South Africa LGBTQ+ Country Guide
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Country guide · South Africa ＋
Country / Region Guide · South Africa
A highly diverse African country shaped by Indigenous societies, colonialism and the transition from apartheid to democracy.
Queer History
Apartheid-era criminal laws and police raids targeted queer people, while organizations including GLOW, formed in 1988, connected LGBTQ+ liberation with the anti-apartheid struggle. The 1996 Constitution became the first to expressly prohibit sexual-orientation discrimination, the Constitutional Court invalidated the sodomy offence in 1998, and South Africa enacted equal marriage in 2006.
South Africa has the continent’s most established legal framework for LGBTQ+ equality and visible scenes in Cape Town, Johannesburg and other cities. Same-sex marriage is legal.
Hours, entry policies, and events can change. Recheck official channels and maps on the day you visit.