Cape Town activists protest at opening of LGBTIQ+ conference
26.05.2022 - 16:05
/ mambaonline.com
Apparent divisions within the LGBTQI+ community came to the fore at a reception for the southern African Kopano gathering in Cape Town as some protested the City’s involvement with the event.
Organised by the Johannesburg-based The Other Foundation, the week-long Kopano conference is an opportunity for LGBTQI+ activists from across the region to come together to share their experiences, challenges and success.
The Other Foundation is a trust that sources and offers funding and support to groups and initiatives that advance “equality and freedom in southern Africa with a particular focus on sexual orientation and gender identity.”
Kopano is typically held every two years but was delayed to 2022 due to the Covid pandemic. With delegates from 17 countries, this year’s event is taking place at UCT; the first time the gathering has been held outside of Gauteng.
On Monday, Cape Town-based LGBTQI+ groups Triangle Project and Free Gender lashed out at the organiser’s decision “to partner with the City of Cape Town to host a welcoming reception” at the civic centre on Monday evening.
Members of the group held a protest at the cocktail event, holding up placards accusing the City of marginalising black queer people and insisting that “the City of Cape Town is not our ally.”
“If the Kopano convening committee had our backs, they would have reached out to learn and taken guidance from us on how the City of Cape Town continues to fail and blatantly disregard the experiences of black LGBTQI+ people in the metro,” said Triangle Project and Free Gender in a statement.
“The Cape Metro is a hotspot for hate crimes against LGBTQI+ people in the country,” they continued. “Contrary to what its slogan says, the City of Cape Town has never
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