We are from Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Tanzania. Many of us are lesbians or transgender. Some of us are HIV positive, and one of us has cancer. Most of us are undocumented.
Where we come from, it is illegal to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex. Often, our own families have shunned us. Our own neighbors have beaten us or raped us. The police have ignored, even mocked, our cries for protection.
We each came to South Africa to escape this kind of persecution – one that targets us for our sexuality or for our gender identity. Having found each other in this beautiful country, we share money, food, and shelter when we can. Once a month, we meet up, to celebrate having one another in our lives.