Pretoria Pride to commemorate African LGBTIQ+ heroes

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The 2018 Pretoria Pride theme has been announced and this year it is all about “Pride for Purpose”.

The theme aims to raise awareness on what has been done by African LGBTIQ+ activists within the community and also raise awareness on the work that is still yet to be done.

Each week, the Pretoria Pride Organisation will celebrate a hero from the community, as countdown leading up to the official pride event taking place on October 6, this year.

The first activist to be celebrated will be South African music icon, Brenda Fassie. A well-known anti-apartheid pop singer, Fassie was riddled with controversy throughout her music career for drug abuse, reported aggressive behaviour and relationships with men and women. But none of that overshadowed her tremendous talent and success as a singer and performer.

Fassie described herself as a lesbian, despite her relationships with men, to clear up the confusion that surrounded her sexuality. This encouraged many members of the LGBTIQ+ community to publicly be themselves and to embrace their sexual orientations.

Brenda Fassie’s life does well to serve as a magnificent inspiration. Having the confidence in her ability she did not allow her race, gender or sexuality to be a hindrance to her success while never hiding who she was. But it also serves as a warning; no one is beautiful or talented enough to escape the consequences of drug abuse. Her flame burned bright and proud and even though she left us at such a young age, her impact will never be diminished and the LGBTIQ+ community will always remember her.

Pretoria Pride 2018 will take place on Saturday 6 October.

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