Published on Aug 14, 2007
The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice mourns the tragic and senseless deaths of Sizakele Sigasa and Salome Masooa, two lesbians found brutally murdered on July 7, 2007 in South Africa. We learned of this tragedy through a statement issued by the Joint Working Group.
Astraea sends our deep condolences to the family and friends of Sizakele and Salome. Their brutal and senseless murders reflect a climate of vitriolic hate, contempt, harassment and deadly violence experienced by lesbians in South Africa and around the world on a daily basis. Joining with activists the world over, we demand an immediate and thorough investigation into these ruthless crimes.
We applaud the Joint Working Group for its creation of the Campaign 07-07-07. The Campaign is an alliance of fifteen non-governmental organizations (several of which are current/past Astraea grantee partners) which aim to raise consciousness of South African leaders and local communities about the violations against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. We stand in solidarity with their August 9th Soweto protest-action highlighting the impact of hate violence against lesbians in South Africa.
As we at Astraea move forward, the brave lives of Sizakele and Salome will fuel our work. Their memory, and the memory of so many others lost to bigotry and violence, will ensure that we continue to fight for and attain a just and peaceful world for everyone.
Information on New York City Vigil: On Tuesday August 14, 2007 from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM, members of the US-based Liberation 4 all Africans committee will hold a vigil to protest the increasing rate of hate crimes against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender (LGBT) and HIV/AIDS activists in South Africa, and its prevalence throughout the continent. The protest will occur in front of South African Consulate, 333 E 38th St. (between first and second avenues).
