Op-Ed: Beyond Flags and Braais – Rethinking Heritage Day as a Queer Muslim
What does Heritage Day mean to a Black queer Muslim? Sikhander Coopoo reflects on identity, exclusion, faith, and the fight for belonging.
Opinion: Weaponising “Right of Admission” Against Queer Bodies
Sikhander Coopoo unpacks how “right of admission” arguments are being weaponised against LGBTQIA+ people — and why it threatens the rights of us all.
Dawood Lagardien – A Case That Must Be Heard
East London activist Sikhander Coopoo attended the Equality Court hearing on Monday 26 May, against queerphobic Gqeberha shop owner Dawood Lagardien.
Opinion: Dawood Lagardien Case – Queerphobia, Religion, and the South African Constitution
The Dawood Lagardien Equality Court case highlights the clash between religious beliefs and LGBTQIA+ constitutional rights, writes Sikhander Coopoo.
Opinion | We Will Not Wait for Another Queer Body to Fall
Calls to murder queer Muslims go unchecked. Sikhander Coopoo demands actions after Imam Hendricks’ murder and growing threats in South Africa.
Buffalo City Pride, United In Pride
On 28 October, the inaugural Buffalo City Pride March attracted a diversity of LGBTIQ+ people and allies. Sikhander Coopoo looks at the event.
Opinion: Queer bodies are still crime scenes
Statistically speaking, an estimated 622 South Africans who are openly LGBTQIA+ were murdered in just three months of this year.
Opinion: Queer voices must be valued and protected in the Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape Legislature met with queer activists to address the realities of LGBTQIA+ life in the country’s most homophobic province.
Opinion: Just one voice can make all the difference
In the wake of the Pride Month backlash, Sikhander Coopoo writes that we cannot underestimate the power of each voice to promote inclusivity.