Gay community calls for more services
Gordon Khoza said, "There is limited access to resources and help. Many times, transgender individuals have been singled out for violence from police and authorities."
In a country in which being different is frowned upon, lesbians and gay men are under constant attack from those in the community who see their sexual orientation as ‘abnormal’.
As a result, this segment of the population is ostracised and rejected within the very communities they live in. Health4Men held a transgender and gay talk of which the core conversation centred around voicing their concerns about the challenges they face daily. For many who attended the talk and this was the chance for them to express their concerns.
The discussion included questions around their safety and why they have to live in fear and that not much awareness is raised about educating the community.
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Tsala Ndlovu said, “The discrimination we face and the struggle to be accepted is a hard thing and hard for many of us to understand. We have been rejected by our families because of our gender identity, been subjected to harassment and bullying from our peers, or simply feel out of place in a heteronormative, gender normative culture.
Many transgender people face discrimination on a frequent basis. So, you can imagine how scary it must be for someone who is transgender to open up about relationship abuse, especially when victim-blaming and transphobia are very common issues in our society.”
Abusive partners may try to use their partner’s gender identity to shame them and make them feel inferior as if they deserve the abuse.
This can be done through verbal insults, like saying, ‘No one else will ever accept you and love you, ‘ playing on gender insecurities or pressuring them sexually. All of these things are done by an abuser to gain power over their partner and control them.
Gordon Khoza said, “There is limited access to resources and help. Many times, transgender individuals have been singled out for violence from police and authorities.”
“Firstly, the fact that resources and shelters often cater to women, for us it is difficult to find resources that can help the transgender community.
“About 41 per cent of transgender people have attempted suicide also research have shown that people who experience relationship abuse are at higher risk for suicide.”
He added, “Being transgender and experiencing abuse means you are at a very, high risk. But talking about gender issues and violence can help, making it easier for those experiencing abuse in the transgender community to come forward.
“Regardless of gender, orientation, ability, race, age, religion or class, we know that relationship abuse can happen to anyone. One believes in educating everyone about healthy and unhealthy relationships, regardless of what those relationships look like.”
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