Theydies and Gentlethems, in celebration of Pride Month, The Star and the Lifestyle unit hosted a webinar to help create awareness of LGBTQI+ issues.
Acting as the host for the informative session, Lifestyle journalist Jamal Grootboom (he/him) was joined by activist, philanthropist, and entrepreneur Thami Kotlolo AKA ThamiDish(he/him), and storyteller, poet, body positivity and mental health activist Sizakele Phohleli(she/her).
During the discussion, they tackled visibility, equality, gender and queer representation within the LGBTQI+ community.
For those who don't know, the reason Pride Month is celebrated in June is due to the Stonewall Riots in New York City that happened in 1969.
Where black and brown trans women, specifically Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera led a riot against the police who were targeting gay bars which led to the gay liberation movement.
While Pride parades occur at different times of the year, usually in the summertime, the queer community globally comes together to celebrate our queer identities in June.
During this informative webinar session Jamal, Thami and Sizakele looked at coming out in safe spaces.
Some of the topics they touched on included how cisgender heterosexual allies can support LGBTQI+ with regards to discrimination, the intersections and frustrations with regards to the Black Lives Matter when it comes to Black queer people, struggles POC/Black queer people experiences versus that of their white counterparts, and queer representation.
The trio delved into how queer representation has changed over the years using Netflix’s new documentary “Disclosure”, which looks at transgender representation in Hollywood, as an example of how the media impacts people’s views.
They also discussed why a wide range of queer representation is important and the different ways Thami and Sizakele are using their platforms to help the queer community.
Watch the Pride Month webinar on below: