More on KZN LGBT Recreation picnic

We are pleased to share this follow-up from participants at the picnic we reported on yesterday:

It was important to ensure that the police were aware of our presence and that they would be ready to protect us in case of any trouble. We had our permit, and we checked with Lieutenant Naidoo to make sure all would be OK.

What was most interesting in so far as I am concerned was to have as our special guest a parent of a gay child. Anna is a 40 year mother of 2 – a daughter (Nomfundo age 24, and a son age 17). She posed some very important and relevant questions. She said her main aim of attending our event was to establish a better relationship with her lesbian daughter because even though she already tries to be non-judgmental towards her, she wanted to go an extra mile to bring about mutual understanding between each other. She also wanted to find a safe environment for Nomfundo because in the township where they reside, homophobia is very rife. She noticed on several occasion her daughter escape what hate crimes. As a parent, she too receives abuse from the community and her extended family due to Nomfundo’s sexual orientation. The positive outcome out of this we planned a Mothers' Day gathering on 8th May where Anna will be addressing other mothers in a similar situation.

We were happy to have people from KZN LGBT Recreation present, and they lead us in a session of indigenous sports, followed by brain-teaser exercises. That put us in the right condition for the main point of our picnic, to talk about our situation and future actions to improve it.

An interesting point came when Nosipho and Snenhlanhla Mbambo, a lesbian couple, spoke of their relationship. Nosipho’s children are not approve of her partner merely because she is a woman, and call her derogatory names. There have been serious fights, with the police having to be called. Nosipho's son was kicking and threatening Snenhlanhla with a knife. Nosipho is in the middle of this fight because she loves her kids and she loves her partner. They currently live apart for the sake of the kids, but are still very much in love. This is very traumatizing for them, especially for Nosipho, whose entire family is opposed to this relationship, with the exception of her mother. This story is important, and we hope to use it in a documentary to share with others the pressures on gay couples.