Representation in the media
streets during Pride parades, wearing women’s clothes or whatever. But this in itself was a major shift from how reporting had been done.
“More recently there was the shift towards victimisation. So a strong focus on reports of corrective rapes and murders. Still, South Africa is remarkably progressive in that we are generally open to talking about these issues. In many other African countries there is a reluctance; it is generally seen as deviant behaviour.”
Delane Kalembo is the programmes officer at the organisation African Men for Sexual Health and Rights, which has been conducting sensitisation workshops with journalists in West African countries for the past four years.
“We initiated the programme in that region because we found that journalists there always reported on homosexuality in derogatory ways. So we undertook work with media organisations in sensitisation workshops on the issues LGBTIQ people face.
“For example, when referring to someone who is intersex, not to use the word ‘hermaphrodite’. In this way, we are trying to work towards ensuring a greater humaneness in the way they report on queer issues.”
Kalembo says the programme has yielded the desired results, but not everyone is pleased with the work they are undertaking. “At the start of one of our workshops, the police came in and ordered us to stop. They said we could not come into the country to influence their journalists. We eventually continued the series of workshops, but had to be extra cautious about having any possible snitches in the sessions.”
Ignoring the state-sponsored threats to their work, Kalembo says: “We also have civil society organisations in the region engage with media around breaking stories and what should be picked up in those stories, because so often only the sensational is picked up on. The violation of those persons’ rights were never at the heart of the story.”
For Tomson, this kind of active engagement is needed to ensure accurate representation of queer people in the media.
“We really need straight and cis allies to heed the call and to support the idea that prejudice can never be accepted or tolerated. I think it’s important to work at dismantling the idea that there is something broken, immoral or wrong with queer identity because, in many instances, this is the fundamental starting point from which stigma and prejudice grows,” she says.
“Active protection of human rights, liberties and freedoms for people — especially those in minority groups, such as queer folk — must be a prerequisite.
“We also need to carefully interrogate who is telling these stories. When it comes to matters of queer identity, those best qualified to speak are those who are queer themselves. It all comes down to agency. We don’t need to be patronised or condescended to; what we need is a platform for our own voices to be heard.”