In 2009 the first Miss Woubi beauty pageant was held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The event takes its name from an Ivorian slang word (‘Woubi’) meaning ‘effeminate’ — the more feminine partner in a relationship, or as Ivorians put it, the one who “plays the role of the woman”. In 2016, 13 contestants competed in …
2009 — First Miss Woubi Beauty Pageant for Gender-Variant Ivorians, Ivory Coast Read More »
On 2 June 2008, Daisy Dube, a gender-variant person, and four friends who self-identified as drag queens, went out clubbing in the evening in Yeoville, Johannesburg. Men outside the club called them izitabane,* referring to their gender identity. In resistance, Daisy and her friends shouted back, asking them to stop insulting them by calling them …
2 June 2008 — The Murder of Drag Queen Daisy Dube, South Africa Read More »
Featured in international film festivals in 1998, the documentary, Woubi Chéri, directed by Laurent Bocahut and Philip Brooks, focused on the lives of Woubis*, Yossis**, and other members of the Branché*** community in Ivory Coast. The award-winning documentary was featured globally in various film festivals and on a number of documentary platforms. The film won Best …
In the Ivory Coast, the Travesti* was a prominent group, recognised and documented from the early 1990s, but they were most likely active before the 90s**. They formed L’association des Travestis de Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast Transvestites Association), under the leadership of Barbara (full name withheld for safety reasons). The first record of the group …
1994 — First Printed Media Reference to The Travesti, Ivory Coast Read More »
In the early 1970s, Mozambique was still under colonial rule. In April 1974, political upheaval in Lisbon, Portugal resulted in a coup within the Portuguese military and the dictatorship in Portugal was overthrown. This had a ripple effect on the colonies, including Angola and Mozambique. The Lusaka Accord was signed in September of that same …
1975 — Military Coup Ends Carnival Festival, Mozambique Read More »
While cross-dressing, queerness, homosexuality, and all forms of LGBTIQ+ identities as known today were not widely accepted in day-to-day life in Mozambique, during the 1950s through to the mid-1970s, the annual Carnival provided an opportunity for ‘male’ femininity, cross-dressing, and queer performances. There was no explicit link to what we now recognise as trans or …
