LGBTQIA+ groups launch #NoOneIsOneThing campaign

LGBTI+ media advocacy group Iranti has kicked off its #NoOneIsOneThing campaign, which uses social media to showcase the multi-dimensional, complex intersectional identities which all LGBTQIA+ people embody.

Launched during LGBT History Month, the campaign is part of the Safety, Dignity and Freedom (SDF) initiative which aims to educate and sensitise media entities and practitioners to ensure better, safer, more inclusive reporting practises.

The purpose of #NoOneIsOneThing is to create effective, informative, and transformative messaging focused on the LGBTQIA+ community in countries of the five SDF partner organisations. These are: Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals of Botswana (LEGABIBO); Lesbian, Intersex, Transgender, and Other Extensions (LITE) in Malawi; Wings to Transcend in Namibia; Intersex South Africa (ISSA), and Transgender Research, Education, Advocacy and Training (TREAT) in Zimbabwe.

“The campaign aims to remind our friends and families that we are more than just our LGBTQIA+ identities,” said Iranti in a statement. “The campaign envisions a shift in perceptions, challenging and changing mindsets and also providing fun and educational ways to clarify misconceptions about LGBTQIA+ people.”

This will be achieved through creative, relevant, and relatable content such as online memes, GIFs and short videos which discuss various LGBTQIA+ topics and issues.

“Some of the content may be controversial, but we hope that this will elicit conversations and get people asking questions, engaging with LGBTQIA+ people, broadening ways of thinking, and ultimately being more accepting of us as a community,” said Iranti.

“It will also portray us as more than our LGBTQIA+ identities – we are here, and we’re not just queer – we are family, we are doctors, we are chefs, we are mechanics, poets, lovers, friends, parents, children, teachers and neighbours. No One Is One Thing.”

Phase two of #NoOneIsOneThing will see a self-documentation short-course run by Iranti, to engage and involve young LGBTQIA+ people in the five partner countries in the production of LGBTQIA+ media content. The creators who participate in the training will use the skills gained to document aspects of their everyday lives which iterate the message that #NoOneIsOneThing.

In phase three, Iranti will continue engagements with media practitioners which were initiated in 2018 and strengthened in 2019 with the launch of the SDF report and media guide.

“We aim to have reports in mainstream media that once again reiterate that we are more than our labels. We are people. We exist beyond our LGBTQIA+ identities. We are here, and we’re not just queer,” said Iranti.

Visit Iranti on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

LGBTQI: Where do you lie on the spectrum? #NoOneIsOneThing pic.twitter.com/Lu88fNqzA8

— Iranti (@irantiorg) February 18, 2021

LGBTQI: It’s a lot to take in, but it sums us up beautifully! We are WHOLE people with intersecting identities. How do you identify?#NoOneIsOneThing

React, comment, share! pic.twitter.com/Sbhuj9tUjM

— Iranti (@irantiorg) February 18, 2021

Today, Iranti in collaboration with regional partner organisations LEGABIBO, ISSA, Wings to Transcend Namibia, TREAT and LITE launch #NoOneIsOneThing. As February is LGBT(IQA+) History Month, we felt this is a good time to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community. pic.twitter.com/ylaz4RUbGL

— Iranti (@irantiorg) February 17, 2021