As the world commemorates the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOTB) this month, OUT is highlighting the scourge of biphobia, which is often overlooked.

IDAHOTB has been observed annually since 2005 every 17 May and is an opportunity to bring awareness to the prejudice faced by the world’s LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer / questioning) community. The date is significant; it marks the decision to remove homosexuality from the International Classification of Diseases of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1990.

In the wake of alarming research confirming the severe vulnerability of the LGBTI community, a new platform has been launched by Love Not Hate to help victims anonymously report hate crimes.

The first of its kind website, www.report.lovenothate.org.za, allows individuals to log in and report any incidents that involve abuses of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) individuals in South Africa.

The Love Not Hate campaign sees the recent judgment in the Jon Qwelane case as an important victory against hate speech.

On Friday, the South Gauteng High Court found Qwelane guilty of hate speech in terms of Section 10 of the Equality Act for his 2008 article, Call me names, but gay is NOT okay, published in the Sunday Sun.

Activists in the LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex) sector are speaking out about the appalling delays and injustices in five ongoing hate crime cases.

The cases have been selected by the Love Not Hate national campaign to illustrate severe lapses in the criminal justice system, especially when it comes to LGBTI people, ahead of protests to demand immediate action by the authorities. 

In a first for Pretoria, OUT’s TEN81 Center in Hatfield is proud to announce that it now offers free PrEP for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM).

The daily medication, which has been proven to be highly effective in preventing HIV-negative people from getting HIV, will be available from the 3rd of April, 2017.

Sally*, a 24-year-old activist from Pretoria, is dedicated to combating the stigma of HIV and the scourge of hate crimes. With her focus on helping others, this confident and openly-lesbian woman didn’t expect to herself become a victim of violent hate because of her sexual orientation. 

On Saturday 28 January, Sally was returning to her Sunnyside flat from a night out. She reached the gate of the apartment complex, so very close to home, when the men struck.