LGBTQ+ Human Rights

OUT’s roots lie in uplifting the lives and rights of LGBTQ+ people. The organisation’s early activism in LGBTQ+ equality saw it become a key player in the historic legalisation of the same-sex marriage in South Africa.

In 2015, John Jeffery, Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, launched OUT’s Love not Hate campaign in Pretoria. It started life as a multi-partner initiative addressing violence against LGBTIQ persons and has monitored numerous hate crime cases through the National Task Team and lobbied for government intervention and the enactment of hate crime legislation.

Since 2019, the project has also assisted dozens of survivors of hate crimes and discrimination through a free para-legal service. In addition, it has continued to train service providers and stakeholders, such as government departments and companies, on LGBTQ equality, inclusion and diversity. Today, Love Not Hate is known as OUT’s Human Rights programme.