South Africa: Lesbians reportedly beaten after leaving club

BY NATASHA BARSOTTI — Six lesbians were reportedly beaten outside a Cape Town gas station after leaving a gay-friendly club, according to IOL news in South Africa.

None of them wants to be identified for fear of further violence, the Oct 26 report says. One of the women says the friends were making their usual snack run at the station when a man allegedly charged toward them and began punching one of them. “He punched her until she was down on the ground. He kicked her in the face until blood trickled down her forehead. He slapped, shoved and punched anyone who tried to intervene . . . he was so strong; we felt powerless,” the woman says. She further alleges he shouted, “These fucking lesbians, we must beat them up until they stop.”

The 22-year-old says a group of guys watched the alleged assault but did not intervene. “I don’t know where all that hate was coming from. I am scared to go out now. As a lesbian I feel like a walking target.”

The six friends have reported the incident to a police station in Gugulethu, near Cape Town. Pumeza Runeyi, described as a witness and member of Free Gender, a black lesbian organization based in Makhaza, Khayelitsha, says she felt helpless as the attack unfolded. “It’s obvious we are not safe anywhere,” she says.

Landing image: uknetguide.co.uk

Natasha Barsotti is originally from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. She had high aspirations of representing her country in Olympic Games sprint events, but after a while the firing of the starting gun proved too much for her nerves. So she went off to university instead. Her first professional love has always been journalism. After pursuing a Master of Journalism at UBC , she began freelancing at Xtra West — now Xtra Vancouver — in 2006, becoming a full-time reporter there in 2008.

Keep Reading

Trans issues didn’t doom the Democrats

OPINION: The Republicans won ending on a giant anti-trans note, but Democrats ultimately failed to communicate on class

Xtra Explains: Trans girls and sports

Debunking some of the biggest myths around trans girls and fairness in sports

How ‘mature minor’ laws let trans kids make their own decisions

Canadian law lets some youth make medical or legal decisions for themselves, but how does it work?

To combat transphobia, we need to engage with the people who spread it

OPINION: opening up a dialogue with those we disagree with is key if we want to achieve widespread social change