Amanda / South Africa
“My name is Amanda, I am a Lesbian. In 2007 I was raped by a guy while travelling with a friend of mine. We were on our way to see another friend of ours, on the way I was looking for a shop to buy a cigarette. I saw this guy standing at the corner, I asked him about a place where I can find a cigarette. He showed me where I can get one. He accompanied me to the place, on our way back he turned against me. Hi first asked me if I date girls, and I said yes. He then asked if I was a lesbian, and I said yes. Then he said he is going to show me that I am a girl, he pulled out a gun and told me to strip off my clothes. He forcefully slept with me, luckily a woman came out close to us where we were, she was going to the toilet, and he ran. I cried a lot and the woman asked where I am staying, I told her, then she offered to accompany me to my friend as I left her behind. I told them about what had happened on my way to find a cigarette. I went to the police station to open a case against him and the police managed to arrest him. He was caught by luck. I knew him so he went for a trail and then he was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years behind bars. Now I hate men so much because of what happened to me. I feel afraid for my child to go outside because it is dangerous out there at night. But I hope I will be okay one day because he got what he deserves, he has been sentenced to jail. I love God so much because he protects me and looks after me all the time. He always looks after me during bright times and dark times. People say it is wrong to date the same sex, but to God, we are all his people, and I truly know that Jesus loves me. Amen!!”
Amanda (not her real name), a lesbian woman from South Africa, has survived three violent homophobic attacks. One attack resulted in her leg being broken, in another, she fended off a man who attempted to rape her. On all three occasions homophobic abuse was thrown at her and used as a justification for the attack. “You must stop acting like a man” one attacker said, “you are taking our girlfriends, you don’t have a dick. It’s a piece of shit that you are doing – come let me show you, cos you never got it (sex)” another said. Amanda says: “my best best friend was raped and killed because she was a lesbian. He knew she was going to tell. So he killed her.” “I’m afraid every night. I don’t know if there is someone out there waiting for me” “I don’t trust any men, it seems to me they are all the same, they may seem friendly, but inside, they are full of evil”
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