"LGBT Rights in Name Only?
South Africa's LGBTs Face Rape, Assault
“I was walking back from the club,” said Puleng, 23. “Four guys raped me. I was screaming. They said to me, ‘We just wanted to show you you’re a woman.’ I thought it was my fault. I thought maybe by saying openly [that] I was a lesbian, I provoked them.”
A new report shows how South Africa’s lesbians and transgender men face extensive discrimination and violence. Almost every person we interviewed said they live in fear of sexual assault, and those who rape or beat them are almost never punished.
Most people we interviewed were reluctant to approach police for protection, a stance reinforced by the authorities’ abusive reactions. Of the few people we interviewed who had tried to report these attacks, most said the police ridiculed or harassed them.
Lesbians and transgender men may also experience discrimination in social settings and in the community, at schools and other public places, and in finding and keeping jobs. One transgender man said his teacher would call him names and tried to chase him out of the classroom. They often lose the support of their families, making them even more vulnerable; those who don’t dress conventionally are especially at risk."
from Human Rights Watch
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