The Australian Volunteers Program strives to provide a safe, supportive and equitable environment for LGBTQIA+ volunteers, approved accompanying dependents, partner organisations and all program staff. The Australian Volunteers Program has supported queer volunteers in all program countries and has ongoing connections with community organisations in many countries and regions in which the program operates.
This guide introduces a snapshot of the local context for queer and gender diverse people. LGBTQIA+ program participants must be aware of the country context before undertaking an assignment. If you are an LGBTQIA+ volunteer, you will need to:
- do your own research and understand what the local law says you can and can't do when in-country
- follow the local laws, even if you disagree with them
- be aware of the legal protections for LGBTQIA+ people in your destinations
- consider if you’re comfortable living and working in a place where you may not be able to live as openly as you can in some parts of Australia.
Language
Terminology may differ across urban and rural contexts, provinces or ethnic and cultural groups. Information sourced online can be outdated or inaccurate. For current and accurate information, please confirm with an appropriate civil society organisation (CSO) or ask your in-country team.
Several South African indigenous languages have words linked to diverse gender and sexual identities. While these terms are not inherently derogatory, they often carry pejorative meanings when used by people outside of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Legal and policy context
South Africa was the first country to enshrine LGBTQIA+ rights within a national constitution, making it illegal to discriminate based on gender and/or sexuality since 1996. In 2006, South Africa became the fifth jurisdiction to introduce marriage equality and is the only country in Africa to legally recognise same-sex relationships. More recently, in 2024 the South African parliament adopted the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Act.
Transgender and gender-nonconforming South Africans can amend sex markers on official documents. However, access to legal gender recognition is hindered by unclear procedures, prohibitive costs, inconsistent policy implementation and poorly trained government officials. Activists have called for the process to be based on self-determination and bodily autonomy, rather than medical requirements.
South Africa is the only country in Africa to explicitly recognises LGBTQIA+-based persecution as grounds for refugee status. However, the Refugees Act is undermined by structural barriers, procedural irregularities and discriminatory practices.
Policies aimed at combating gender inequalities, including the elimination of sexual assault and domestic abuse, are often based on the assumption that cisgender heterosexual women are the primary targets of intimate partner violence. However, emerging research shows that LGBTQIA+ people are also highly vulnerable.
Discrimination
South Africa prohibits all forms of discrimination based on someone’s sexual and/or gender identities. Despite an impressive suite of rights, LGBTQIA+ South Africans encounter prejudice, harassment, bullying, extortion and violence, both from state and non-state actors. These challenges are exacerbated by poor service delivery, policy implementation and an over-burdened, ineffective criminal justice system. LGBTQIA+ people have long complained of inappropriate treatment when seeking assistance, especially at government-run facilities. Poor and marginalised South Africans also often struggle to access public services, exercise their rights or hold the state to account.
Hate crimes committed against LGBTQIA+ people occur and can be extreme, including rape, torture, kidnap and murder. Criminal gangs have used dating apps like Grindr to lure and attack victims. People perceived as violating patriarchal and/or heteronormative gender roles, regardless of how they identify, are at the greatest risk of harm.
Factors such as race, educational background, socioeconomic status and place of residence impact homophobia or transphobia. Black lesbian women and transgender people living in impoverished and/or underserviced areas are disproportionately affected by violence.
South Africa is home to a robust, visible and experienced LGBTQIA+ rights movement. Many towns and rural areas have visible LGBTQIA+ activist groups or community events. CSOs run programs across the country and regular Pride celebrations are held in all provinces. There is a long history of state institutions and businesses being held to account for discrimination through direct action and legal proceedings.
Cultural and societal attitudes
Attitudes towards LGBTQIA+ rights vary across South Africa and are often shaped by a person’s beliefs, values, education and exposure to the LGBTQIA+ community. For example, while many faith communities hold conservative views, some religious institutions and leaders welcome and support LGBTQIA+ people, especially in major urban centres. Perhaps the most well-known example is the late Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, who said he “would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven”.
Objections to LGBTQIA+ rights tend to be couched in religious or cultural terms, most famously the claim that diverse gender and/or sexuality is a Western important and ‘un-African’. Activists and scholars have worked to disprove this narrative, often by referencing pre-colonial identities, practices and terminology.
LGBTQIA+ South Africans have begun to claim and adapt customary practices, including ceremonial rites linked to marriage, inheritance or parenthood.
Most of the major political parties have adopted a progressive stance on LGBTQIA+ rights, in line with the constitution, though official positions do not always translate into action. Influential figures like President Cyril Ramaphosa (leader of the African National Congress) and Julius Malema (leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters) have repeatedly affirmed their pro-LGBTQIA+ position. However, divisive figures like former president Jacob Zuma (leader of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party) continue to peddle the ‘un-African’ narrative described above. The South African judiciary and statuary bodies, such as the Human Rights Commission, have proven their willingness to hold powerful figures to account for inciting hate.
The risk of ‘corrective’ violence and conversation therapy remains strong in parts of the country.
Health and wellbeing
South Africa has a two-tiered medical system: those who can afford private health insurance have access to high-quality, well-managed facilities, whereas the rest of the population relies on over-burdened, under-resourced public services. LGBTQIA+ people in the latter category may encounter stigma, prejudice and confidentiality breaches. Fear of persecution may drive some LGBTQIA+ people to withhold information from service providers or avoid seeking treatment. Religious or cultural beliefs have been used by some medical staff to deny care.
Most LGBTQIA+-specific services are centred on sexually transmitted illnesses, especially HIV prevention and treatment for men who have sex with men. CSOs such as Triangle Project and OUT LGBT-Wellbeing run health-focused programs. Historically, key populations have been able to access free health services at specialist drop-in centres, including Engage Health, Health4Men and the Ivan Toms Clinic. The sudden withdrawal of USAID and PEPFAR funds have affected these services, forcing many programs to close and leaving many LGBTQIA+ people without access to vital medicines.
Transgender people can access dedicated health services from a small number of clinics and CSOs. Two public hospitals, Baragwanath and Groote Schuur, perform gender-affirming surgeries, though resource shortages and long wait times remain a concern. The withdrawal of USAID funding has severely compromised transgender people’s access to hormones, forcing many to find unregulated suppliers and go without medical supervision.
Comprehensive sexual education is a compulsory part of the school curriculum. However, educators’ personal beliefs may influence how they teach it. US-funded ‘pro-family’ groups have spearheaded misinformation campaigns in a bid to incite outrage among parents. To combat this, several CSOs have run sensitisation programs.
Media
LGBTQIA+ issues receive considerable media coverage in South Africa, but some reports can be inaccurate or stereotyped. CSOs like Iranti, Taboom, Gender Dynamix and the GALA Queer Archives have run training programs and developed resources for journalists. These organisations also produce their own media content to amplify the voices of LGBTQIA+ people.
South Africa boasts a vibrant creative sector, including many well-known LGBTQIA+ artists, writers and musicians, whose work helps to combat misinformation and promote acceptance.
LGBTQIA+ people use Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp to communicate with their community and CSOs also use these platforms to share resources, build community and advocate for change. Many younger LGBTQIA+ South Africans use social media to challenge myths and misconceptions about their lives.
Research and contributions provided by John Marnell, African Centre for Migration and Society.
The Pride Guides were developed in 2022 and updated in 2025 by consultants and experts based in countries in which the program operates.
