By Andisiwe Makinana
Cape Town-based gay rights group Triangle Project says it would be unnecessary and discriminatory for prisoners to disclose their sexuality to the police when arrested.
This is in response to national Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi's telling parliament that there may be a need to have separate holding cells for gay and lesbian detainees.
Selebi said police officers were faced with a problem of not knowing where to place homosexual lawbreakers.
| 'Imagine what happens when you are gay' |
"This is a problem that we have because this democracy recognises all preferences and some people prefer to say, 'We are gay'," Selebi said.
"I don't know what we're going to do as police - whether at some stage we will need to have cells like those (for gay people)."
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The Triangle Project's media co-ordinator, Vista Kalipa, said the idea would infringe on prisoners' rights, as people would have to disclose their sexuality on being arrested.
"Instead of perpetuating discrimination against marginalised sexual minority groups, the state needs to assume responsibility for the safety of all people held in police stations and prisons."
Kalipa said instead of separating prisoners based on sexual preferences, the state should workshop police - and even prisoners - on dealing with gay people.
"Our organisation offers sensitivity seminars and workshops on issues of sexuality, which we hope would lessen their problems when dealing with gay people."
Kalipa said the workshops would be on sensitivity issues like acceptance, since gay people experienced hate speech, gay-bashing and even rape.
But Golden Miles Bhudu of the SA Prisoners' Organisation for Human Rights (Sapohr) said his organisation would welcome a system where gay prisoners were kept separately.
"That is necessary for their safety, because so-called straight men would rape other straight men. Imagine what happens when you are gay."
Bhudu said that when he was in prison, warders would keep homosexual people in solitary cells overnight, but in those days there were only two or three gay people in a prison.
"It would be in your best interests to disclose your status. If you've been to jail, you would know this - it's like being thrown in a lion's den."
Selebi's spokesperson, Sally de Beer, said although the commissioner had expressed a need for separate holding cells for gay and lesbian detainees, such an arrangement was not likely to be introduced soon.
"(Selebi) may consider it, but it is definitely not (something to be implemented) in the foreseeable future.
"For now, our policy will remain as it is."
- This article was originally published on page 7 of Cape Argus on May 18, 2007
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