GAY RIGHTS HOT ISSUE


‘‘I am a proud African and lesbian too’’


Skye Chirape is a Zimbabwean fashion designer, artist and gay rights campaigner. She speaks to New African Woman about being a homosexual African woman, how she learnt to speak out, to stand up for her rights and also those of many other voiceless Africans afraid of coming out as gay.


By Janelle Oswald


Janelle Oswald: You are known as a fash- ion designer as well as an artist. How do you use your creations to campaign against homophobia? Skye Chirape: I guess you could say I’m a walking, talking billboard protesting for those who are oppressed and are being per- secuted. My art and designs stand for free- dom of speech, freedom of movement, free- dom of choice and freedom of expression! I use my creations to express myself


because I believe fashion breaks down barriers, but most importantly my clothes allow me to become visible to the world


70 | NEW AFRICAN WOMAN | WINTER 2011 with actor


and express myself and my political views as an African woman. I also use my de- signs to raise money to build safe houses in Africa. My campaign group have just finished building a safe home in Kenya – a secret place where women can feel secure and live a normal life.


What was life like being a lesbian and growing up in Zimbabwe? My parents caught me experimenting when I was 12 years old and thought that there was something wrong with me. My father even took me to traditional healers.


What I was doing [being gay] is something you did not talk about, so we never talked about it. I didn’t even know that the word gay existed until I came to the UK at the age of 20.


When exactly did you realise you were a lesbian? You must remember that the word gay or lesbian would not have been in my vo- cabulary growing up in Zimbabwe and did not exist to me. It was not until I came to the UK that I learnt of this word which expressed an attraction to females and


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100