The Vryheid LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning) community will stage an awareness march that will start at Mason Park at around 09:00 on Saturday morning.
They will march to Vryheid SAPS to hand over a memorandum and will then continue around town to Wimpy. where they will get transport to the Paddadam for an event attended by officials from different departments to discuss various issues pertaining to the LGBTQ community.
June is usually Pride Month for the gay community and is celebrated across the globe; pride month is for everyone to embrace and honour who they are and also let the world know what they stand for. Pride Month is celebrated throughout the month of June, in different ways such as mass rallies, workshops, concerts, pride parades, parties and countless other LGBTQ events. As they commemorate Pride Month, they also hold memorials for members of the community who have lost their lives. These rallies aim to promote the history and well-being of the LGBTQ community.
Scelo Khanyile from Ubunye Vryheid LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) visited the Vryheid Herald and mentioned that the reason why the LGBTI community in Vryheid also wants to celebrate with pride is “because gays and lesbian people are being killed like flies. We also want to be seen and heard in the community. so we will be handing over a memorandum to the Vryheid SAPS station commander. We will be doing this to show that we are crying out for help. We do not want to feel discriminated in the community; we want to feel free around our town.
“In Vryheid, there are still those individuals who curse and insult gay and lesbian people. I, for one, have been a victim of those insults; I have been called all sorts of names like ’isitabane’ (gay). I once reported a case at the police station, but I didn’t get much attention when I was there, so I figured that these people are not aware of our rights. We want to stop incidents where people might end up being hurt or even losing their lives.” ALSO READ:Progress of LGBTIAQ rights across the world Make sure you follow us on our social media platforms for regular updates 
