Pride Month: A time of lament, mourning, and increased opposition for the LGBTQ+ community

One of the lines I have seen trending this month is that “Pride month is the most uncomfortable month for homophobes”. In the meantime, the LGBTQ+ community is assumed to be jubilant because it’s Pride month. While the jubilant spirit happens for most of us, it is not a lived reality for others. The LGBTQ+ community also faces a difficult and challenging time this month because of the homophobia directed against us. Other issues such as performative allyship can also increase our difficulties. So I want to discuss those here and suggest some ways to care for ourselves this month.

Defining Homophobia

I often find that defining words helps the reader understand the mind of the author. So let me define homophobia. It is fear, prejudice, negative feelings, attitude and behaviour against the LGBTQ+ plus community.[1] Britannica has also noted that homophobia sometimes results in legislative laws against queer people. However, the prevalent results are bullying, violence, and emotional abuse against queer people. We continue to experience different forms of homophobia across Africa and the world.

Homophobia in Africa

The month of June began with horrible and paralyzing news about the Anti-Homosexuality Law in Uganda. The president of the country signed it on May 29, 2023. It sent shockwaves across the globe with many lamenting and calling for sanctions against Uganda and some of its parliamentarians. However, the people who suffered the most are the queer people in Uganda. Many solidarity campaigns were done before the president signed the bill into law, but it all fell on deaf ears. As many citizens of Uganda celebrated the law and claimed it as a victory, it was a defeat for the human rights of the queer people. Sadly, Uganda is not alone.

In Namibia, a queer couple won a long battle to have their same-sex marriage recognized in Namibia.[2] This historic judgement was handed down a few weeks before the Pride month, June. As a result of the court ruling, some citizens of Namibia called for a march against the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in Namibia. It was reported that two queer activists were unfairly detained while pushing back from the anti-queer march.[3] To the comfort of the queer community, the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) urged its members to abstain from the anti-queer march as the church has committed itself to love and protect the rights of queer people. Namibia still treats consensual same-sex as illegal and one could be prosecuted.

The queer community has also seen homophobia attacks from organizations and the general public during Pride month. A recent pro-LGBTQ+ campaign by a South African retail company, Woolworths saw attacks on social media and some people called for a boycott against the retail company. The Muslim Judicial Council (SA) has also issued a statement following their meeting with Woolworths to urge them to discontinue their campaign. They view all support for the LGBTQ+ community as an agenda that seeks to infiltrate itself into society’s moral fibre.[4] Some organizations have also been calling for the rainbow pedestrian crossing in Green Point, Cape Town to be repainted because they consider it illegal and a sign of a “gay agenda” infiltrating society.[5]

Performative Allyship

We often see performative allyship around Pride month from companies that brand their companies with the LGBTQ+ flag without being committed to the cause of the community. Just branding your company with the LGBTQ+ flag sells a false message to the larger society. It communicates the company’s inclusivity message while nothing is done for the LGBTQ+ community. So it becomes a capitalist hook like many other causes for companies to gain profits from the LGBTQ+ people, their allies and all those who care about inclusion. It’s lip service while the community bears the difficulties alone. This harms us as a community because none of our struggles and challenges are discussed or lifted up.

Harm Caused and Caring for Oneself and each other

The heavy burden of these homophobic events discussed above lay heavy on us. This burden not only affects our mental health but our bodies are also a risk. My friend and activist, Dumisani Dube highlighted in one of his Facebook posts at the beginning of the month how this is taking place right now. He highlighted the homelessness of queer people across Africa because of all the homophobia taking place on our continent. He states, “There [are] Ugandans who have run away from this abuse of human rights and have no place to lay their heads, no food to fill their stomachs and clothes to cover their bodies”. One cannot quantify the mental health issues that result from all these events.

These events usually aggravate mental health issues in the queer community. Anxiety and feeling unsafe are some of the issues we face. So it’s important that we continue to care for our mental health. Surrounding ourselves with those who love and care for us is important. Also having someone or some people to talk to is another way you can care for yourself. Last, get in touch with your local queer community. They will be willing to help or direct you to other resources.

Conclusion

So Pride month might be a difficult month for homophobes because they get bothered about some parts of the world and corporates showing concern about us and celebrating us in June. However, the flip side is that queer community can also face aggravated homophobia during the same month. Events that have happened in Africa around and during Pride month have demonstrated how it’s possible to have a difficult month during Pride. What is crucial is to take care of ourselves, our mental health and one another in the face of different struggles during the Pride month and beyond.

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[1] https://www.britannica.com/topic/homophobia; Scheepers, 2023, p.77 – Being Gay is not all Fabulous.

[2] https://www.mambaonline.com/2023/05/16/historic-supreme-court-of-namibia-recognises-same-sex-marriages/

[3] https://www.mambaonline.com/2023/06/02/namibia-methodist-church-condemns-anti-lgbtq-marches-as-two-arrested/

[4] https://www.facebook.com/MJCworld/;

[5] https://www.mambaonline.com/2022/10/27/acdp-demands-removal-of-cape-towns-rainbow-crossing/; https://www.mambaonline.com/2023/06/09/cape-town-politician-declares-war-on-fg-paradise/