RainbowUCT and the Importance of Queer Visibility at UCT
By Nonku Mncube
In recent years, it has sometimes felt as though progress for the LGBTQ community has haltered, or even regressed. For RainbowUCT’s chairperson, Malaika Delport, it was especially important to revive the society this year. After a fairly inactive 2023, Rainbow’s executive was excited to make more of an impact this year.
RainbowUCT is an LGBTQ+ student society at the University of Cape Town (UCT). The goals for the society this year have been to create queer spaces on and off campus, to be more visible, and to be more involved in queer activism and politics. The society has hosted multiple events, branching into queer communities outside of UCT. The society has existed at UCT for more than a decade, with some of its alumni going on to continue to do important work in the LGBTQ+ community.
“An organisation like Rainbow is extremely personal and tied to our own experiences.”
Malaika Delport described how excited they were to find a space like Rainbow when they arrived at UCT last year. “I remember leaving of high school and not seeing a lot of support for queer people, especially trans people, and hoping there was more of a community to find.” They understand the importance of Rainbow as a society for students and want queer students to feel represented. “An organisation like Rainbow is extremely personal and tied to our own experiences and give students a platform to feel [safe] and express themselves, even if it is a way that challenges the norm.”
October is South African Pride Month. It commemorates the first Pride march in South Africa and honours those who resisted the Apartheid regime and fought for queer rights in South Africa. The society celebrated Rainbow Week, showcasing queer art on the Plaza and hosted other events to celebrate Pride. The program included an Inter University Pride Day organised by the University of the Western Cape’s Loud Enuf.
“With Rainbow you get to be in a space with people like you. I feel like I can just be.”
Rainbow has collaborated with various societies and LGBTQ+ civil society organisations throughout the year. They have hosted events with UCT Ultimate Frisbee, the Hip Hop Society, and UCT Ju Jitsu, from poetry nights to self-defence workshops. The society has also become a frequent supporter of Blank Break, promoting their annual Queer Film Festival and other LGBTQ+ events, and supported them in their fundraising efforts for Pride Shelter Trust. This has expanded their reach beyond queer students and UCT.
The society’s Lower Campus Representative, Unathi Matumbu has been working on collaborations within Residence structures. “The communal aspect is important to me. With Rainbow you get to be in a space with people like you. I feel like I can just be.” While it has been difficult for Rainbow to break through Residence structures, they are sure of the society’s impact on individuals. Rainbow also hosted Gender and Sexuality Workshops at various Lower Campus Residences, in conjunction with the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation.
It has been an eventful year for RainbowUCT and the society is an important aspect of UCT’s campus.