Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Intersex
Hello babies! its been a minute. Hope y'all are majabs ( majabajaba) hehehe remind me later to tell you more about majabs.
A few weeks back a close friend of mine was invited to a mother's day event which was supposed to happen on Saturday the 13th of May but due to other reasons the event was cancelled. We were so excited and happy because my friend's speech was prepared by yours truly here. I prepared a speech for my dear friend to address mothers about issues that their children deals with on a daily basis especially the LGBTI community. Just like raising any normal child, as parent you're able to pick up the signs and attributes that identifies your child as either gay, bisexual or transgender. As part of the LGBTI community it was very important for me to also prepare a brochure to hand out to the mothers that were going to attend the event. As always, I thought i should share the brochure here with you. You know I love sharing 😊
Kenneth Binyavanga Wainaina is a Kenyan author, journalist and winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing.
(yeah, i still keep articles nje lol )
As i was busy writing a speech something reminded me of an article that is very dear to my heart by Binyavanga Wainanina. The article was titled " I'm Homosexual, Mum. A lost chapter from one of his book - One Day I Will Write About This Place."
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON SEXUAL
ORIENTATION & GENDER IDENTITY FOR INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES.
This brochure provides information
about sexual orientation, gender identity, and lesbian, gay, transgender and
intersex (LGBTI) persons. The Constitution of south Africa, 1996 provides that
everyone in our country is entitled to human dignity, equality and freedom.
Section 9 of the Constitution of the
Republic of South Africa, 1996
This provision is one of the most
important sections in the bill of rights of the Constitution. It states
“Everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and
benefit of the law”. Equality includes the full and equal enjoyment of all
rights and freedoms entrenched in bill of rights. This means it is unlawful to
discriminate, harass, intimidate or attack LGBTI persons because of their
sexual orientation or gender identity
SOME HELPFUL DEFINITIONS RELATED TO SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND
GENDER
·
SEXUAL
ORIENTATION- is the emotional, romantic, and sexual attraction of someone to
the same sex or the opposite sex, or both sexes.
·
GENDER
IDENTITY- a person’s own inner sense of being male or female (or both or
neither) or transgender. A person’s gender identity may or may not correspond
to the person’s body or designated sex at birth or how society sees them.
·
HETEROSEXUAL-
a person who is emotionally, romantically and sexually attracted to people of
the opposite sex.
·
HOMOSEXUAL-
a person who is emotionally, romantically and sexually attracted to people of
the same sex. However, many homosexual persons prefer the terms gay or lesbian.
· LESBIAN-
a woman who is emotionally, romantically and sexually attracted to other women.
·
GAY-
a man who is emotionally, romantically and sexually attracted to other men.
·
BISEXUAL-
a person who is emotionally, romantically and sexually attracted to both men
and women.
·
TRANSGENDER- a person whose gender identity is different
from their biological identity. For example, a biological male who will
describe himself as a woman trapped in a man’s body or vice versa.
·
INTERSEX-
a person who is born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that does not fit the
typical definition of female or male. Some intersex persons may also have
different variations of hormones or chromosomes (the natural chemicals or
genetic makeup of our bodies). Intersex persons are not born with two complete
sets of genitalia.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q - WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE LESBIAN, GAY
OR BISEXUAL?
It is not clear what causes a person
to be emotionally, romantically and sexually attracted to any other person. A
number of factors are likely to play a role including genetics, hormones and a
person’s own inner sense of self.
Homosexuality is not an illness or
disease; it can neither be taught ‘nor cured. Lesbian, gay bisexual persons do
not influence or change another person’s sexual orientation. It is also not
true that lesbian, gay and bisexual persons have necessarily been abused or
mistreated as a child or is going through a ‘phase’ in life.
Q – why are some people transgender?
A person’s gender identity is caused
by a number of factors, including genetics and and hormones and a person’s
inner sense of self. A number of factors are likely to play a role including
genetics, hormones and a person’s sense of inner self. Some of which may occur
before birth. Being transgender is not an illness. For example, a person who
was born with male sex organs may feel and need to live as female. Some
transgender people choose to change part or all of their sex anatomy by taking
hormone treatment and/or undergoing surgery, but this is not always the case.
Q – How do you tell if someone is
LGBTI?
It is not always possible to tell
whether someone is LGBTI just by looking at them. Like the rest of society,
LGBTI persons, as individuals, express themselves and live in may different
ways. People should not be defined by the clothes they wear or how they behave,
but instead by the way they feel and self-identify.
Q – Do gay men want to be women; Do
lesbian women want to be men.
No. A gay or lesbian person is
someone who is emotionally, romantically and sexually attracted to people of
the same sex, not someone who is transgender or wants to be the opposite
gender. Gay and lesbian persons may dress or behave in feminine or masculine
ways, respectively, but that does not necessarily mean that they want to be
women or men, respectively.
Q – Can LGBTI person be “cured”?
LGBTI persons are not ill. So there
is nothing that needs to be cured. Whether a person is lesbian, gay or
bisexual, it is not possible to change their sexual orientation – it is natural
and normal part of who that person. Likewise, a transgender or transex person
is not suffering from an illness.
Sadly, some people think lesbian,
gay, and bisexual persons need to taught a lesson in how to be "real men” and
“real women” by forcefully having sex with them. Having sex with a person
without their consent is rape and unlawful. Sexually or physically assaulting a
person to “punish” or “cure” them is criminal act and cause serious emotional,
physical, and psychological harm and trauma.
Q – What is hate crime?
A hate crime is any crime committed
against a person because a particular characteristic or group to which they
belong – for example, an attack on a person because of their race, country of
birth, religion, sexual orientation, or the way they express their gender
identity.
Hate crimes can include physical and
sexual violence, intimidation or blackmail. Contact one of the organisations
listed in this brochure for help if you have experienced or witnessed a hate crime
based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Q – Are Gay men more likely to
sexually abuse children?
No. child sexual abuse is a crime and
is not determined by a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
Q – Are LGBTI person un-African?
LGBTI person exist in all cultures
including African cultures. In fact, there is a rich history of sexual and
gender diversity in a number of African traditions. In many societies,
homosexual and transgender persons have been celebrated and respected.
Q – IS homosexuality unnatural or
anti-religion?
No . A person’s sexual orientation is
a natural and normal part of that person. All religions and spiritual teachings
preach love, tolerance and respect for all people. Many religious and spiritual
leaders preach that all people are free and equal and must be treated with
dignity.
LGBTI person also raise children and
there is no evidence that being raised by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender
and intersex parents or care givers is harmful to children. Many lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, intersex persons are married or live in committed healthy
relationships.
Q – Are LGBTI persons a high risk
group for contracting HIV?
A person’s risk for contacting HIV is
determined by his or her behavior, not sexual orientation. It is important for
all people- whether homosexual or heterosexual- to always practice safe sex.
Q – What should I do if my child,
Friend or colleague is being victimized because of his or her sexual
orientation or gender identity?
Provide love, support and assistance.
A person can also lodge a complaint of unfair discrimination at the equality
court based at the nearest magistrate court; seek assistance from chapter 9 of
the Institutions such as South African Human Rights Commission and Commission for
Gender Equality; contact Lifeline South Africa’s Toll Free ( Stop Gender
Violence Helpline) – (0800 150 150 for counselling, emotional support and
referral services; and the organisation that deals with issues relating to human rights.