However, violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and intersex people in South Africa has escalated, with more than 10 people killed in attacks this year, and social stigma and discrimination remains strong.
Lehlogonolo Machaba, the first openly transgender woman to compete for the Miss South Africa title poses for a photograph outside the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa, July 10, 2021.Machaba said she expected to be stigmatised for putting a spotlight on issues transgender people face, but that the killing of a close friend in a hate crime had given her strength to fight.
"I'm here to fight for my community, not necessarily in a physical manner, but through words," she said. "It would mean a lot for me as a trans woman to win Miss South Africa but also I believe it would mean a lot for the queer community in South Africa. It would show that South Africa is breaking boundaries," she said.
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