Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Historic Meeting Of African Transactivists

TransGriot Note: This is wonderful news! Transgender people on the second largest continent on Planet Earth are getting together and getting organized.

Trans activists attend first pan-African meeting
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co. uk • December 22, 2008 - 15:31
Pink News, UK


South Africa hosted the first ever African Strategy Workshop for transgender activists last week.

Trans people from Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe took part in the event organised by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) and Gender DynamiX.

15 activists met to discuss the specific needs of transgender people on the African continent.

"Transgender people throughout the world experience frequent and unacceptable discrimination, violence and abuse," said Paula Ettelbrick, IGLHRC's executive director.

"IGLHRC is proud to be part of this historic gathering of transgender people, taking the fight for human rights in Africa to a whole new level."

There is only one transgender organisation, Gender DynamiX, on the whole continent.

The African Strategy Workshop was designed to help activists, "document human rights abuses against transgender people, derive best practices for human rights advocacy, and share information on gender identity, reassignment surgery and hormone treatment."

Liesl Theron, Director of Gender DynamiX, said: "This long overdue meeting forms an integral part of trans history on our continent and a cornerstone for our future work.

"Participants at the workshop gave moving and painful testimony revealing the wide range of human rights abuses-from arbitrary arrest and detention to rape and murder-that African transgender people regularly encounter."

Activists focused on the case of South African Daisy Dube, who was murdered in Johannesburg after requesting that she not be called istabane (a derogatory Zulu slang word, similar to faggot).

Skipper Mogapi, Trans Alternate at the Trans Secretariat of ILGA, said the workshop was a dream come true.

"Seeing trans people together in their space raising their concerns without being intimidated. We know what the issues are and can now deal with them."

4 comments:

LISA VAZQUEZ said...

Hey there!

Thanks for reporting on this!!

While I am here I wanted to bring "Merry Christmas" greetings!

Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV)
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Peace, blessings and DUNAMIS!
Lisa

Monica Roberts said...

Thank you lisa!

Merry Christmas to you and congrats on becoming the newest member of the AfroSpear as well.

eileen said...

This is great news, I agree!

Monica Roberts said...

Ladies,
Let's just hope this meeting results in positive action for all African descended transgender people back on the Mother Continent and throughout the Diaspora.