’ O U T ’ I N N O R T H - w E S T T H E R U R A L - U R B A N G E N D E R D I V I D E There seems to be a big discrepancy between the constitutional promise <strong>of</strong> equality and non-discrimination and existing social realities. Discrimination on the basis <strong>of</strong> sexual orientation was prohibited by the inclusion <strong>of</strong> the equality clause in the <strong>South</strong> <strong>Africa</strong>n Constitution in 1996. 34
HOWEVER, TWElVE yEARS lATER homophobia is still widespread within our society and it appears that the protection <strong>of</strong>fered by the Constitution is ‘only on paper’, as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (lGBT) persons continue to experience incidents <strong>of</strong> victimisation and discrimination in most aspects <strong>of</strong> their lives. Since the changes in the Constitution there has been little research into lGBT issues carried out in <strong>South</strong> <strong>Africa</strong> to discern whether the new legal reforms have actually had an impact on the lives <strong>of</strong> lGBT people. Between 2002 and 2006 the <strong>Unisa</strong> Centre for Applied Psychology (UCAP) co-spearheaded three survey studies to assess levels <strong>of</strong> empowerment <strong>of</strong> lGBT people in three provinces in <strong>South</strong> <strong>Africa</strong>. In 2007/08 UCAP combined the three data sets to ascertain a national picture with regard to lGBT issues within <strong>South</strong> <strong>Africa</strong> with the objective <strong>of</strong> informing programmes and affecting policy changes and formulated the research question ‘What is the societal position <strong>of</strong> men and women engaging in samesex sexual activities in emerging <strong>South</strong> <strong>Africa</strong>n lGBT communities and which possibilities are present to empower these communities?’ advocating foR change UCAP also realised that by identifying in which sectors <strong>of</strong> society, that is, criminal justice, education, health and religion, human rights abuses occur, it will be able to advocate for change and stimulate social development policy changes. In the context <strong>of</strong> this study, ‘empowerment’ refers to the building <strong>of</strong> resourcefulness; facilitating awareness; affirming the positive and working with the difficulties; and helping persons and communities realise their full potential. Empowerment also implies mutual benefit, in that it is a sharing process where all benefit, learn and grow. The outcomes <strong>of</strong> this project will assist the lGBT sector to prioritise within their strategic planning and related developments. Furthermore, these outcomes will inform policy decisions and priorities at national, provincial and local level within government and also within non-governmental organisations (nGOs). In addition, this study will further knowledge <strong>of</strong> the development <strong>of</strong> emerging communities <strong>of</strong> sexual minority persons. As the previous three empowerment studies in which UCAP collaborated concentrated on provinces that are generally well resourced, this study is expanding the focus to include a more rural province <strong>of</strong> the country that is generally under-resourced in a variety <strong>of</strong> ways, in order to gain a more representative depiction <strong>of</strong> the levels <strong>of</strong> lGBT empowerment within <strong>South</strong> <strong>Africa</strong> on a national level. gay umBRella The north-West province has been chosen as case study, as an lGBT community (Gay Umbrella) is slowly emerging. A focus on culture and traditions may improve understanding <strong>of</strong> empowerment issues among rural communities, which may be completely different from the urban view and perceptions there<strong>of</strong>. The choice <strong>of</strong> Gay Umbrella is informed by a number <strong>of</strong> reasons. It is a Pr<strong>of</strong>. Juan Nel, Director <strong>of</strong> UCAP community-based organisation situated within north-West province that, although only The project is carried out in collaboration with formed in March 2007, has already successfully OUT lGBT Wellbeing, also known just as OUT, organised provincial events. Two founding which is a health and mental health services members are involved in this project as they provider, with research, mainstreaming and stand to benefit from the research in terms <strong>of</strong> advocacy programmes for lGBT people. This their own capacity development and in the choice is informed by UCAP’s established continuing growth and expansion <strong>of</strong> their collaborative relationship with OUT, among organisation, which will benefit all lGBT people others, also with regard to the first three within the province. empowerment studies. impact <strong>of</strong> the eaRly studies The research study in Gauteng in 2003, conducted by OUT in collaboration with UCAP, was informed by both theory and the needs <strong>of</strong> lGBT organisations in <strong>South</strong> <strong>Africa</strong>, to investigate discrimination and abuse in various sectors, such as health, education and criminal justice. This study was subsequently repeated by OUT and UCAP in kwaZulu-natal in 2005 and then by UCAP and the Triangle Project in the Western Cape in 2005/2006. These three provincial studies were valuable in that the research was used to inform various policies and programmes. The data gathered in this research has been used to elicit more information from lGBT communities in order to bring to light the various challenges with which they are faced. The Department <strong>of</strong> Social Development used the findings to inform its policies on, among others, guidelines for lGBT people in shelters. More recently, findings <strong>of</strong> the initial research, which was presented at the third national conference <strong>of</strong> the government-led Victim Empowerment Programme (VEP), resulted in inclusion <strong>of</strong> sexual orientation-based hate crime victimisation as a priority area for VEP service providers. The research was also used in advocating for adequate health care services for lGBT people when OUT submitted a draft paper to the <strong>South</strong> <strong>Africa</strong>n Human Rights Commission Public Inquiry concerning the right to have access to health care services. OUT furthermore compiled guidelines for service providers which were widely distributed. The statistics gathered from this research has also been referenced in the media nationally and internationally, such as Sunday Times, Mail&Guardian, BBC and Cnn. 35
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