South Africa

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South Africa is a comparatively LGBTQ+-friendly country located in southern Africa

Why South Africa?

Legal gender recognition:
- South Africa is the only African nation to legalize same sex marraige.
- Cape Town, considered one of the best cities to live in in the world, has a thriving LGBTQ+ community
- LGBTQ+ people in South Africa have the same legal rights as non-LGBTQ people.
- A South African Act of Parliament in 2003 allows a person to change, under certain conditions, their sex recorded in the population registry:
  - People who have undergone surgical or medical sex reassignment.
  - People whose sexual characteristics have evolved naturally.
  - Intersex people.
Anti-discrimination laws:
- LGBT rights are protected by section 9 of the South African Constitution, which forbids discrimination on the basis of sex, gender or sexual orientation, and applies to government and private parties.
- This was re-enforced in 2000 with the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (PEPUDA).
- The Employment Equity Act (1998) forbid discrimination in employment.
- The Rental Housing Act (1999) specifically and housing.
Public healthcare:
- People can begin Hormone replacement therapy when they turn 16 and can get surgeries when they turn 18 (or younger with parental consent). Hormone treatment is available in both public and private sectors in South Africa although expect long waiting lists (years) if you attempt the public sector route.
Community:
- TBD

Safety:
- South Africa remains a conservative Christian country (85% of the population identify as Christian). The support and adoption of legislation for LGBTQ+ rights was not based on popular support from the population but the strength of the South African Constitution and the Constitutional Court which rules on various legal challenges.
- Sexual violence is South Africa is amongst the highest in the world and includes "corrective" rape targeting members of the LGBTQ+ communities.
Government:
- South African bureaucracy is slow and frustrating and can be challenging to navigate alone.
- Government inefficiencies, corruption and lack of infrastructure investment has fragility in key services like electricity and water supplies and poor maintenance of roads.
- South Africa has the worlds highest inequality by Gini coefficient.
- South Africa does suffer from populist political figures who condemn LGBTQ+ groups and promote patriarchy and traditional family roles [1].

Most heads of mainstream Christian groups like the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, the Uniting Reformed Church and the Dutch Reformed Church have spoken out in support of LGBTQ+ rights.
Based on the IPSOS LGBT+ PRIDE 2023 report:
- 70% of South Africans believe that Transgender people are discriminated against significantly.
- 82% believe Transgender people should be protected against discrimination.
- 58% believe Transgender people should have access to gender affirming care and "other" gender options on legal documents.

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What are potentially good places to live in?