Africa is not an easy place to be gay. Homosexuality is illegal in more than half of African countries. South Africa is the most progressive African country when it comes to gay rights, and yet ‘corrective rape’ — lesbians being brutally raped and sometimes killed by men who seek to ‘cure’ them — is a frequent occurrence here. Here’s one of many recent articles I found about corrective rape.

There are just as many gay people in Africa as there are anywhere else in the world. But gays tend to be quieter here, for obvious reasons. A gay friend of mine once visited Nairobi, the largest city in East Africa, and wanted to go to a gay bar. His friend took him to a bar and pointed to a corner. ‘Wait there,’ the friend said. ‘Some gay people will be there later.’ The only gay bar in Nairobi is actually a gay corner.

The Joburg Pride parade, which takes place every year on the first Saturday in October, is a big deal. Joburg and Cape Town are the only cities in Africa that have gay pride parades, and Jozi’s is the oldest and biggest. This was Jozi Pride’s 22nd year and it reportedly attracted about 20,000 people. Continue Reading