FIRST MPUMALANGA GAY PRIDE THIS SEPT

The LGBTI Pride movement continues to spread across South Africa, as it’s announced that the first ever Mpumalanga Gay Pride March will take place on Saturday 6 September in Ermelo.

The march will kick off at the Mpumalanga Stadium at 10am and will return back to the stadium for a picnic, speeches and entertainment.

The event’s theme is “stop gender based violence against LGBTI,” a reality that Mpumalanga’s LGBTI community is often forced to confront, said organiser Cindy Molefe.

“It’s one of the provinces that is more rural, cultural and religious,” she explained. “There’s a lack of knowledge. There’s discrimination, stigma and even attacks against the LGBTI – and victims don’t know who to talk to.”

Molefe said that the march route will take the participants through areas where people live and not through the Ermelo commercial district. “We are trying to bring it to the people, in the place where we face the challenges.”

She added: “It will allow parents to see that their LGBTI children are not alone. We also want to inspire LGBTI to come out and get them to report what happens to them [to the authorities].”

There are now Pride events in Gauteng, the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo.

For more information about Mpumalanga Pride, please e-mail mpumalangapride@gmail.com.