Gays targeted most in East Cape

PEOPLE who are lesbian‚ gay‚ bisexual‚ transgender or intersex (LGBTI) are three times more likely to be attacked in the Eastern Cape than in any other province‚ a report released yesterday by the Institute of Race Relations found.

KwaZulu-Natal‚ followed by Limpopo‚ are the two next-worst provinces in terms of LGBTI people being exposed to assault‚ verbal or physical abuse from family‚ or sexual abuse and rape.

The Western Cape and Gauteng are the only provinces where a higher proportion of individuals are more open about their identity than the national average of 57%.

Nearly 800 000 people identify as members of the LGBTI community‚ yet violence and discrimination are rife in South Africa.

“Four out of 10 LGBTI South Africans know of someone who was murdered for being – or suspected of being – part of the LGBTI community‚” research analyst Gerbrandt van Heerden said.

“Black LGBTI people are twice as likely as white LGBTI people to know of someone [who has been] murdered on these grounds – which partially explains why only half of black respondents are completely open about their sexuality‚” Van Heerden said.

However‚ he did have some positive trends to report.

More than two-thirds (67%) of South Africans surveyed indicated that they would strongly like‚ somewhat like‚ or not care about living next to homosexuals.