Pride and Prejudice: The Parallels Between the LGBTQ Struggle Histories of the United States and South Africa

Next time you see and hear us exclaiming and chanting ‘Happy Pride Month,’ know that we are celebrating an intersectional history of Pride, prejudice and protest.”

Mpho Hendrick Buntse, 2018 Fellowship Alumnus, South Africa

2018 Fellowship Alumnus Mpho Buntse is an activist currently serving as national head of communication for Embrace Diversity Movement, an LGBTI movement, and leader of the African National Congress Women’s League LGBTQ+ Desk. He began his advocacy work in high school, advocating for gender-sensitive changing rooms and became a founder of the first LGBTQ+ student society at his university.

In this article, Mpho commemorates Pride Month by comparing the histories of LGBTQ+ individuals in the United States and South Africa.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX.  The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Government.