+the scene

10 Important LGBTQ+ Figures From History You Should Definitely Know About!

Written by Devon Forward. Published: October 22 2019

 

7. Simon Nkoli

 

“If you are black and gay in South Africa, then it really is all the same closet… inside is darkness and oppression. Outside is freedom.”

 

Born in the town of Soweto in South Africa in 1957, Simon Nkoli became an activist at a young age, fighting against aparthied, homophobia, and many other issues. In 1983, he formed the Saturday Group, the first black gay group in Africa. The next year, Nkoli was arrested for treason with 21 other political leaders protesting aparthied, facing the death penalty. They became well known as the Delmas 22. 

 

Simon Nkoli found that his sexuality limited his ability to participate in this fight, as the groups he was involved with tended to kick him out or ostracize him when they discovered his sexuality, but that didn’t stop Nkoli from being himself. After being arrested, the other prisoners even requested a separate trial from him, as they were worried that his sexuality would condemn them to death. In 1988, he was acquitted and released, and afterward he kept fighting against discrimination due to someone’s sexuality. 

 

He was the first gay activist to meet President Nelson Mandela and fought hard to make sure gay rights were solidified in the country’s constitution. After he became HIV positive, he shared it publicly, becoming one of the first public figures to do so, and set up the organization Positive African Men to help and support others like him. 

 

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