For the second time this year the Out In Africa Gay and Lesbian Film festival is back on the Calendar!

This festival of the LGBTI Community will be running from Thursday, 1 November 2007 to Sunday, 11 November 2007 in Johannesburg at NuMetro Killarney Mall and from Thursday, 8 November 2007 to Sunday, 18 November 2007 in Cape Town at Nu Metro V&A Waterfront. 

Don't miss the screenings, especially not Alexis Arquette: She's my Brother. This candid look at sexuality and gender under the glare of celebrity follows Alexis Arquette, a guest of this Festival in 2002, and the youngest of the famous Arquette family.

On 13 September it was announced that 18 cross dressers in the Bauchi state in Nigeria were granted bail, after been charged with indecent dressing and vagrancy. The news spread internationally after their arrest more than two weeks ago and renewed concerns of prejudice, trans- and homophobia.

The Joint Working Group, and its partners in the alliance to end hate crimes, will be marching in Soweto this Women’s day, in response to the recent, brutal killings of two lesbian women in this community.

Thirteen years after democracy women is South Africa are still plagued by violence, are not safe in their homes and communities, and are held hostage by the collective oppressions of sexism and homophobia.

The organised lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex community of South Africa, represented by the national Joint Working Group*, states as follows:

On Friday, 20 July, the South African delegation to the UN Economic and Social Council [ECOSOC] chose to abstain in a vote on whether or not to recognise two international NGOs (non-governmental organisations) to represent lesbian and gay interests on this international forum.

The organised lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, represented by the national Joint Working Group*, states as follows:

On Friday, 20 July, the South African delegation to the UN Economic and Social Council [ECOSOC] will vote on whether to recognise two international NGOs (non-governmental organisations) to represent lesbian and gay interests on this international forum.

As such, South Africa will have an opportunity to cast a significant vote that will impact on international human rights, specifically for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.