Since the event in 1990, Pride marches have continued to grow in South Africa with each of the nine provinces now hosting a march. Despite this, there was a generally celebratory atmosphere to the parade signified by the chant “out of the closet and into the streets”. There was a strong presence of religious groups with many onlookers describing the march as ‘disgusting’. Marchers feared for their safety, with many wearing masks during the event. I cannot separate the two parts of me into primary or secondary struggles. Addressing the crowd, Simon Nkoli said “I am black and I am gay. The march was part of a broader struggle to decriminalise homosexuality in South African law and to end Apartheid. The purpose of the event was not only to demonstrate pride in gay or lesbian identity but also to provide a wider platform for voicing political concerns. Speakers at the event included Beverly Ditsie, Simon Nkoli and Justice Edwin Cameron. The march was organised by the Gay and Lesbian Organisation of the Witwatersrand (GLOW) and attracted a crowd of about 800 people. It was the first Pride March on the African continent and acted as both a gay pride event and an anti-Apartheid march. On 13 October 1990, South Africa’s first Lesbian and Gay Pride march was held in Johannesburg.
