPACE SESKHONA SINETHEMBA SILUBALA SIYASEBENZA ZONWABELE ORGANISATION EILANDSBAY LGBTI VREDENDAL LGBTI CITRUSDAL LGBTI VREDENBURG LGBTI

AREA Nyanga Lower Crossroads Kayamnandi Strand Paarl Eilandsbay Vredendal Citrusdal Vredenburg

MEETING TIMES Tue & Thur 5-7 p.m Fri 5-7 p.m Thurs 5-7 p.m Fortnightly Wed 5-7 p.m Wed 5-7 p.m Thurs & Sat 5-6 p.m Saturday Once a week, any convenient day Friday

our move from Observatory to Mowbray

The nancial crisis and uncertainty both locally and internationally has seen changes in the sector and has caused uncertainty for many NGOs who played a vital role in our communities. Triangle Project is one of those NGOs who has been aected. We have had to downsize in terms of sta and move to a smaller space that is more cost eective. We however continue to work with passion and dedication and provide the services that we have always provided to LGBTI communities.

working with schools

Triangle Project has been working in and with schools in the Western Cape. We know from the interventions that we have done that bullying is a growing problem.
Recently Triangle Project has been featured widely in dierent media on this subject. This was a report from Eye Witness News:
CAPE TOWN - Gay and lesbian rights group Triangle Project believes many learners drop out of school because of negative reactions to homosexuality amongst other things in their school environments. Triangle Project said on Wednesday it often deals with teenagers who feel marginalised due to simple issues like school dress codes. The projects Sharon Ludwig said very few schools are willing to meet learners halfway. It just seems ludicrous to have children dropping out because of one metre of fabric. She said it is well known that some schools struggle to retain pupils, but then still refuse to change a policy which might keep more learners in class. Ludwig however said this is not the only problem facing homosexual pupils as many of them are bullied at school but receive no support from teachers and principals: When a headmaster turns around when a student has been bullied and says this is just boys being boys.
(Eye Witness News, 4 April 2013 ~ Carmel Loggenberg)

We will keep you posted on this story in upcoming editions. If you are a student and are being bullied at school, contact Triangle Project or your Safe Space and make them aware of the situation. Education is important. Discrimination should not be tolerated and needs to be addressed!

the importance of

human
rights day
for LGBTI People
BY DINEO MOFOKA

Human Rights Day, celebrated on 21 March, was ocially declared a public holiday after the inauguration of Nelson Mandela in 1994 as South Africas rst democratically elected president

Human Rights Day is a signicant public holiday in the South African calendar. It is both a reminder of the tragic 1960 Sharpeville massacre, as well as a celebration of South Africas unique constitution which gives equal rights to all, including LGBTI individuals.
But, in reality, does society at large respect the constitutional rights of LGBTI persons? The South African Constitution protects all individuals and every citizen is entitled to basic human dignity. Section 9 (3) of constitution disallows discrimination based on sexual orientation. Are these rights really protected or is it just a written document for South Africa to boast about but which is not really practiced in peoples everyday lives? There is a large spreading and contagious problem of genderbased violence in South Africa that needs to be addressed. Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex people who dont conform to what society thinks you should be in terms of your appearance, are vulnerable to abuse. This can be worsened if you lack family support. LGBTI face violence on a daily basis,

including beatings, rape and even death. This happens mostly in peri-urban and rural areas as there is a widespread ignorance and a core prejudice about the LGBTI community. On occasion the perpetrator is known to the victim and the victims are reluctant to approach the police for protection or even to report to the police because they respond inappropriately to the LGBTI people and sometimes they even compound the initial abuse, resulting in secondary victimisation by police personnel. South Africa has a diverse history when it comes to the legal and social rights of LGBTI people as a result of traditional mores. Even though we are in a post apartheid era, there is still a lot of prejudice and discrimination from society especially traditional leaders. In 2002 the Congress of Traditional leaders of South Africa (CONTRALESA), under the presidency of Sango Patekile Holomisa MP, led a draft document calling for the removal of sexual orientation from Section 9 of the Constitution. The proposal was rejected by the parliamentary caucus of the African National Congress (ANC) regardless of the fact that Holomisa was also the chair of the Constitutional Review Committee of the National Assembly.

The governments job doesnt end with passing rights. Protecting legislation also lies in ensuring that the laws translate into substantive rights for everyone, including the most marginalised groups and individuals
Dipika Nath, Researcher: Human Rights Watch LGBT Rights Programme

1st year ye social work y stud e students at the University of the th he Western Cape
Triangl Triangle le Project is invited by UWC once a year to speak spea ak to the Social Works students about orientation and gender identity. sexual o
It is a wo wonderful o opportunity for students to be able to engag ge with the subject, ask questions and clear engage up any m misconceptions they may have around what it means t to be LGBTI. hold Many ho ol stereotypes, which are often based on they things t h may have heard. It is a very interactive where time wh he students are free to express exactly they how the ey feel, ask any questions they may have and hopefully hopeful lly come to understand sexuality a little better. Prejudice Prejudi ce is also something we deal with on a daily This basis. Th hi can be deeply rooted in religion and two hours with students gives the culture. These T organisation the chance to dispel the misconceptions organisa at exist that exis st and challenge the thinking of students, who day work among us as social workers. will one ed

of t ghts mo he nth !

t has he pa s at T been t mo n a ria ngl busy th eP her roj one ea hig re som ect. hli e

back-to-basics camp, Grabouw

The event was a powerful and educational one which brought together 110 people from dierent organisations and safe spaces, who had to work together in order to achieve the most exceptional results.
This was not an easy task as these people were from dierent walks of life and it was clear that the largest barrier was language.. Everyone concluded that the weekend was exceptional and was a learning experience with the following prominent things that stand out: trust, support, motivation, communication (listening skills), teamwork, respect, punctuality, perseverance and most importantly commitment. Therefore this was a great experience which some wished would last forever.

Cape College of Nursing

Triangle Project participated at a Summit at the Cape College of Nursing. The Keynote address was given by Ms Rhoda Kadalie on the subject of gender based violence in student communities.
Triangle presented on violence against the gay, lesbians, bisexual and transgender community on campus. The opportunity was also used for sensitisation on LGBTI issues as students present are our future nurses. A recommendation coming out of this summit was that sensitisation should be included in the nursing curricula.

s t h g i l h g hi he t f o th! mon ed
tin n o c u

multi-party Womens Caucus

Triangle was invited to present to the MultiParty Womens Caucus in Parliament. Here are a few extracts from the presentation
Triangle Project fullls an important function in the struggle for and defense of human rights in South Africa in that its main target groups, lesbians, gay men, bisexual, transgender and intersex people (LGBTI) are marginalised and discriminated against within society, despite the constitutional commitment of equality and the legislative gains made. In order to realise the vision of a truly democratic South Africa, change needs to take place and that can only happen in a just society where all human beings are able to develop to their full potential, without discrimination or fear. An environment that enables sexual violence germinates in sexist and homophobic jokes and hate speech, and nds full form in raping those who dont conform. The sooner we join these dots, the quicker we will face up to our complicity and that of our leaders in gender violence. But the opposite has been happening - racial and gender intolerance has become the working language of leading politicians. How do we change a socio-political landscape that enables rape? Oences related to gender oppression appear to have no impact on peoples rise to political power. We have many examples in our current leadership and people in positions of power and prominence some promoted to ambassadorial positions who have been rewarded even in the face of homophobic hate speech and little regard for the rights of women. If upholding the constitutional principle of nondiscrimination is regarded as a personal whim, the government is eectively rubbishing the Constitution. Adding this to the rapacious appetite for sushi eaten o naked women, one could say that a masculinist culture is thriving. The sexual objectication of women, literally for the purpose of male consumption, is central to rape rhetoric. This lexicon of prejudice creates a context in which the rape of lesbians can be legitimised. As veteran politician Kader Asmal argued about racism, The answer to such crude and vulgar chauvinism isnt the Equality Court, important as it is, but a public opinion that will drive out from public life those who perpetuate such exclusionary views, incompatible with the spirit of the Constitution. This applies equally to chauvinism of a sexual and gendered nature.

The Section 9 Project: Holocaust Centre

Being Human, Embracing Equality, Respecting Diverse Sexualities, Respecting Each Other
The Holocaust Centre in Cape Town hosted a youth workshop attended by 65 learners from several schools across the Western Cape.
It was great for Triangle to be present with so many young people present. Learners began the day by discussing times when they may have felt dierent from others. Students then went through Section 9 of the Constitution of South Africa and had a chance to engage with the document. This gave each learner the chance to fully understand the contents and meaning of Section 9. There were lots of interesting comments and questions asked. A highlight was the chance to meet with the author of In Search Of Happiness ~ Sonwabiso Ngcowa, a wonderful man who comes from Masi. The learners broke into groups and each group brought a chapter of the book to life on take. It was great to see how much creativity could happen in so little time. Students had a chance to learn more about Triangle and the work of the organisation. It was amazing, interesting and invigorating to be faced with questions from learners, critically engaging with the subject of sexual orientation and the roots of homophobia and prejudice. It was also an opportunity for those learners who are LGBTI who were present to ask about services oered by Triangle Project.

TRIANGLE PROJECT

triangle project

2nd Floor Elta House, 3 Caledonian Road, Mowbray 7700 PO Box 13935, Mowbray 7705 Tel: (021) 686 1475 Fax: (021) 686 1841 email: info@triangle.org.za website: www.triangle.org.za