On March 13th of 2011, sitting in from the rain in Oakland, California, I received a SKYPE while sitting in a coffee shop, all the way from South Africa. It was Melanie Nathan, a feminist activist who spends much of her time trying to raise awareness and end the human rights violations of lesbians with the criminal lesbian rape therapy which in pockets of the African community is used to “cure” these women to become heterosexual. When I answered the phone she made an announcement she had someone special for me to meet. It was the creator of the LGBT Flag of South Africa, Hugh Brockman. It was a very big honor to me since it was also the home of Nelson Mandella and a place where Mahatma Ghandi began his political activist career. I was excited to learn their LGBT flag was being brought to me, personalized by Melanie and Hugh for my journey across America. There were times I was suppose to receive it and it had been complicated in the mail and with my location changing everyday that the mail was not received. My heart today is overjoyed as I received the flag with two Nelson Mandella medallions. I am immensely grateful. I feel warm inside and very loved today. I cannot say much for the US Congress and Senate and the President of the United States of America today. I stand in solidarity for full civil rights for all Americans with the people of South Africa, the only Constitution in the world, post Apartheid, that includes gay and lesbian South Africans.
