Please tell other Monarchs, especially in Africa, that being gay is OKAY

By Melanie Nathan, June 21, 2013

The Crown Princess of Norway, Her Royal Highness Mette-Marit, met famed South African photographer, filmmaker and LGBTI activist Zanele Muholi recently at an exhibition of Muholi’s work in Norway.

The event took place last night at the Kunstplass 5 gallery where the Crown Princess of Norway, made a special trip to the gallery just to meet Muholi and to see the ‘I See Rainbows’ exhibition.

About a hundred spectators came and gathered in and outside the gallery.

As described in an article by Maureen Velile Majola for Inkanyiso, there were many photographers who arrived to capture the phenomenal event.

The exhibition was opened by Vibeke Hermanrud, who welcomed the guests.

Muholi addressed the crowd and the Princess and spoke about her lifetime project Faces and Phases (2006 – present,) the black & white portraits of black lesbians and transgender persons from South Africa which is also part of the South African Pavillion at the 2013 Venice Biennale, in Italy.

Muholi urged the Princess to share and spread the news to other monarchs in the world especially in Africa that, “It is okay to be homosexual and African and the society should not be allergic towards LGBTI persons. Please let them know and convince the arcane of power because you have the privilege and power to do so”.

Zanele Muholi has done an enormous amount of work through her photography, filmmaking and activism with exhibitions, screenings and speaking around the world, bringing attention to the plight of the South African LGBT community, and especially the issue of so called “corrective” rape against lesbians in South Africa. Although South Africa has an all inclusive Constitution that provides full equality, the LGBTI community suffers a tremendous amount of homophobic violence in South Africa.

Read more at Inkanyosi.

Melanie Nathan, [email protected] – Tweet @melanienathan1