On 5 November 2019, Iranti launched the Safety, Dignity, and Freedom (SDF) research report that combines a baseline survey of existing mainstream media coverage of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI+) with focus-group discussions to understand the experiences of LGBTI+ individuals and their interactions with mainstream media in each of the five countries. This report informed the development of a media guide for media practitioners that was also launched on Tuesday.
The SDF is a campaign spearheaded by Iranti in collaboration with partner organisations namely; Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals of Botswana (LEGABIBO) in Botswana, Lesbian, Intersex, Transgender, and Other Extensions (LITE) in Malawi, Wings to Transcend in Namibia, Intersex South Africa in South Africa (ISSA), and Transgender Research Education and Training (TREAT) in Zimbabwe.
The purpose of the campaign is to create effective, informative, and transformative messaging within mainstream media of these five countries. This is to say, through effective and transformative messaging and content focused on the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI+) community within these countries, the campaign envisions shifting perceptions, challenging and changing mindsets, and positively impacting behaviours, in relation to stigma, violence, and discrimination
SDF is a campaign which prioritises effective messaging with a focus on ‘changing hearts and minds’ through collaborative approaches with partner organisations as well as in country media practitioners within various forms of mainstream media.
Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane, Communication and Advocacy Advisor who played a central role in the production of the guide and report said there was great importance in making queer people visible in media. “Telling our stories is to declare that we are
queer, we are here and we deserve the safety, dignity and freedom that is afforded to human beings. We tell our stories to refuse to be pushed into the margins,” he said.
Jabulani Pereira, Director of Iranti, said much work must be done by media in order to report fairly and accurately on queer persons. “Even when media has good intentions, we know that we have so much more to do when it comes to changing public mindset and this is often difficult when governments use media platforms to fuel hate against LGBTI+ persons,” he said.
The engagement was also accompanied by a keynote address by internationally acclaimed queer reporter, Carl Collison. At the launch, Collison said that journalists needed to do a lot of introspection and asked if they’re going to be prophets of hope or prophets of evil.
For further information, contact:
Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane, Communication and Advocacy Advisor, letlhogonolo@iranti.org.za, 076 164 8972
Rumana Akoob ,Communications Specialist, rumana@iranti.org.za 078 036 6832
