Dear friends,
Earlier this month, a South African couple was victim to an inexplicable and violent attack – simply because they are lesbians.
A group of men broke into their home and raped them, seeking to "remind them that they are women." It's called "corrective rape" and it's one of the most vile and atrocious assaults committed regularly against lesbian, gay, bi, and trans people in South Africa.
And often, the perpetrators go completely unpunished.
Right now, there's a hate crimes bill sitting on the desk of South African Minister of Justice, Michael Masutha, which would punish those who commit "corrective rape". But Masutha failed to release the bill for a public hearing by mid-October, as promised since 2010.
Incidents of "corrective rape" are a frequent problem in South Africa. In October 2014, another lesbian couple in the province of Mpumalanga was raped in front of their seven-year-old daughter. The South African police refused to investigate the case.
"Corrective rape" is punishment for not conforming to the men's idea of how women should behave and who they should love. It's a violenthate crime targeting people based on their gender and sexual orientation.
If this bill becomes law, perpetrators will finally be held accountable because it will define roles and responsibilities for various state departments to address these crimes. It would be an important reminder that violence against LGBT people is never acceptable.
Just last month, when anti-gay U.S. pastor Steven Anderson was planning to travel to South Africa to "export" hate, over 60,000 All Out members took action – and it worked! The South African government banned Anderson from stepping foot in the country.
Luc, we know they're listening to our cry for equality and justice.
Thanks for going All Out,
Pamela Adie, from All Out, with GaySA Radio, MambaOnline, Hate Crimes Working Group, Access Chapter 2, and Love Not Hate Campaign.
