Pride parade celebrates queerness, love and inclusion

"There's a big anti-gender movement on the continent which is using faith as a weapon against queer people. We believe the resources of faith offer a lot for inclusion, love and justice," said Louis van der Riet of the Interfaith Queer Collective. Van der Riet was one of hundreds at the Cape Town Pride Parade on Saturday morning.

The group, which stands for justice, peace and compassionate faith spaces, carried placards that read "Justice For Muhsin" in memory of Imam Muhsin Hendricks, who was murdered in Gqeberha last month. Hendricks is reported to have been the world's first openly gay Imam. He was in Gqeberha to ordain a marriage.

South Africa is among a handful of African countries where queerness is not criminalised, but placards carried on Saturday highlighted the discrimination still faced by queer people in the country, calling for inclusivity and an end to hate speech and violence.

Rainbow LGBT+ and pink-white-and-blue transgender pride flags were waved alongside Palestine flags.

Organisations participating in the parade included the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation's LGBT+ Health Division, Gender Dynamix, and the Sex Workers Education & Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT).

Pride started in New York in 1970 to commemorate the violent police raids on gay bars which sparked the Stonewall movement. The first pride event in South Africa was held in Johannesburg in 1990. The march called for the decriminalisation of homosexuality and an end to apartheid. Cape Town had its first pride parade in 1993. In 1996, equality and non-discrimination were enshrined in the South African Constitution.