From the CEO’s Desk

NEWSLETTER 3
Feb. - June 2006

As I write, we've just wrapped up the second Leadership Training Institute and General Assembly of the Coalition of African Lesbians (CAL) hosted by FEW.
The representatives of twelve organisations from eight countries of Africa met for one week, June 12 to 16. I am excited that FEW is able to play a key role in CAL in these crucial and formative years. During the meeting, FEW was elected to the Executive Committee, and I was appointed Chairperson. The other Committee members come from Namibia (Vice Chair), Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda. I am excited that FEW continues to play a key role in CAL in these crucial, formative years.

A CAL delegation left directly from the meeting for the second Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights in Nairobi, Kenya, from June 19 to 22, where FEW made its presence felt. Look out for a detailed report about that on our website.

If CAL process was the high point of the period, then the low point must have been losing Buhle Msibi, a stalwart of the organisation's Arts & Culture and Training & Education programmes for the past three years. Buhle died of HIV/AIDS related complications on April 1. Her intelligence, passion, creative talent and commitment made her a joy to teach, and a pleasure to work with. She is deeply missed. As part of the healing process, we held a tribute to her this month.
Other significant moments included our anniversary party and AGM in February, followed closely by our participation in the South African Council of Churches Same Sex Marriage Seminar in the same month. The fundamentalist Christian right is mobilising seriously against full equality of same sex marriages, and we need to make sure we are not caught napping.

Accordingly, at its quarterly meeting in March, the Joint Working Group of LGBTI Organisations in SA (JWG) made the Same Sex Marriage Campaign, formerly spearheaded by the Equality Project, a priority of its Advocacy programme. The JWG has started preparing itself to make submissions to the relevant authority concerning the type of provisions that should be made for the legal registration and recognition of same sex unions.

Also in February, we became involved in formulating the sector’s response to the SA National Blood Services’ (SANBS) practice of excluding gay men from giving blood. While this may not be a direct concern of the organisation’s constituency, the issue of messaging from national agencies to lesbian and gay people around HIV/AIDS, safe sex, and related matters, certainly is.
Our Skills Development Programme for 2006, comprising Basic Computer Skills, Visual Literacy (Photography, Videography and related skills), and Life Skills, also started in February as well.

In March, we also collaborated with the Gay and Lesbian Archives of SA (GALA) by providing two guides for their Balancing Act exhibition at the Apartheid Museum. We have since received good reports regarding the performance of our guides.

That same month we joined the 1 in 9 Campaign, launched in support of the complainant in the Zuma case, and our trainees willingly helped us to fulfill our commitment to participating in planned solidarity actions, despite their very real and legitimate fears, based on interactions with Zuma supporters.

At the end of March, Phumla “Rose” Masuku, our Sports & Culture Coordinator, represented us at the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) conference in Geneva, Switzerland. Masuku spoke about homophobia in South African sports, and how this affects the morale, and the life and career choices of lesbian-identified soccer players. This is why we are delighted that 20 of our own soccer team, the Chosen FEW have been given opportunity to compete at the Chicago Gay Games on full scholarship. The Games celebrate LGBTI athletes, and will be held in Chicago, Illinois, USA from July 15-22, 2006. We are grateful to the many friends and supporters, both here and overseas, who have worked so hard to make this possible. We know the team will do us proud.

April usually marks the commemoration of the Rose Has Thorns campaign. We did so this year by running a community intervention in the West Rand (Mohlakeng) for most of the month, followed by a stakeholders’ consultation on the 27th, Freedom Day, the actual anniversary of the campaign.

In May, we participated in the Conference on the National Action Plan to end violence against women and children, co-ordinated by Gender Links, and were voted on to the Task Team on the National Action Plan.
Towards the end of the month, some of our trainees and staff members participated in the WomensNet Digital Storytelling Workshop to be further educated on how Information, Communication and Technology (ICTs) can benefit our constituency.

FEW is currently undergoing internal restructuring, with some positions being re-defined, others being phased out, and new ones being created. As part of this process, we brought some new staff on board in February, Rebecca Molubi, Human Resources Officer and we say goodbye to three others.

While this process is good, and necessary for the organisation, it unfortunately forced us to postpone the Lesbian Conference planned for April. We are still finalizing the new dates, and will be announcing them shortly.

In the meanwhile, if you hear of anything you think we should know about, why don't you give us a call, or drop us a line on (011-339 1867 or write to [email protected]).

Until next time!

Donna