Gay flag of South Africa: Difference between revisions
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== External links == |
== External links == |
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* [http://p2-ink.com] P2 Ink Flag |
* [http://p2-ink.com] {{Dead link|date=April 2012|bot=BlevintronBot}} P2 Ink Flag |
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* [http://www.queerlife.co.za/test/news/jan2011/6038-south-africa-gets-own-gay-flag.html] Queerlife SA gets Own Gay Flag |
* [http://www.queerlife.co.za/test/news/jan2011/6038-south-africa-gets-own-gay-flag.html] Queerlife SA gets Own Gay Flag |
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* [http://capetownpride.org] Cape Town Pride Website |
* [http://capetownpride.org] Cape Town Pride Website |
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Revision as of 05:42, 7 April 2012
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| Gay Flag of SA | |
| Adopted | 2010 |
|---|---|
The Gay Flag of South Africa, was launched in December 2010 at the annual MCQP party[1], an annual event hosted by the gay community of Cape Town. The flag aims to reiterate on the freedom and diversity of the South African nation not only on race and culture but now also on sexuality and to build pride in being an LGBTIAQ South African.
The design of the flag resembles elements of the South African national flag, having a the rainbow flag in the background of the original flag that was launched in 1994.
The flag was designed by Eugene 'Huge' Brockman. It has received positive reviews and is seen across many areas of the Cape Town metropole, namely De Waterkant, the gay village of Cape Town, , but also in Mossel Bay, Barrydale, Port Elizabeth and in Pretoria.
History and Background
Eugene 'Huge' Brockman was born on the 4th of March 1979. Eugene grew up in various towns within South Africa as his father was a construction worker. He went to several primary schools, but settled in the Vaal Triangle where he completed his High School and University Education. Eugene holds a Masters degree in Human Resources and is a founding member of the South African Chamber of Commerce in Japan.
Eugene also did part modeling appearing in various magazine shoots across Tokyo where he met his partner, Henry Bantjez whom he travelled with across the globe. Eugene is conversant in Japanese.
After the recession of 2008, Eugene and Henry returned to South Africa during which he saw the need for the gay community of South Africa to have something unique to symbolize the very divergent LGBTIAQ community. This later lead to the launch of the Gay flag of South Africa. After the launch of the flag, Eugene Brockman and partner Henry Bantjez have become very involved in various projects to mainly fight discrimination against the LGBTIAQ community, both of whom volunteered for Cape Town Pride.
March 2011 saw the biggest intervention yet when they worked hand in hand to stop corrective rape among black female lesbians in the organization Luleki Sizwe, which had them attend three meetings in the South African Parliament in talks with the Department of Justice.
Official Launch and Acceptance
The LGBT flag of South Africa was launched on December 18th 2010 to a crowd of 7000 thousand party goers at MCQP, the Mother City Queer Project held annually and took place at the new Cape Town Stadium. A 6m x 10m flag was dropped on the main dance floor to an applauding crowd shortly after a special announcement had to be made. Since its inception the flag has received mainly positive responses nationally as well as globally.
Cape Town's Gay village of De Waterkant soon followed with one of its premier gay establishments Crew Bar hoisting the flag the very next day outside their doors. Crew Bar and Bronx Action Bar, the two well-known Cape Town gay bars also featured the flag at their joint New Years Party co-sponsored by Gaydar, an online gay dating site, in 2010. The flag is currently flying outside all the gay establishments in the Cape Quarter, located in De Waterkant as well as various gay establishments in and around the Mother City, Cape Town. Other establishments showing the flag are Amsterdam Action Bar, a dark room venue with bar; Beefcakes Burger Bar, Bronx, Bar Code, Crew Bar, The Hot House, G's Men's Wear, Rosie's & Cafe Manhattan's. The Gay Flag of South Africa is also being flown in gay establishments in Mossel Bay, Barrydale, Port Elizabeth and Pretoria.
The flag was also positively reviewed by radio stations such as 5fm, on websites of Cape Town Tourism, Cape Town Pride, Behind the Mask, Queerlife.co.za, Mambaonline.co.za, queerty.com, lezgetreal.com and o-blog-dee-o-blog-da
Adoption and Acceptance of the SA Gay Flag
The LBGT community of Cape Town and generally welcomed the flag with positive responses. Cape Town's Gay Community has adopted the flag during Cape Town Pride with a 6mx10m flag as part of the Pride Parade as well as multiple 90cm x 150cm small hand flags flown by participants during the pride parade. A 6m x 10m flag was also put up at the Pride Pageant in Athlone, an annual drag queen show and at the gate of the Parade After Party at Cape Town Stadium. Several critics[2] described the flag as "Incredible. These guys are doing such great work. Love it and wonderful to see the flag all over the village in Cape(own as well as in some black townships! Yay!" says one comment. Another wrote "Awesome! What great gay leaders you guys have in S Africa! Neat job!"
Multiple prominent members of the gay community Cape Town of have supported the flag such as drag artist DJ Spinsista Mitzi, drag artist Ms. Lola Fine, Dominic Kessel (member of Good Hope Community Church), Ndumie Funda (Luleki Sizwe activist), renowned author Stephen Simm, & international activist Melanie Nathan. Most recently Mika Stefano, a celebrity and entertainment gossip personality, frequent guest on MTV Base and VUZU TV, has come out in support of the Gay Flag of South Africa and accepted the role of Gauteng representative of the Gay Flag of South Africa.
It was also prominently featured in the 6th Cape Town-based OUT Africa Magazine, a local gay magazine circulated in the Western Cape , covering 7 pages including making front cover. The Gay Flag team also features on each cover of Alice Magazine (The Gay Girl’s glossy) as well as regularly on all South African gay publications such as The Pink Tongue, The Exit, The Gay Pages as well as the launch issue of M Magazine in September.
The Gay Flag of South Africa also initiated the Cape Town Lesbian Group to visit Ndumie Funda in Gugulethu, which led to lesbians from different communities to make contact, which has resulted in the group sponsoring and including the Luleki Sizwe Soccer team in their activities.
South African Leatherman 2011 also took a Gay Flag of South Africa to International Mr Leather’s Leather Archive in Chicago. The flag carried messages of encouragement for his competition.
The gay flag of South Africa has also engaged the LGBTIAQ communities of Cape Town, Mossel Bay and Port Elizabeth to update them on South Africa’s gay rights and developments due to Luleki Sizwe’s work. The most extravagant was a benefit at Bubbles Bar in Cape Town, where the owner Lola Lou performed in a dress made of the Gay Flag of South Africa before Ndumie Funda addressed the Cape Town community.
Global Awareness
The flag has received a lot of global presence in several countries namely, United States and various European states. The Gay Flag of South Africa was featured in Passport Magazine, the publication on Gay travel from New York, it also was spotted at Amsterdam Pride, London Pride, San Francisco Pride and in Bucharest where BelAmi porn actor Luke Hamyl posed for a picture with the flag.
The Gay Flag of South Africa was also present at City Clerks offices in New York whilst the first same-sex marriages in New York State happened on the 25th July 2011.
Most recently The Gay Flag of South Africa has approached Real Concerts who brought Kylie Minogue’s Aphrodite Tour to South Africa. The tour promoter will hand deliver a dress made out of the Gay Flag of South Africa for Kylie Minogue to wear.
Cape Town Pride 2011
2011 was the first time the LGBT flag of South Africa was on display throughout most of the events of Cape Town Pride. Thousands of supporters took to the streets of Cape Town on the Pride Parade with Gay Flag of South Africa being waved throughout the various floats and crowd[3]. The Gay Flag of South Africa was a GOLD sponsor to Cape Town Pride. Eugene and Henry was also actively involved on the executive committee managing the parade and the marketing. On top the initial sponsorship, the Gay Flag of South Africa donated profits of all flag sales during pride to Cape Town Pride.
P2-INK, the company behind the flag, also had a float featuring Lola Fine (SA’s most photographed drag artist), led by the Andre Lammers, 1st prince of Mr. Gay SA 2011 on his Harley Davidson.
The Gay Flag of South Africa was also represented by Lola Fine during Durban Pride of 2011, with the 6x10m gay flag of sA
The Gay Flag of South Africa is also finalizing a project to tour by bus to attend both Nelson Mandela Bay Pride and Jo’burg Pride. Chair Person of Jo’burg Pride has stated “we welcome the extra energy they’ve (Huge Brockman) injected into the largest gay and lesbian event on the African continent.”
Fight Against Corrective Rape
[2] On March 14, 2011, a group of demonstrators together with the support of the flag designers protested for government intervention to stop corrective rape against lesbian women within South Africa.
Luleki Sizwe, non-profit charity fighting for lesbians against 'corrective rape' in South Africa, also circulated an online petition calling on Justice Minister Jeff Radebe "to address 'corrective rape,' a growing hate crime in which men rape lesbian women to 'turn' them straight or 'cure' them of their sexual orientation." Predominantly among black Lesbian women within townships.
"We want the government to label corrective rape ... as a hate crime," Eugene Brockman
Melanie Nathan, founding CEO of PRIVATE COURTS and long term fighter for LGBT equality played a critical role in the fight against corrective rape by addressing the Department of Justice in the Parliament.
Eugene Brockman and Ndumie Funda, founder of Luleki Sizwe made it into the Washington Post, USA Today, Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, Philadelphia Inquirer, Boston Globe, Miami Herald, Seattle Times, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, Fox News, MSNBC, Forbes, Yahoo! News, MSN, Salon.com, IRIN (the UN's news agency), The South African Government News Service, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), the Times Union, San Francisco Examiner, the Canadian Press, Metronews, the Spanish news agency EFE, Australia News, Taiwan News, an Indonesian paper as well as a Finnish tabloid.
Eugene Brockman and Henry Banjtez have attended two further meetings on the 5 of May and the 14th of June in parliament with the Department of Justice where there was decided to form a task team on homophobic hate crimes, with both governemental and civil society representatives.
Cape Town Carnival
The LGBT Flag of South Africa featured in the annual Cape Town carnival taking place on March 19, 2011 featuring the two founders (Huge Brockman clad in a leather harness and chaps), together with a model in a Gay Flag of South Africa dress and South Africa’s most photographed drag queen performing featuring a display of flags across a giant dream catcher attached to a harness. The Gay Flag of South team led the GLBT section of the Carnival on Long Street Cape Town and was received with racous applause from the crowds who packed into the sides of the street.
See also
External links
References
- ^ "South African Flag Revealed at MCQP". Pride. 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-04.
- ^ "South Africans Decry Rapes Lesbians". FOX. 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-15.
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