Woman attacked at Gay Pride
2005-09-25 12:03
Johannesburg - An 18-year-old woman is in Johannesburg Hospital after she was pierced in the neck by a broken bottle during the gay and lesbian pride march in Johannesburg on Saturday evening.
The woman, who was on the Forum for the Empowerment of Women (FEW) float in the 16th gay and lesbian pride march, was admitted to hospital in a critical condition.
The bottle was thrown at her from a block of highrise flats in Harrison Street.
"She is still alive, but with trauma patients, their condition can change quickly," a spokesperson at Johannesburg Hospital told Sapa on Sunday morning.
"The kind of society we live in does not allow us to say too much. Someone could find her and come and shoot her."
FEW spokesperson Zanele Muholi confirmed that the woman, from Mohlakeng near Randfontein, had been "stitched up".
Muholi said the hate attack was an indication of intolerance and homophobia.
"In peoples' minds we still have to march like this in hidden places, but we are part and parcel of the same community," Muholi said.
"What has happened is an indication that we still have a long way to go in South Africa."
Muholi said the woman had attended FEW workshops in the week leading up to the march, including a workshop on hate crimes against lesbians.
"These young women come from the townships, like Orange Farm, and think they will be safe in the city, because in the townships they know they might be raped for being a lesbian.
Hurt at Pride
"How do you explain to your family, friends that you were hurt at Pride, in town?"
Muholi said they had not traced the person who threw the bottle.
March organiser Paul Tilley commended the fast action of the metro emergency services, but he described the attack as "very unfortunate".
"The fact is we were marching as gays and lesbians to celebrate our constitutional rights."
He said march organisers and the Metro police would have to meet to discuss how a similar or worse incident could be avoided next year.
Carrie Shelver, of People Opposed to Women Abuse said that in 2000, there were up to 10 rape and assault cases opened by women attacked after the march.
She said one of the sangomas on the FEW float was attacked on leaving the march.
"She was held at gunpoint and a man tried to strangle her."
Emergency services spokesperson Steven Kirk and metro police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar could not confirm the incident.
- SAPA