JOBURG PRIDE CRISIS: PUBLIC MEETING SEES WIDE DIVISIONS
A public meeting held on Sunday in a failed effort to set up a new Joburg Pride board saw vast disagreement within the LGBT community on how to save Africa’s biggest LGBT event.
Around 50 people attended the meeting, including members of the public and representatives of the Forum for the Empowerment of Women (FEW) and One in Nine, the organisation that controversially disrupted last year’s Pride parade.
The organisers of the gathering at Melon restaurant in Melville welcomed attendees on arrival with a request that those interested in being part of a new board put their names forward as nominees.
The meeting was opened by Monique Walker who began to explain the function of each of the positions on the board. She affirmed the importance of ensuring that the new board be democratic and transparent, something she said was lacking among the previous organisers.
Questions were, however, asked by some of the participants why it was assumed that a board or company needed to be set up in the first place. While some supported the idea of continuing to run Pride along a similar commercial or corporate basis as before, others passionately argued that this was not the only option that should be considered.
There were also requests that an explanation be given as to what went wrong with the previous board. Comments were made that an understanding of the history and the context of past events was required before electing a board.
Walker explained that she had written to the previous board asking that a representative attend the meeting but that she received no response. She also noted that there was little time left to organise a Pride event this year.
Others replied that, nevertheless, there was a need to re-assess what the community wanted from Pride before proceeding.
A representative from FEW also noted that the attendees of the meeting were not representative of the wider LGBT community and that it would not be correct to vote in a new board on this basis.
Walker countered that she had personally invited all community organisations to attend and, despite being told that they would be there, many had not arrived.
It was pointed out to Walker that public transport on Sunday was a particular problem for those without cars and that a more central venue for the meeting could have helped in this regard.
There were more heated debates about the route of Joburg Pride, whether it should be a celebration or a protest and various other issues. A number of attendees walked out, and at one point a frustrated Walker was on the verge of abruptly closing the meeting.
She later wrote on Facebook: “I cannot believe I had to experience such horrid behaviour today!! It’s shocking to see that there are those that think swearing, screaming and shouting are ok in meetings.”
She further commented: “I have to ask forgiveness from Fulvio and Tanya [previous Joburg Pride organisers] for saying they [were] wrong! After seeing what I did today, I don’t blame them for never inviting anybody in.”
Kwezilomso Mbandazayo from the One in Nine Campaign told Mambaonline.com that she felt that “it was a very weird meeting. I guess the campaign welcomes that the meeting was halted”.
She also countered Walker’s view of the gathering. “I did not see any rudeness or shouting. All I saw was dissent, which is perfectly acceptable; unless what they wanted was for us to rubberstamp their plans,” Mbandazayo said.
She added: “We cannot accept a situation in which Pride goes on as business as usual. We need to fight about it and contest it…”
The attendees ultimately voted to schedule a new meeting and to draw up a new agenda for that meeting which would see the context and issues surrounding Pride being addressed before deciding on a structure or body to organise the event.
It was agreed that the meeting be held on Saturday 20 April at Wits University in the afternoon. Mambaonline will inform you once more details have been confirmed.
Mbandazayo said that she believes that scheduling a new meeting was “useful” and encouraged everyone to attend it.
Meanwhile, One in Nine, along with FEW, will host their own public meeting on the future of Joburg Pride on Saturday 13 April at the House of Movements (123 Pritchard Street) in the Joburg CBD, at 11am.
Last week, the Section 21 company that had organised Joburg Pride over the past seven years announced that it was shutting down and would no longer put on the event.
Feminazis should have no voice in the future of LGBT people in SA. None whatsoever.
My 2c worth: The report points out only one thing clearly – in my mind anyway – and that is that which we hear transpired at Saturday’s meeting is a replay of the meeting held almost ten years ago now when Pride fell into disrepute through the criminal-like actions of some individuals who started acting on their own and without a clear corporate structure that could take legal responsibility for such an event. After that the now-again defunct board of the then newly-created non-profit company was duly constituted and its directors could be held legally responsible if anything went wrong. Without this structure Gay Pride will get nowhere ans is simply going to become an embarrassment to the community – yet again. If people were not happy they could have called for a meeting with the Gay Pride Board and, if necessary a meeting with the community could then have been called. Instead 1 in 9 went out to create an incident at the last Pride event – a reprehensible and badly-timed attempt at ambush marketing. No, the day when 1-in-9, supported by FEW and without prior consultation, threw themselves in front of the the biggest parade ever in Africa was the day that Pride got destroyed forever. I, personally, never thought that Pride was anything to proud of – but, I did not throw myself in front of the parade. If you do not agree, do not destroy but get talking in order to find solutions – or start your own thing. Ir really is simple and does not take a rocket scientist to work that one out. You cannot destroy something like Pride just because you do not agree. If you think you are so smart and that your ideas are so great then why not just start your own thing – and, people who agree with you will follow you. I never attended Pride anyway – but I never went out to destroy it? There is an Ekhurhuleni Pride and a Soweto Pride – another Pride in competition with the immediate past one could only have added , not distracted. The major stumbling block is is the mindless assumption of an LGBTI community. None of those letters have anything in common with the other. Until we split that unholy alliance we are going to have a “community” without coherence. Each of the groupings that make up LGBTI have their own political agendas, their own social aspirations and their own ways in which they derive their “pride” whatever that may be.
jhb pride is doomed.
they 1in 9 and few came there to take over pride… and who knows what they want.
good bye jhb … welcome Pretoria gay pride.
a new fresh beginning.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/542745489091078/
Run by Babylon for Babylon starting and ending at Babylon? No thanks.
Scuppered by communist, pugnacious feminist lesbians again. A tiny tiny group. Get rid of them and proceed.
Militant feminist lesbians causing trouble again! All they want is power and attention. I say LET them run Pride, let’s all see what they can do and if they can do more than shout and vent their rage at society, I really would like to see THEM doing something positive for the community for a change – I don’t think they have it in them! Just let these comrades take Pride over and we’ll all sit back and watch them fail.
I am not betting on that one!~ lol
Kwezilomso Mbandazayo from the One in Nine Campaign told Mambaonline.com that she felt that “it was a very weird meeting. I guess the campaign welcomes that the meeting was halted?…… JUST WHO THE HELL IS THIS ARROGANT DYKE ANYWAY, HAS ANYONE EVER HEARD OF HER BEFORE? JUST ANOTHER BIG ANGRY VOICE SET OUT TO DESTROY SOMETHING THAT WORKED WELL FOR MANY THOUSANDS OF OTHERS! START AN “ANGRY LESBIAN POLITICAL PARTY” IF YOU WANT TO BE SO BLOODY POLITICAL BUT STOP WITH THE DISRUPTION AND CAUSING TROUBLE FOR EVERYONE ELSE!
Calling someone a dyke is not cool, no matter how much you disagree with them.
OMG!!!! GROW UP – THE TERM DYKE IS COMMONLY USED AND HAS BEEN RECLAIMED, MAKING IT A NEUTRAL AND MEANINGLESS TERM THAT HAS ABSOLUTELY NO POWER TO OFFEND!!!!! WHERE WERE YOU FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS???????? AND YES I’M A PROUD DYKE SO GET OVER YOURSELF!!!!!!!!!
So pathetic that such a small group of people can be so destructive and wield so much power! They disrupted Pride and now they disrupt public meetings as well, shame on them. The rest of such should just stay away and let them get on with whatever they want to do. They’ll soon learn that they’ve bitten off more than they can chew, and then Pride can resume again in 2014! It makes me sad that these so-called activists can be so destructive, and btw what are the criteria for calling yourself an ‘activist’? It seems as if anyone with a big mouth and half a brain can claim to be an activist, and suddenly you have power and are quoted as if you can speak out and make claims on behalf of LGBTI people? There are too many of these so-called activists around who are only driven by their own personal agendas – all they want is attention! My vote? Let them have Pride, give it to them, let’s have a board of feminist lesbian activists only and let’s see what they’re really capable of. I look forward to seeing if they can do more than protest and make noise!
An ‘activist’ used to be an honourary title bestowed on people who worked for the community without personal gain – it is not a title one claims for yourself. The moment someone calls him/herSELF an ‘activist’ – be sure they are not one.
Mixael makes the most balanced and sensible points, in my opinion.
Although I’ve heard much about 1in9, I’m not sympathetic to their cause because that cause is outdone by their noisy destruction and invidious means.
Let the irrational militant feminists organise their own damn Pride and the rest of us that are able to live in the real world can organise our own. Who says you can’t have 2 prides? Mixael is right – each of the letters in the LGBTI acronym have their own agenda and in reality have never and will likely never see eye to eye.
Just proceed and organise a Pride and ignore 1 in 9 and their ilk
It is blatently obvious that the divergence between the two opposing camps will split Pride down the middle. The more militant onein nine and FEW, obviously want it run along the lines they think will meet their agenda, no one seems to sure what that agenda is, however let them have their own pride if it makes them all happy and warm. No one can stop them, they ertainly have the right to do so.
So will everyone stop insiting that ther is only one way to do this, the two opposing sides will never agree and in a years time you will still all be arguing, just get on with the bloody thing, or drop it.
Whererver one in nine is not, I will be. How can they speak on behalf of the entire gay community of SA. If they want a pride with an agenda they can start their own. This is the aftermath of being bullies, i was in the march and had first hand experience of thinking we were being attacked and halted by ANTI-GAY activists.
They are an emabarrassment and we should have worked together. Let’s see if they have what it takes to host a successful pride, which we know they dont. We’ll have a gathering unfortunately it now will have NO bearing to its former history as METRO won’t work with pride as we are now seen as a high risk.
Dumb idiots, really makes me sick to my stomach. Well last year’s pride managed to send over 20 signatures to the government stating we are here and we are proud. Maybe it was too peaceful and positive a message for one in nine, perhaps they would ike to join the ANC youth league and stone a few buildings. Enough said it’s ruined, it’s their fault and now we need to explore other avenues hopefully they will not be attending.
Let them try ruin another pride, see what reaction they get this time.