Celebrating with a Conscience.
Pride provides a platform for Cape Town’s LGBTQI+ community to raise awareness of issues and campaign for the freedoms that will allow us to live our lives on a genuinely equal footing. Our annual Cape Town Pride Festival in February, culminating in the Pride Parade and Mardi Gras, is our opportunity to be visible and speak loudly to the rest of the city about what we have achieved, how far we have come and what is still needed. It is also a Celebration of who we are.
Prior to 1994, laws in South Africa criminalised same-sex sexual activity. The post-apartheid constitutions, starting with the 1993 Interim Constitution, included provisions prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. In 1994, male same-sex conduct was legalised, and the age of consent was set at 19 for all same-sex sexual conduct, regardless of gender.
South Africa’s 1996 Constitution was the first in the world to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in its Bill of Rights. This provided a foundation for further legal and social changes.
In 2006, South Africa became the first country in Africa to legalise same-sex marriage.
While significant strides have been made, there are ongoing efforts to address remaining systemic discrimination and promote social acceptance of LGBTQI+ individuals. This includes addressing issues like hate crimes and discrimination in various sectors. Pride exists to continue the fight for true equality and challenge prejudices that the LGBTQI+ community still faces daily.
Our Mission
Be fully inclusive of all sections of the LGBT+ community.
Provide a celebration of LGBT+ life and a platform to continue the fight for equality and to challenge prejudice.
Establish Cape Town Pride on a sustainable footing and grow the festival over time to serve better the needs of Cape Town’s LGBT+ community and promote Cape Town as a beacon to the world.
