Building the future we want

IN CELEBRATION OF PRIDE MONTH, WE LOOK AT HOW TO SHAPE A WORLD WHERE WE ALL LIVE, LOVE AND FLOURISH IN FREEDOM

- EDWAIN STEENKAMP

Just a few decades ago, a man wearing drag would never have been on the cover of a magazine. A lesbian leading a global talk show? Impossible! And a transgendered person would never have topped the music charts, let alone win a Grammy (all hail Kim Petras!). In a brief period of time, the world has changed drastically, and for the better; visibility and diversity are better than ever, and our voices are being heard. But the reality is that these moments of victory represent only a small fraction of the population. For most LGBTQIA+ people around the world - particularly those who are in minority groups - discrimination, violence and isolation are still an imminent threat.

WHY IT ALL MATTERS TODAY MORE THAN EVER

According to the Williams Institute at UCLA, only 16 out of the 174 countries analysed showed an improvement in the acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people over the last four decades. According to the National Library of Medicine, those living in the other 158 countries face a myriad of obstacles: violence, threats, wrongful persecution, little to no acceptance from family and society, as well as limited access to an equitable job market, healthcare and housing. This has proved to lead to struggles with selfacceptance, in turn resulting in depression, anxiety and other mental health concerns.