Showing posts with label South Africa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South Africa. Show all posts

Sunday, March 5, 2023

Port Elizabeth & The Appalling State Of The Place: A Justified Rant

Port Elizabeth - my home town, the city on the southeast coast of South Africa's Eastern Cape province - has long been the mounting cause for concern and anger on the part of many residents - but aside from them, on my part as well.

Thursday, February 10, 2022

The State Of Our Nation Address, South Africa 2022 - My View

Today is Thursday 10 February 2022, and according to all the fanfare in the media, our State President, Cyril Ramaphosa, will deliver his annual State of the Nation Address (SONA) tonight at 7 - not from the usual place, being in Parliament, but from the Cape Town City Hall. 

As usual, we can expect, a cavalcade of overpaid puffed up parliamentarians will parade at the entrance dressed in high fashion, with apparent total disregard for the plight of those who are footing the bill. A lot of broad grins, flashy clothes, broad hats, sparkly bling and labels - and photographers.

Thursday, June 17, 2021

Bigotry & Transphobia Stirs In South Africa - Again!

What really grated my carrot this week was part of the public reaction to the news that a transwoman had entered that archaic relic of the patriarchy which shamelessly puts women on show like cattle, the Miss South Africa contest!

It seems that as soon as things are nice and quiet and the bigots have stopped shouting for a little while, something happens to spark them off again - soon as they've more-or-less recovered from the disappointment that expressing racism and using the "k-word" in public gets people in trouble - the Karens come out screeching about how transgender people are somehow unfairly competing against them in x, y or z public domains and spaces, that "he-shes" don't belong in women's competitions (or in fact anywhere), and even that "god" created male and female, and apparently "doesn't make mistakes"!

This sort of idiotic Neanderthal mindset makes me bristle - so much so that it inspired my first LGBT activism-related article in quite some time!

So the news in question was that a local transwoman (a lady from PE called Zoe) is entering the Miss South Africa contest. It was in the Herald on Thursday morning, and by late afternoon every right wing lunatic bigot, transphobic halfwit and pious religious wanker who knows fuck-all about science, gender or what transwomen - and especially transwomen of color - endure in this country (or everywhere else) on a daily basis, started making an effort to vent their unintelligible hysterical bile in public. 

Monday, June 7, 2021

A Peek At My Week! #6


Time for another Peek @ My Week! :) What did I get up to? What's new, what's happening - and why do Americans laugh when I tell them my car has two hooters? 🤔

https://christinaengela.com/a-peek-at-my-week-6/

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

What Does Being Transgender Bring To My Writing?

Hello! :)

Today I'd like to discuss the question: "What does being transgender bring to my writing?"

It's a question I was asked recently by someone, and so after a little thought, I'm here to answer it.

It's 2019 now, and it's been 19 years since I started transition and 13 years since I had my final surgeries. As a matter of interest, since I woke up after my "big op" on January 10, 2006, I felt completely natural - and above all, whole and complete! As a result, I sometimes have to stop and think to remember what it was like to have grown up and lived a male life.



Thursday, April 25, 2019

A Brief Summary Of My Publishing Career So Far

One of the very many downsides to living in a shit-hole country like South Africa - is that even if you have all the talent in the world, you can do absolutely sod-all with it.

Goodness knows it's hard enough to be an indie author anywhere - but here? In South Africa?

All I was trying to do today was to get my 13 already published books turned into audio books... and this happens.



This was the fourth site doing audio books that I've tried. Either they don't allow South African writers to register, or they don't have royalty-sharing deals for their authors, which means the author has to pay in $$$ for the job.

Let me give you a brief summary of my publishing career. I'm sure you will find it amusing:

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

No LGBT Stereotypes Here!



Good day, everyone!

Today I'd like to talk to you about stereotypes!

(Before I get into an explanation of what I mean, I would like to emphasize that my stories are not just "all about LGBT people" or intended to rub straight reader's noses in a rainbow flag and sprinkle glitter all over their cornflakes!)

You see, I've been asked a rather difficult question as a writer, and that is "What exactly is my intended market?"

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

New Living Ways Ministry SA Seeks Human Rights For 'Ex-Gays'


This morning I found an item in my mailbox from Andre' Bekker, a representative of "New Living Way Ministry" - an 'ex-gay' group in South Africa. It was headed "An Open Letter to the Gay Community and Activists", and its content can be read right at the bottom of this article. I have no idea who else has received a copy of this letter, but since it was headed 'an open letter', I presume it was meant for the whole LGBT community in South Africa, and of course activists such as myself.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

SA Government Fails Human Rights Mandate Through Tacit Support For Ugandan 'Kill The Gays" Law


Uganda has passed the much publicized "Kill the Gays" Bill this past week.

In response to this hateful law, countries supplying aid to Uganda have suspended their aid and openly condemned these heinous acts in Uganda. Norway, Denmark and Netherlands have done so, and there is talk of the UK and USA following suit, as well as several more European countries including Sweden.

South Africa - the supposed "shining light" in Africa however has done absolutely NOTHING so far, aside from quietly releasing a very short, very weak and very vague statement on its website referring to "international homophobia" to say it will "look for clarity".

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Only YOU Can Save The World (If Not You, Who Else?)


I was most fortunate to have two friends who were Methodist ministers, both very open-minded and very loving people. 

They frequently took heavy fire for being welcoming of gay folks, and even people of other faiths, and for standing up against haters in their own ranks. 

The fact that I left Christianity to follow a Pagan path never meant that they weren't my friends any more, or that they suddenly would try to change me. Instead, they continued to be good friends. It's always a pleasure to count Christians like that among my friends. But what about the others?

Friday, April 26, 2013

SRA Propaganda IS A Harmful Religious Practice!


Dear IOL, I just read this article by you today: "Sin, sedition and Satanism in South Africa".

http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/sin-sedition-and-satanism-in-south-africa-1.417775#.UXqvBqLTxbq 

(Yes, I know the article is from 2008, but I was just made aware of it. LOL. Also, the policeman interviewed is the present head of the reformed SAPS Occult Related Crimes unit - so his views should provide a VERY clear picture of what sort of prejudice and bias this man has. The journalist first points out that there are different forms of Satanism, and makes references to the Church of Satan – but the lengthy quotes from Lamprecht and an evangelicalist drug rehabilitation “expert” speaking out of his field of expertise, tends to off-set this suggestion, making up the bulk of the article, and turning it from an objective piece into a Christian evangelizing soap-box.)

I am sorry to say, this whole article is a perfect example of biased, hysterical SRA propaganda. If is so full of sheer and utter rubbish attributed to Lamprecht and Krige and put out by your paper, that I am beside myself with anger. In fact, there is so much tripe in there about a religion and its adherents who are STILL  (clearly only in theory) protected by law in this country from lies and misrepresentations such as this, being presented as "fact" that I'm not even sure where to begin.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Bridging The Great Divide




The Constitution forms the supreme law of South Africa. It is a secular law which stands to prevent the persecution of people on the basis of race, ethnicity, language, gender, sexual orientation - and also religious freedom. 

Of course, most of the time you need to belong to a minority group of some kind to confirm that the law and the letter are being carried out in real life as they are on paper. In South Africa I can attest to the fact that the gap between the paper law and the real life application of these laws - which once seemed to be narrowing, is now just as wide - if not wider than ever.

Monday, January 7, 2013

The Poep's Latest Move, And Other Stories




Do you like what I did there? "Poep" for "Pope", and meaning "fart" in Afrikaans? "Oh... right, I see what you did there..."

I have a bit of a mixed bag for you all today. Happy 2013 folks!

December 2012 was quite a rough patch for me and mine. I spent a lot of December flat on my back - not nearly as much fun as you might think. 

My girl friend was involved in a bit of a car smash and was in hospital for a few days with spinal injuries, which appear to be healing slowly. After a month with almost no sign of improvement, she is regaining some sensation in her right leg, with full use of her left. Remarkably, even though she can't feel anything in her right leg, she can still move it, and can therefore drive, and in a fashion, walk. She has a new car, her 2011 Polo having been written off by the insurance, and not a word from the other party, life goes on.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Personal Statement: Divisions Within The Community



In the past I have called for more active interest and participation from the Pink Community, and I am happy to say that in recent months the community has risen to the challenge by and large, with new Pride events taking place, new community support projects springing up, and new activist voices shouting from within the wilderness to speak out against the injustices faced by our community. However;

There is an ongoing feud between the organizers of a community pageant  and other members of the community, a feud which is both unproductive and insensible, and which threatens to tear a rift right through the community. I also find it puzzling and disgusting how many people who wouldnt be seen dead voting or supporting anything political openly in defense of their own rights, have jumped in neck-deep in supporting either of the parties in this recent dispute which has been threatening to divide and weaken us as a community.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

An Inconvenient Home Truth




It's odd how for years, articles by Melanie Nathan have been highly prized and circulated and promoted by local human rights advocates, and how for years we have welcomed her campaigning to assist our cause, and her application of public pressure from outside the country - and now we can turn around and say something like this:

"A condescending American [Melanie] Nathan based in America, who has no jurisdiction whatsoever in dictating to South Africans what to do (as what so many Western countries are prone to do), even if she was born in South Africa, she left this country three decades ago and has no business interfering. We're not listening - go write about the problems LGBTI face in the US. There's lots." - GaySpeak Ezine

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Change Is As Change Does



The DA is virtually the only party in this country which includes the rights of people on the basis of gender, identity, gender identity and sexual orientation in its policies and manifestos. 

To this day, I feel that there is no viable alternative to the DA in securing the promises in the Constitution of South Africa, which pertain to freedom, equality and equal opportunity for all.

However, the recent events surrounding the matter of the Traditional Leader's Bill, and the careless statement made by Mr de Freitas as a representative of the DA - whether he himself is gay or not, have cast a different light on the Democratic Alliance and its stance on civil rights and protection issues.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Protect the Constitution Johannesburg Protest On SABC News


Kudos to all involved - this was a very unbiased video news insert.
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Thursday, May 17, 2012

Down Memory Lane


The following is an article I wrote back in 2010, and which was published by the National Secular Society (UK). 

I was reminded of it again this past week in an email, and thought as it didn't appear on my blog "Sour Grapes: The Fruit of Ignorance" the first time, now would be a good time to look back at how we got to this place in South African history, with conservatives vying to be the first to rip and tear human rights protection clauses out of the Constitution. 

Of course, since I have been writing and distributing my articles and warnings since 2008, there is a certain amount of "I told you so" in re-posting this article. Nevertheless, here it is, for your reading pleasure:

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Stand With Us!



CALLING ALL HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS AND ACTIVISTS, of whatever association, be it religion, sexual orientation, gender, or cultural - it's time to stand together for our joint human rights! The SA government is debating the removal of sexual orientation protection against discrimination clauses from the SA Constitution - if they succeed in this, who will be next?