Ugandan trans activist and leader, Victor Mukasa, with assistance from Immigration Equality, was granted asylum status in the United States on 27 June 2013 after fleeing Uganda due to fear of persecution for his gender identity. Victor is often informally considered a pivotal role player in the trans movement in Africa.
27 June 2013 — Victor Mukasa Granted Asylum Status in the U.S., Uganda Read More »
Strategic Action Litigation (SAL) is a process in Public Interest Law whereby members of a marginalised group deliberately and proactively take a test case to court for the purpose of establishing a positive legal precedent with legal implications that go beyond the immediate litigants. This specific kind of litigation aims to achieve broader social change.
On 14 June 2013, Kenya’s High Court upheld Batha Nthungi’s petition filed a year earlier, in which she declared that being stripped and physically assaulted by the Kenyan Police violated her human rights (A.N.N v Attorney General). The Court agreed that the stripping of her in the glare of the media was meant to humiliate
14 June 2013 — High Court Upholds Trans Woman’s Human Rights Violation Petition, Kenya Read More »
In June 2013, Neo Musangi, a Kenyan non-binary artist and activist, performed publicly in front of the building of the Kenia National Archives. The aim of the performance was intended to dismantle the gender binary and create awareness about non-binary identities. In a street performance, as citizens looked on, Neo Musangi took the audience through
June 2013 — Non-Binary Street Performance by Neo Musangi in Nairobi, Kenya Read More »
In March 2013 Audrey Mbugua, a trans woman, filed a case (JR Case No. 147 of 2013) at Kenya’s High Court to compel the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) to change the name on her high school diploma. She also sought the removal of the male sex marker on her certificate. In November 2014, Mbugua
We Exist, published by Trans Bantu Zambia in 2013, is a self-publication that serves as a powerful platform to give voice to the often marginalised and overlooked transgender community in Zambia. Through a collection of 21 short stories and poems, the book seeks to recognise and validate the existence of trans community members in Zambia.
2013 — Trans Bantu Zambia Self-Publish First Trans Short Story Book in Zambia Read More »
A trans man made history in December 2012 when he participated in the third South African Mr Leather contest. He came out as trans while on stage during his speech. At the time of the contest, SA Leather’s constitution stipulated that only cisgender and gay or bisexual men were allowed to participate. Subsequently, SA Leather
The first Trans and Intersex Annual Pride on the continent of Africa was held in Gaborone, Botswana on 24 November 2012. The event was initiated by Rainbow Identity Association (RIA). The march hosted various trans and intersex activists from other African countries.
24 November 2012 — First Trans and Intersex Annual Pride in Africa, Botswana Read More »
The publication, Sex in Transition: Remaking of Gender and Race in South Africa, by Professor Amanda Lock Swarr, published on 1 November 2012, takes the reader through the Apartheid times of South Africa, and how the lives of those who lived across or in between the gender binary system were impacted. It also explores how
1 November 2012 — “Sex in Transition” Launched, South Africa Read More »
Lex Kirsten, the co-founder of Gender DynamiX (GDX), received the Inyathelo Philanthropy Award in the Social Justice and Human Rights category for promoting the rights of transgender people in South Africa and across the continent.
2012 — Trans Man Lex Kirsten Receives Social Justice Philanthropy Award, South Africa Read More »
Thapelo Makutle, a 23-year-old person from Kuruman in the Northern Cape province, who identified as gay and transgender, was callously murdered in June 2012. Thapelo was a volunteer at a local gay and lesbian organisation, the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Organisation (LEGBO) in the Northern Cape, and also participated in pageants as a drag queen,
June 2012 — Murder of Trans Person, Thapelo Makutle, South Africa Read More »
Batha Nthungi, a trans woman, filed a constitutional petition (240 of 2012) against Kenya’s Attorney General for violation of her human rights on 6 June 2012. She had been arrested in 2011 and stripped by a police officer after it was discovered that she was transgender. Nthungi won her case on 14 June 2013.
6 June 2012 — Trans Woman Files Constitutional Petition, Kenya Read More »
In April 2011 the events of Caster Semenya’s gender verification spiralled into an international debate about intersex* conditions and gender, resulting in the IAAF passing a new policy on gender verification, making the tests more specific to suspected cases of ‘hyperandrogenism’ in elite female athletes. The IAAF (International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of
April 2011 — IAAF Passes New Policy on Gender Verification Read More »
Batswana trans woman, Tshepo Ricki Kgositau, applied to the Civil and National Registration office in Gaborone, Botswana to change her documentation in the national register from male to female in 2011. She argued that the State has a duty to realise the constitutional protection of rights and amend her Omang (identity document), as “her birth-assigned
In the case, Richard Muasya v. the Hon. Attorney General, High Court of Kenya on 2 December 2010, Muasya lost his case of claiming violations of his constitutional rights, in which he asked for the legalisation of a third gender. Richard was born with ambiguous genitalia and could therefore not obtain a birth certificate, identity
2 December 2010 — High Court Ruling Against Intersex Prisoner, Kenya Read More »
In November 2010, Gender DynamiX hosted the pre-Trans Health, Research and Advocacy Conference in Hout Bay, Western Cape, South Africa. The purpose of the pre-conference was to create awareness around the baseline situation experienced by trans people throughout South Africa – both in rural spaces and cities where there is, at minimum, a basic level of access to
On 13 August 2010 the South African Labour Court ruled in favour of reinstating Christine Elhers after she took her employer, Bohler Uddeholm, to court for unfair discrimination and for dismissing her based on her gender identity. Judge Francis not only ruled for reinstatement but ordered the company to backpay Christine the salary she had
13 August 2010 — Labour Court Rules in Favour of Trans Woman, South Africa Read More »
In May 2010, Auntie Tiwonge and Steven Monjeza were sentenced to 14 years of hard labour after being arrested on charges of gross indecency for publicly celebrating their relationship the previous year. However, Malawian President Mutharika reversed this decision after a meeting with UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, and gave the couple a full pardon. Homosexuality
May 2010 — Auntie Tiwonge and Steven Monjeza Sentenced, Then Pardoned, Malawi Read More »
SistaazHood is the first sex worker support group in South Africa, founded in 2010 by 5 trans women sex workers who were part of the Sex Worker Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT) based in Cape Town. Led by trans women sex workers, Sistaazhood focuses its support and advocacy specifically on trans women sex workers. It
2010 — SistaazHood Founded, South Africa Read More »
On April 18, 2010, a small group of activists from across Africa held a roundtable discussion in Nairobi, Kenya, during which they drafted the African LGBTI Manifesto/Declaration, which is also known as the Queer African Manifesto/Declaration. According to the Black Agenda Report, the Manifesto/Declaration is “a short but foundational document, the manifesto was produced at a moment
18 April 2010 — African LGBTI Manifesto/Declaration, Kenya Read More »
