Minister Lamola applauds Gender Dynamix and Iranti for successfully bidding to host ILGA (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association) World Conference in 2024

The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Mr Ronald Lamola, MP, commends two of South Africa's leading civil society organisations, Gender Dynamix and IRANTI, for winning a bid to host the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association World Conference to be held in Cape Town in 2024.

The ILGA World Conference 2024 will be the largest global gathering of LGBTIQ+ change-makers on the African continent in more than wo decades. The last and only other time ILGA World was hosted in South Africa was in 1999 in Johannesburg.

Iranti and Gender Dynamix' successful bid highlights the fact that South Africa still has much work to do in the protection and promotion of LGBTIQ+ communities. Despite our progressive laws and legislation, discrimination, prejudice, and violence on the basis of a person's sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics still exists.

We have no doubt that this platform will enable us as society to heighten our institutional mechanisms and to address societal attitudes so as to prevent homophobia, transphobia, and the general violation of human rights in our communities.

On this day ,17 May, the world also marks the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) under the theme "Our Bodies - Our Lives - Our Lives- Our Rights!" IDAHOT commemorates the World Health Organisation's decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.

The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services encourages our communities to protect and promote the rights of LGBTIQ+ persons and to remember and honour those who have been attacked and killed as a result of their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression and sex characteristics.

"With help from civil society organisations such as Gender Dynamix and IRANTI we are constructing a truly inclusive society - one which not only accepts, but celebrates diversity, where people can be themselves no matter what their sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics may be and where everyone has the same enjoyment of their human rights," said Minister Lamola.