Aletta Shikololo
WINDHOEK – For so many years, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, and intersex (LGBTQI) community have been in seeming battles with the straight people because of their sexuality.
Entertainment Now! spoke to a few LGBTQI members that have made it to the top in the entertainment, beauty and fashion industry.
Last week Entertainment Now! met South African media influencer, television personality, host, comedian, actor and YouTuber, Thulasizwe Dambuza, commonly known as Lasizwe who is openly gay and seems to be on the verge of breaking the LGBTQI stigma, especially in his country.
Lasizwe, who rose to fame through making social media vines, is no stranger to the South African entertainment industry, as he has a YouTube Channel with over 80 000 subscribers and has over a million followers on his social media platforms.
Lasizwe feels being gay to him, as a young person, means freedom; being proud of who he is, being part of the legacy that is going to follow him because he is a representative of young people that want to come out but they are scared of what people will think of them.
“I believe that it is my responsibility to be who I am. South Africa has recognised the rights of LGBTQI, followed by Botswana and other African countries because of people like us who are trying to make people understand that our lives matter too,” the witty and hyperactive Lasiswe explained.
On many occasions, Lasizwe has been spotted dressing like a woman and revealing clothes and taking pictures with other men and talking about how proud he is to be gay.
At the age of 21, Lasizwe has been a success in the South African entertainment industry and he has a reality show ‘Fake it Till You Make It’ airing on MTV, which is currently making airwaves in the country in its second season.
The show is based on his life, how he is learning from life values, showing his family dynamics and teaching the youth and people that watch how it is like to have someone part of the LGBTQI community in the family.
Talking about how he climbed to the top despite the stigma against gays, Lasizwe said determination and hard work got him where he wanted to be irrespective of being gay. He said, he witnessed other gay people being mistreated in the industry but he was never mistreated because he believes, he is true to himself and he does not allow anyone to disrespect him.
“When you surround yourself with people that mistreat you that is what one can expect. The moment I feel uncomfortable around you, I distances myself away from you, so that is how I keep myself going and my relationships solid,” said the self-proclaimed ‘nomatriquency’.
Lasizwe urged homophobic people to stop the hate against LGBTQIs and spread love instead.
Namibian comedian and flight attendant, Xuro Milton, who is popularly known as Oc Ebs or EVH, is one of the gays in the country that are currently setting the entertainment industry on fire with their skills and nothing seems to be stopping him.
Xuro, who recently won an award for Favourite Best Actor at the Simply You magazine awards told this reporter: “I am just a normal person like everybody else and I am just doing what needs to be done, not to prove a point. What drives me in life is the fact that I wake up every day alive;that alone is a blessing,” he explained. Just like Lasizwe, Xuro said he has achieved a lot in the industry because he is true to himself and he does not allow anyone to determine how to live his life.
Talking of how he feels as a gay person, Xuro said gay to him is colourful and fun and there is no need for them to be judged differently because they are just human beings like any other humans.
Radio personality and stylist, Jay-Aeron Gertze, who has brought new fashion flavours to the beauty and fashion industry, is known for not only posting glamorous pictures on his social media pages and living a life of a diva but also for styling big names in the music industry such as Lioness.
“I am a proud gay and it’s very important to me because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. A lot of people in the country and across the globe are likely to warmly accept queer people nowadays and it is our responsibility to make our rights heard,” said the classic Gertze who was dressed in a beautiful red nightgown, which he designed himself.
Gertze urged other LGBTQI members to stand up for their rights and not to let anything stop them from achieving their dreams.
Namibia recently hosted its first Miss Transgender Ambassador 2019, which was aimed at creating awareness on the stigma about transgenders in the country, which sent a message that the members of the LGBTQI community in the country are coming out of the shell and fighting for their rights.