#simon nkoli

[queerasfact]

Black History Month: Simon Nkoli

“I am black, and I am gay. I cannot separate the two parts of me into secondary and primary struggle. They will all be one struggle.”

Simon Nkoli was born in the late 1950s in the Black township of Soweto in South Africa. He grew up under apartheid, and first became involved with anti-apartheid activism as a student, despite negative reactions within the movement to his homosexuality.

In 1984, Simon was arrested along with 21 other men while protesting rent increases in the township of Delmas, a group which became known as the Delmas 22. While in prison awaiting trial, Simon was outed, and faced backlash from the rest of the group, many who feared that pulic knowledge of his sexuality would negatively impact the outcome of the trial. To the surprise of his co-accused, Simon received an outpouring of support from the international queer community, which in turn led to greater international support for the Delmas 22 and anti-apartheid work.

Simon was ultimately acquitted, and began work as a founding member of a new group, GLOW - the Gay and Lesbian Organisation of Witwatersrand - fighting for the rights of queer people in Johannesburg’s Black townships. Simon was diagnosed with HIV while in prison, and focussed especially on HIV/AIDS activism in Black communities. With GLOW, Simon went on to organise Johannesburg’s first Pride march in 1990.

In 1994, Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s president, marking the end of apartheid. Simon met and negotiated with government officials to ensure the rights of gay and lesbian people would be enshrined in the country’s new constitution - the first country in the world to do so.

Learn more

Image: Simon wearing a shirt with a pink triangle which reads “No liberation without gay-lesbian liberation”, and a pin reading “Silence=Death”

[annemarieyeretzian]

[makingqueerhistory]

Simon Tseko Nkoli

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[gayingawaythepray]

[flowercat13]

Simon Tseko Nkoli

Gay activist and anti-apartheid leader, He fought for freedom and social justice in South Africa.

Listened to @queerasfact latest episode and since its pride month i felt so inpired. Definitely a great podcast to listen to!

[study-van]

Today let’s talk about Simon Nkoli who is seen by many as the central hero of the lgbt+ struggle in South Africa. He was an anti-apartheid, gay rights, and HIV/AIDS activist who founded the Gay and Lesbian Organisation of the Witwatersrand (GLOW). In 1990, Nkoli and GLOW organized the first Pride March in Johannesburg. They also played an integral role in convincing the African National Congress, South Africa’s ruling political party, to formally recognize lgbt+ rights in the country. Five years later, Nkoli declared his HIV positive status and began working to destigmatize HIV/AIDS.

[yourdailyqueer]

Simon Nkoli (deceased)

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Gay

DOB: 26 November 1957  

RIP: 30 November 1998

Ethnicity: African - South African (Sotho)

Occupation: Activist

Note of firsts (some of the things he achieved): Organised the first pride parade in South Africa held in 1990, one of the first gay activists to meet with President Nelson Mandela in 1994, became one of the first publicly HIV-positive African gay men. He opened the first Gay Games in New York and was made a freeman of that city.

[outweek30]

Cover of OutWeek Magazine No. 14, September 24, 1989, 30 years ago today.

On The Cover:

Simon Nkoli photographed by Jim Marks

[genderfluidpositivity]

Black History Month | Simon Nkoli

[letters-to-lgbt-kids]

My dear lgbt+ kids, 

Today, I want to tell you about some notable lgbt+ activists in history that you may not have heard about before! 

Bayard Rustin was a close friend of Martin Luther King Jr. and organizer of the 1963 March on Washington. He was openly gay and worked to bring the AIDS crisis to the NAACP’s attention. His sexual orientation was used against Dr. King and this forced him to work in the shadows. 

Michael Dillon was the first trans man to undergo phalloplasty (surgical construction of a penis). Dillon became a doctor. When the press discovered that Dillon was a trans man, negative attention caused him flee to India.

Ifti Nasim was a gay Pakistani poet who moved to the United States to avoid persecution for his sexuality. His collection of poems, Narman, is thought to be the first gay-themed book of poetry written and published in Urdu.  

Nancy Cárdenas is thought to be one of the first Mexican people to openly come out on television. She helped start the struggle against gay prejudice in Mexico.   

Frida Kahlo was an artist and openly bisexual. She used her art to talk about topics like female sexuality and feminine beauty standards. 

Simon Nkoli was an anti-apartheid, gay rights, and HIV/AIDS activist in South Africa who founded the Gay and Lesbian Organisation of the Witwatersrand (GLOW). 

Think of this list as a starting point to kick off a your own research - if this sparks your curiosity, google for more detailed information on them and their work. 

With all my love, 

Your Tumblr Dad

[queerasfact]

Happy Pride eve! We are putting the finishing touches on our first episode for pride month, talking about activist Simon Nkoli and the first South African Pride!

[Image: Simon Nkoli, a black South African man, wearing a shirt with a pink triangle which reads “No liberation without gay-lesbian liberation”]

[listening2lesbians]

South Africa: ‘We only write about them when they are dead’: Hate killings of black lesbians in South Africa

South Africa: ‘We only write about them when they are dead’: Hate killings of black lesbians in South Africa

This is an edited extract from the book Femicide in South Africa (Kwela) by Nechama Brodie. In 1990, the year that Nelson Mandela was released, Johannesburg held the very first Gay and Lesbian Pride march, at which Simon Nkoli, Beverly Ditsie and Justice Edwin Cameron were among the speakers. The marchers chanted, “Out of the closet and into the streets.” It was a significant moment, even…

[makingqueerhistory]

Simon Tseko Nkoli

Support Making Queer History on Patreon

Send in a One-Time Donation

Email Making Queer History: queerhistorypatreon@gmail.com

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[evreuxdharcourt]

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐀 𝐋.𝐄.𝐅  — 𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐓É, 𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓É, 𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐓É

𝕹𝖔𝖘𝖘𝖔𝖘 𝖆𝖓𝖈𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖎𝖘 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖗𝖊𝖗𝖆𝖒 𝖊 𝖑𝖚𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖒 𝖕𝖊𝖑𝖔 𝖓𝖔𝖘𝖘𝖔 𝖉𝖎𝖗𝖊𝖎𝖙𝖔 𝖉𝖊 𝖘𝖊𝖗𝖒𝖔𝖘 𝖔 𝖖𝖚𝖊 𝖖𝖚𝖎𝖘𝖊𝖗𝖒𝖔𝖘. Venha honrar nosso compromisso de levar nossos ideais para o ambiente escolar. Lutamos pela liberdade, igualdade e fraternidade entre discentes e docentes e também a comunidade. Vamos juntos?

1. COMPONENTES

Presidente: Geneviève D’Harcourt ( @evreuxdharcourt​ ).

Vice-presidente: Lancelot Battenberg ( @bvttenberg​ ).

Secretária-geral: Wilhelmina Crawford ( @minadocndxminio​ ).

Tesoureira: Andrômeda Fernsby ( @andrcmd​ ).

Diretor cultural: Atlas Fernsby ( @vtls​ ).

Diretora social: Penélope Pendragon ( @not-inthebox​ ).

Diretora de imprensa: Doroteya Balakhonova ( @doroteyas​ ).

Diretor esportivo: Valentin Terrazas Sulzbach ( @vclentinho ).

2. PROPOSTAS

a. 𝐄𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐀𝐂𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐈𝐒:

MEMORIAL --- fazer um memorial para os alunos de destaque (honor roll), que mude de dois em dois meses, a fim de gratificar e incentivar a competição saudável e melhora das notas entre os alunos;

CONSELHO QUINZENAL --- uma reunião na qual o Grêmio se reúne com os alunos interessados e escuta suas opiniões, sugestões e pedidos, sendo realizado a cada quinze dias, de forma a nos mantermos atualizados sobre as demandas dos alunos;

BLOG DO GRÊMIO --- local de transparência e promoção dos alunos, além de informações sobre a escola e atividades; 

PONTE ALUNO PROFESSOR --- criação de um canal no qual um professor fará uma live e atenderá as dúvidas dos alunos enviadas anteriormente, seja da matéria ou da área que leciona. Além disso, será produzido um canal no qual os alunos podem deixar recados, sugestões ou reclamações de professores, que serão repassados a todos que se direcionarem (exceto os que foram propositalmente ofensivos e não construtivos);

Parceria com grêmios de outras escolas;

Avaliações trimestrais de professores que serão repassadas à coordenaçao acadêmica; 

CONSELHO ESCOLAR --- restauração dos antigos cargos de representantes de classe, criando assim um corpo estudantil que traga as demandas dos alunos ao Grêmio.

b. 𝐂𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐒

Promover a pintura do muro lalteral branco da AIFT com uma criação do painel pelos alunos do clube de artes e de todos que tenham interesse em participar;

Organização de saraus para exposição de criações dos alunos (literárias, artísticas, musicais);

SEMANA DE ARTE E CULTURA --- uma semana com feira de livros (trocas), na qual os alunos que possuem dons artísticos possam expô-los, além de permitir acesso a pessoas de fora;

Organização de show de talentos com encerramento por um músico francês a ser anunciado; 

FEIRA DE PROFISSÕES — com palestras de diversos ramos, com o objetivo de trazer apoio externo aos alunos que procuram o que querem ser no futuro, com workshops de diversas áreas;

NOITES DE CINEMA TEMÁTICAS --- realizar cada mês uma noite de cinema na AIFT, com filmes que podem ser votados pelos alunos/alunos devem se vestir de acordo com o tema (terror, fantasia, ficção científica, anos 80, ou um filme específico);

MOTORISTA DA VEZ --- criação de uma linha de suporte aos alunos durante as festas realizadas, internamente ou não, nas quais pessoas se voluntariam para serem as motoristas (portanto sem beber), promovendo a sobriedade atrás do volante e prezando pela segurança dos nossos alunos mais velhos;  

FESTA DAS NAÇÕES --- festa que promove a cultura de diversas nações, realizada pelos próprios alunos dos diversos países que temos dentro dos muros dessa escola, a fim de espalhar a nossa diversidade e promover integração cultural.

c. 𝐀𝐌𝐁𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐒

Promover campanhas de reciclagem na escola e separação de lixo, principalmente colocando novas lixeiras apropriadas no campus;

Evento de plantação de novas árvores no campus, criando uma área de reserva;

WORKSHOP DE JARDINAGEM --- criação de uma horta nas dependências do colégio, a fim de ensinar a importância da alimentação orgânica;

Promover ensaios de incêndio todos os meses.

d. 𝐄𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐒

OLIMPÍADAS --- uma semana de jogos inter-salas, com os times separados conforme as suas salas, competindo em diversas modalidades esportivas (atletismo, futebol, lacrosse, esgrima, volei, torcida, etc). Cada time pode customizar seus uniformes conforme design escolhido pela sala, criar gritos de guerra. Uma semana de espírito esportivo e escolar.

A partir da ponte com os grêmios de outras escolas de Cannes, promover campeonatos de diversas modalidades inter-escola.

e. 𝐒𝐎𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐈𝐒

Destinar 50% de todas as arrecadações feitas durante o ano inteiro para uma instituição de caridade local, a ser selecionada pelos alunos através de voto; 

CONHEÇA SEUS VETERANOS --- uma semana de eventos no começo do ano letivo que tem como objetivo fazer com que os recém chegados conheçam e interajam com os mais velhos;

GRUPO SIMON NKOLI --- grupo de apoio aos LGBTQ+, onde são discutidas pautas dos grupos, criando uma rede de apoio para que possam ser denunciados possíveis constrangimentos ou preconceitos, além de incentivar protagonismo LGBTQ+ no ambiente escolar.

GRUPO SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR --- grupo de apoio feminino, onde são discutidas pautas do gênero feminino e cria-se uma rede de suporte para mulheres denunciarem possíveis constrangimentos que passem, além de incentivar o protagonismo feminino no ambiente escolar; 

Campanhas de agasalho durante os meses invernais, com voluntários entre os alunos para redistribuir as roupas nas ruas de Cannes; 

MÊS AMARELO --- mês (setembro) contra o suicídio, ajuda na prevenção, hotline de ajuda, palestras, tudo para prestar apoio e trazer à tona debates sobre a saúde mental;

Arrecadação de livros escolares ou não para a comunidade.

[momma-mogai-sphinx]

hi! i’m a 15 y/o lesbian who’s really struggling with her identity. my dad and siblings both disagree with the idea of gay marriage and i feel pretty rejected. i keep wondering if i’m just faking my sexuality for attention, even though i know i’m not. i feel weird and abnormal, and worst of all, my friends think it’s trendy and funny to be apart of the lgbtqia community when it comes with a lot of struggles. could i possibly get some positivity or kind words? or a way to feel better? ty. 💞

I have a few things I could share, actually…

I definitely understand how it is you might be feeling right now, so let me tell you—as someone who grew up in quite the inhospitable home, in a wildly homophobic town, who continues to live happily in said town despite all the odds—it can get better.

I know that can be hard to believe sometimes. I know there are things in your life which are far out of your control; systems that you might not understand, but which have a powerful effect, not only on how much you’re allowed to do and say before your identity is called into question, but also on the very course and structure of life itself. I know it can be suffocating and feel like there’s no escape. I know following the axiom “work hard and have good morals” to a t will never be enough to grant you your personhood in the face of blind bigotry.

But let me tell you why holding on is worth it.

It can be exhausting to be endlessly scrutinized by “normal” society. A single slip up could have you mercilessly questioned on the basis of whichever marginalized identity they decide is going to be society’s downfall today (one that could be and often is largely irrelevant to whatever situation led you to such a discussion to begin with). One false move might see you kicked to the curb (or worse) by your so-called “allies,” your friends and family when they deem you too low in the social hierarchy to risk their image. When you try to argue for or against something, they will see you as nothing more than your marginalized identity, see you as a spokesperson for others who share this identity. And they will use this not only as a way to dismiss you as foolish and “backwards,” but as a means to bully and harass you into complete silence.

It can be frustrating to be erased. When you find a character in a work of fiction that you see a lot of yourself in and headcanon them as sharing an identity with you, they’ll ask, “Why does everything have to be about you?” “Why do you have to make it political?” “Quit sexualizing them, they’re a child!” They ignore the fact that your group has gotten next to no representation in the past (and that you can’t influence the text just by having a headcanon); they fail to see the problem in politicizing someone else’s identity when they’re just trying to be; while they get to flaunt their sexuality around and have it catered to wherever they go, you can’t even mention the fact that you’re of a marginalized orientation without being demonized for it. And when you try to bring any of these things up and discuss how and why they should be changed to give people of all marginalized orientations and gender identities a fair share of the “privilege?” They say, “You have marriage equality and can identify as whatever gender you claim to be. What more could you possibly want? Why are you asking for all these special privileges?”

And, because of all of this, it can be infuriating to be right. It can be maddening to know that, no matter where you go, there will be people with their “hot takes,” prepared to tell you (or, rather, other bigots who already share their opinion of you) why your identity is “a phase”; why it’s sinful or perverse; or even why it can be reasonably commodified for the consumption of another group that doesn’t understand your struggle one bit (and largely doesn’t care to). And their audience will nod along, taking notes on how to “debate” those nasty SJWs and secretly feeling validated in their sheer contempt for those fellow human beings who don’t fit their preconceived notions of what is good and natural. They’ll be told that, when you speak up and point out how there are many examples of people happily identifying as non-straight and/or non-cis for most of their lives (and that it really shouldn’t matter to them whether or not some teen they’ve never met is questioning their identity), they can make leaps in logic to show how “gay marriage is just a ploy to destroy the family and western ideals! We have to stamp the gay out of these kids before they get indoctrinated!” and then show you some bunk statistics about cis people who detransitioned or something (something that really doesn’t matter, given the fact that plenty of trans people are much happier living as their actual gender). When you explain that they shouldn’t be using their religion to justify hatred of an entire group of people, and that calling someone’s identity sinful isn’t much of an argument since you (likely) don’t share the same principles of morality, they’ll gaslight you and say you’re against freedom of speech and freedom of religion (ignoring how such notions have historically been used to enact physical violence against groups whose very existence they disagree with, without ever asking, “Who’s silencing whom?”). When you try to explain how homosexuality is perfectly normal and the existence of trans and nonbinary people is just a side effect of building a complex society that puts value in both emphasizing personal identity and categorizing patterns… When you try to explain why consuming queer media without having at least a semblance of understanding of queer struggles… When you try to explain why all of this can make being queer dreadful at times–not because of anything inherently wrong with us, but because of the way society alienates, silences, and enables violence toward us–and that our “pride” comes from a place of resistance against it all and not because being queer is “cool” and fun… They will not listen.

But there is relief. From all of this.

There is solace in knowledge, comfort in history. When you find yourself in times of despair; when you wonder whether or not it’s worth it pressing onward, knowing how much suffering there is to come…

Remember where you are. You are a young branch atop an oak tree that is both vast and timeless. The tree needs you to survive. As you stretch your wanting leaves toward sun, you may forget that, far below you, there are roots, ever-boring their way deeper into the earth. For as long as this tree has tasted the sunlight, it has been anchoring itself into the soils of time. The roots refuse to be forgotten. When the sun feels like a lifetime away, remember the roots. Remember where you came from.

You come from fire, an untamable flood. You’re descended of wild spirits, unrelenting.

Their Excellence is in you.

Before you is a legacy of roaring lions. After you? That’s for you to decide.

Let your exhaustion be a name. When society tries to dictate who you’re allowed to be, be uncompromising. Refuse to be silent about who you really are.

Let your frustration be a voice. Make art, make music. Tell your story. Refuse to have your struggles erased.

As fury entwines itself with passion, you will become unbreakable as you are unsilenceable.

Emboldened. Empassioned. Empowered.

And when you tire, come to the fountain of knowledge and drink. Know their names, know their stories. Know your roots.

Know Marsha P. Johnson.

Know Silvia Rivera.

Know Harvey Milk.

Know Gilbert Baker.

Know Karl Heinrich Ulrichs.

Know Michael Dillon.

Know Lili Elbe.

Know Lucy Hicks Anderson.

Know Christine Jorgensen.

Know Bayard Rustin.

Know Magnus Hirschfeld.

Know Simon Nkoli.

Know Ifti Nasim.

Know Jason Jones.

Know Barbara Gittings.

Know Audre Lorde.

Know Angelica Ross.

Know Emil Wilbekin.

Know Frida Kahlo.

Know Nancy Cárdenas.

Know Your History. Know how Far we’ve Come.

-

And, look. No one expects you to be passionate at every stage of the game. You don’t have to be the paradigm of the perfect activist every second of the day. You’re allowed to just be exhausted and need a break to recharge. You’re allowed to just be frustrated when people treat you like you’re a representative of the entire LGBTQ community and expect you to know everything about our history and be able to recite all of our “policies.” Never forget that just being you is powerful enough.

Hell, you’re even allowed to feel sometimes that it’s hopeless and wonder if there’s even a point to all this work we’ve done if bigotry still prevails. But what’s important to understand is that is that how you feel and what is true—while both very real and very important to your lived experience and absolutely worth taking seriously—are not one in the same. You may feel that there is no purpose in continuing on with what seems to be a never-ending fight; but know that there is a community, all around you. There are ears to listen, hearts to sympathize, words to encourage, and hands to guide. It may get dark, may become hard to see the way forward. But it’s okay to cry out into the darkness and watch it illuminate with love and compassion and understanding. We are here.

-

There’s a GSA at the school at which I work, and one thing I always try to tell the students who attend about is (what I like to call) “The Breath of Absolute Clarity.” Unlearning the lies we’ve been taught from birth and learning ourselves is a long and arduous process, one that may take even a lifetime. But in every story I’ve ever heard about a queer person accepting themselves (including my own), there is always described this moment; this one instance (or perhaps several) of perfect understanding of oneself. For some, it can be a spiritual experience, tied to their religious beliefs. For others, it can be seen as a moment of self-actualization—where the turmoil of human existence ceases its chaotic chorus, if only for a second, leaving nothing but the sound of a beating heart. Whenever and wherever this moment comes to you, whatever you see, however it must happen… You will know. In this moment, you will know, beyond any feasible shadow of a doubt, Who You Are.

This moment will not last. It is not unquestionable. You may forget it in your darkest times. But if you really try to hold onto it, it will come back to you. Like a towering tsunami, it will invade your senses so completely, you will know as intimately and as viscerally as the human mind can comprehend anything what it is to be unapologetically you.

This moment is not the be-all-end-all of understanding yourself, but it is a start. It’s the moment where questioning and certainty are no longer mutually exclusive; where not having all the answers doesn’t equate to a dizzying network of what-ifs; where you understand just being is enough. Maybe you’ll wake up one morning, years in the future, and your partner will be laying in bed next to you, and you’ll think to yourself, “They know me.” And in a single breath, you will feel absolute clarity.

-

So, with all of that said, I hope your takeaway here can be this:

You are more than the lies and the misunderstandings about your identity.

More than a cog in a monstrous machine.

More than the exhaustion and frustration you feel in the face of unyielding bigotry.

More than the questions you have about yourself.

More than even the history and the legacies that precede you.

You are a human being

You are not broken

You are not worthless

You are not a disappointment just for being you.

But above all this, the one thing I want you to know is that

***TL;DR***

You Are Not Alone.

Just keep holding on. Things can change if you just keep holding on.