English
​
Answer:

There are varying traditions and beliefs ,

Main cities in SA are more open-minded ,

Some people are not so open to PDAs

Did you know?

The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) provides free resources and information on travel for the LGBTQ+ community (www.iglta.org).
Source:

1 https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-06-11-probe-launched-into-claims-of-homophobia-after-pride-month-celebration-at-df-malan-school/

Public Opinion 📣

South Africa consists of people from varying cultural, religious, and traditional beliefs, therefore the opinions of the nation as a whole are very mixed.

A 2021 study
1
summarized important views about LGBTQ+ issues:

  • Same-sex marriage or other legal recognition

15%⛔️ against

71% ✅ support

  • Say they have attended a public event in support of LGBT people, e.g., a Pride march

⚠️ 21% of adults in South Africa

  • Views on same-sex couples' right to adopt

23% ⛔️ disagree

63% ✅ agree

Responses from a 2019 study
2
reveal:

  • A majority of people are willing to accept same-sex rights

Should society accept homosexuality?

54% ✅ Yes

38% ⛔️ No

  • There is increased support for LGBTQ rights from religious organizations

    3

✅ 62% of Catholics in South Africa agreeing that homosexuality should be "accepted by society.

LGBTQ+ Representation in South African Media 🎬

👩‍❤️‍👩 Reality shows: South African reality shows like Date My Family

4
and Our Perfect Wedding
5
have included gay couples.

💑 Soap operas: Several popular shows have hired both gay and heterosexual actors to portray LGBTQ characters.

👩‍❤️‍👩 LBGTQ+ celebrities: South Africa sees a multitude of LGBTQ+ celebrities, including Somizi Mhlongo, Lasizwe Dambuza, Letoya Makhene-Pulumo, and Thandiswa Mazwai.

A short animation of famous South African, Somizi Mhlongo and a friend doing a chief's kiss and smiling.

Did you know?

The population of South Africa is pretty diverse and consists of black African (80.9%), Colored (8.8%), White (7.8%), and Indian/Asian (2.5%) (source: www.diversityabroad.com, "South Africa: Diversity & Inclusion Climate", 2018).
Sources:

1 https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2021-06/LGBT%20Pride%202021%20Global%20Survey%20Report_6.pdf

2 https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2020/06/25/global-divide-on-homosexuality-persists/

3 https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/11/02/how-catholics-around-the-world-see-same-sex-marriage-homosexuality/

4 https://www.dstv.com/mzansimagic/en-za/show/date-my-family

5 https://briefly.co.za/11254-interracial-gay-couple-married-by-bisexual-pastor-our-perfect-wedding-left-fans-shook.html

Take Action

A GIF of a woman with a speakerphone and the text "Sounds Gay. I'm In."

If you're planning to visit South Africa:

Learn more about LGBTQ+ rights in other countries:

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This logo isn't an ad or affiliate link. It's an organization that shares in our mission, and empowered the authors to share their insights in Byte form.
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License:

An icon of a location pin with the South African flag on it.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu famously coined South Africa as a Rainbow Nation after apartheid ended in 1994. Thereafter, Nelson Mandela famously used the term when referring to the country.

The term “Rainbow Nation” is used to describe how people from different backgrounds can come together, and it seeks to promote a sense of unity and inclusion.

But you might be asking yourself:

Is South Africa truly as inclusive as it paints itself to be?

What's it like there for people in the LGBTQ+ community?

Is it a friendly place for LGBTQ+ people to travel, live, or work in?

What does it mean to be LGBTQ+ friendly❓

An icon of Earth with a rainbow-heart on the top left.

LBGTQ+ friendly refers to people, places, policies, or institutions that:

  • are open and welcoming to LGBTQ+ people.

  • create environments that are supportive of LGBTQ+ people and their relationships.

  • are respectful of all people.

  • treat people equally.

  • are non-judgmental.

A sign board with a rainbow and the words "LOVE IS LOVE'". Photo by Yoav Hornung on Unsplash

It's important that LGBTQ+ people keep this and other factors (e.g. safety, worker protection, etc) in mind should they travel to or want to live in South Africa.

Did you know?

The African countries of Nigeria, Tanzania, Sudan, Malawi, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Egypt are considered some of the most dangerous places for LBGTQ+ communities to visit in Africa. Their policies are extremely discriminatory against same-sex relationships. (source: Forbes, "20 Most Dangerous Places for Gay Travellers — And The 5 Safest", 2019).

Anti-discrimination Policies 📃

An icon of two hands holding up a rainbow.

Under the Apartheid regime

, the LGBTQ+ community wasn't safe from acts of discrimination. The new South African government sought to fight hate crimes, discrimination, and inequality by:

❤️ including a clause in Section 9 of the Constitution

, which is enforced by the Constitutional Court and Parliament and protects the community against discrimination.

🧡 a bill

that prevents and fights hate crimes and hate speech but is still a work in progress.

💛 launching a national task team

in 2014 that aims to aid and support LGBTQ+ communities.

💚 enacting laws

that protect the rights of children who are bullied and harassed.

Policies, Legislation & Government 🏛

An icon of a document with a rainbow-colored heart.

🌈 Policies: South Africa was the first country in the world to include a sexual orientation protection clause

in its Constitution. In 2006, SA was the first African country (and fifth in the world) to legalize same-sex marriages
.

🌈 Military service: In 1996 the government made it illegal

for the South African military to discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation and in 1998, new laws were implemented to protect the privacy rights of recruits.

💔 Leadership: There is a limited representation of LBGTQ+ people in government, and voting remains the main form of political participation.

Did you know?

Over the past few years, an increasing number of Western Cape schools have established queer-friendly student groups (source: www.dailymaverick.co.za, "Pride societies are springing up at Cape schools, but hoisting the queer-friendly flag was ‘no easy task’", 2022).

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Unsubscribe anytime. No spam. 🙂

LGBTQ+ Life in South Africa 🏳‍🌈

Flaticon Icon

🌈 Adoption and parenting: Same-sex partners have thesame adoption rights as married partners

. Sexual orientation isn't relevant
in decisions of child custody and single women are allowedto have artificial insemination. In 2018, a new law
was signed that allowed same-sex couples, as well as adoptive and surrogate parents, to take parental leave.

🌈 Transgender Rights: In 2003, a new act imposed that a person could change their sex description on their birth register, as long as they've had medical or surgical treatment done

. Read more about transgender rights here.

🩹 Education: In the national curriculum

, LBGTQ+ is not specifically tackled. Since 2020, a draft document
continues to provide guidelines to make schools more inclusive and supportive for LGBTQ+ learners but remains a work in progress.

LGBTQ+ Travel in South Africa ✈️

It is safe for people of the LGBTQ+ community to travel to South Africa. However, smaller communities have not fully accepted LGBTQ+ cultures and identities. People coming to visit or live in South Africa must therefore understand that harassment and violence toward LGBTQ+ people is still common

.

Practice responsible travel🤝

Be respectful of local customs. There's a fine line between expressing your identity and breaking the law.

We would generally advise, for example, avoiding skimpy, see through or overly tight clothing, as well as public displays of affection [PDAs] when visiting more traditional communities. However, this advice applies for all visitors — regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

(source: www.responsibletravel.com, "LGBT SOUTH AFRICA HOLIDAY ADVICE", 2021)

Pack your bags! 🛫

If you are excited to travel to South Africa and you want to experience LGBTQ+ events and festivals, pencil these on your calendar:

🏳️‍🌈 Cape Town Pride (Cape Town) — February to March

🏳️‍🌈 Mother City Queer Project (Cape Town) — February to March

🏳️‍🌈 Pink Loerie Mardi Gras (Knysna) — April to May

🏳️‍🌈 Durban Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (Durban) — September to October

🏳️‍🌈 Johannesburg Pride (Johannesburg) — September to October

Quiz

LGBTQ+ couple, Emily and Bianca are planning a trip to South Africa in February. What should they be mindful of while traveling the country?

Did you know?

The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) provides free resources and information on travel for the LGBTQ+ community (www.iglta.org).

Public Opinion 📣

South Africa consists of people from varying cultural, religious, and traditional beliefs, therefore the opinions of the nation as a whole are very mixed.

A 2021 study
summarized important views about LGBTQ+ issues:

  • Same-sex marriage or other legal recognition

15%⛔️ against

71% ✅ support

  • Say they have attended a public event in support of LGBT people, e.g., a Pride march

⚠️ 21% of adults in South Africa

  • Views on same-sex couples' right to adopt

23% ⛔️ disagree

63% ✅ agree

Responses from a 2019 study
reveal:

  • A majority of people are willing to accept same-sex rights

Should society accept homosexuality?

54% ✅ Yes

38% ⛔️ No

  • There is increased support for LGBTQ rights from religious organizations

✅ 62% of Catholics in South Africa agreeing that homosexuality should be "accepted by society.

LGBTQ+ Representation in South African Media 🎬

👩‍❤️‍👩 Reality shows: South African reality shows like Date My Family

and Our Perfect Wedding
have included gay couples.

💑 Soap operas: Several popular shows have hired both gay and heterosexual actors to portray LGBTQ characters.

👩‍❤️‍👩 LBGTQ+ celebrities: South Africa sees a multitude of LGBTQ+ celebrities, including Somizi Mhlongo, Lasizwe Dambuza, Letoya Makhene-Pulumo, and Thandiswa Mazwai.

A short animation of famous South African, Somizi Mhlongo and a friend doing a chief's kiss and smiling.

Did you know?

The population of South Africa is pretty diverse and consists of black African (80.9%), Colored (8.8%), White (7.8%), and Indian/Asian (2.5%) (source: www.diversityabroad.com, "South Africa: Diversity & Inclusion Climate", 2018).

Take Action

A GIF of a woman with a speakerphone and the text "Sounds Gay. I'm In."

If you're planning to visit South Africa:

Learn more about LGBTQ+ rights in other countries:

License:

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This Byte helped me better understand the topic.

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Did you know?

The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) provides free resources and information on travel for the LGBTQ+ community (www.iglta.org).
Source:

1 https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-06-11-probe-launched-into-claims-of-homophobia-after-pride-month-celebration-at-df-malan-school/

Public Opinion 📣

South Africa consists of people from varying cultural, religious, and traditional beliefs, therefore the opinions of the nation as a whole are very mixed.

A 2021 study
1
summarized important views about LGBTQ+ issues:

  • Same-sex marriage or other legal recognition

15%⛔️ against

71% ✅ support

  • Say they have attended a public event in support of LGBT people, e.g., a Pride march

⚠️ 21% of adults in South Africa

  • Views on same-sex couples' right to adopt

23% ⛔️ disagree

63% ✅ agree

Responses from a 2019 study
2
reveal:

  • A majority of people are willing to accept same-sex rights

Should society accept homosexuality?

54% ✅ Yes

38% ⛔️ No

  • There is increased support for LGBTQ rights from religious organizations

    3

✅ 62% of Catholics in South Africa agreeing that homosexuality should be "accepted by society.

LGBTQ+ Representation in South African Media 🎬

👩‍❤️‍👩 Reality shows: South African reality shows like Date My Family

4
and Our Perfect Wedding
5
have included gay couples.

💑 Soap operas: Several popular shows have hired both gay and heterosexual actors to portray LGBTQ characters.

👩‍❤️‍👩 LBGTQ+ celebrities: South Africa sees a multitude of LGBTQ+ celebrities, including Somizi Mhlongo, Lasizwe Dambuza, Letoya Makhene-Pulumo, and Thandiswa Mazwai.

A short animation of famous South African, Somizi Mhlongo and a friend doing a chief's kiss and smiling.

Did you know?

The population of South Africa is pretty diverse and consists of black African (80.9%), Colored (8.8%), White (7.8%), and Indian/Asian (2.5%) (source: www.diversityabroad.com, "South Africa: Diversity & Inclusion Climate", 2018).
Sources:

1 https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2021-06/LGBT%20Pride%202021%20Global%20Survey%20Report_6.pdf

2 https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2020/06/25/global-divide-on-homosexuality-persists/

3 https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/11/02/how-catholics-around-the-world-see-same-sex-marriage-homosexuality/

4 https://www.dstv.com/mzansimagic/en-za/show/date-my-family

5 https://briefly.co.za/11254-interracial-gay-couple-married-by-bisexual-pastor-our-perfect-wedding-left-fans-shook.html

Take Action

A GIF of a woman with a speakerphone and the text "Sounds Gay. I'm In."

If you're planning to visit South Africa:

Learn more about LGBTQ+ rights in other countries:

Rumie logo

This logo isn't an ad or affiliate link. It's an organization that shares in our mission, and empowered the authors to share their insights in Byte form.
Rumie vets Bytes for compliance with our Standards. The organization is responsible for the completeness and reliability of the content.
Learn more about how Rumie works with partners.

License:

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