Love who you like and celebrate it

The times they are not merely a-changing’, they have well and truly changed.

And nowhere was that more evident than outside the Pretoria City Hall this week, when LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) activists raised their colourful flag alongside our national colours.

Pretoria was once the bastion of conservatism and this event could not have happened 20 or 30 years ago. The fact that it did this week – and raised barely an eyebrow – indicates that our country is catching up with the rest of the world in respect of gay rights.

But it is true, as DA shadow police minister Zack Mbhele (an openly gay MP) noted, that the rights of many LGBTQ people are still being violated through prejudice and homophobia.

We have enough problems in this country without wanting to persecute people for their sexual orientation. If they don’t harm anyone else; if they don’t break the law, then we should live and let live.

No citizen of this country should be regarded as second-class because of their colour, their religion, their culture … or the way they choose to love.

That is something we should all remember in this month of human rights.