NEWS Condemnation of decision to arrest people in drag September 17, 2004 PRETORIA — OUT has been providing services to gay and lesbian people for 10 years. We are registered with the Department of Social Services as a Non-Profit Organisation and receive government funding. We provide direct services, research gay and lesbian issues and mainstream gay and lesbian issues with agents such as loveLife and the Planned Parenthood Association of South Africa (PPASA). Our primary concern is the health of gay and lesbian people and more specifically, how societal discrimination impacts on this. We have recently completed a representative, valid and reliable study (in co-operation with UNISA's Psychology Department) on the health of gay and lesbian people in Gauteng. Our data shows clearly how societal discrimination causes great struggles for gay and lesbian citizens of Gauteng. To mention but one example, a significant amount of gay and lesbian people attempt suicide because they are called sinners, abnormal, un-african and so on. This type of thinly disguised hate and hate speech is especially sad in South Africa where gay and lesbian people enjoy constitutional protection. The decision of the Johannesburg Metro Police to arrest people in drag at the 2004 Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade is nothing more than homophobic discrimination. It illustrates how laws can maintain continual discrimination, very similar to apartheid South Africa. People in drag are no threat to society, they have the right to celebrate and be who they are. OUT calls for an immediate reversal of the decision of the Johannesburg Metro Police. We believe that they should apologise to the larger gay and lesbian community for the ignorance that they have displayed, and that they need to urgently address own homophobia.– Issued by OUT Dawie Nel - Director Related stories Police Rain On Gay Parade [15/09/2004]