Beautiful

Prejudice of all kinds has a long history in South Africa. In the back streets of the Cape Flats – home of one of the most marginalized minority groups, the Coloureds – I stumbled upon a unique group of people in an even more special setting. This came in the form of Gay and Transvestite beauty pageants. Being a conservative society homosexuality is seriously frowned upon. On top of having to face the psychological challenge of coming to terms with a sexual preference that is not the prescribed, many homosexuals are faced with verbal and violent abuse in their communities. Acts like ‘cleansing rapes’ (assumed to convert a lesbian to a heterosexual) are prevalent and the phenomenon of the ‘After Niners’ (men who claim to be heterosexual and often very discriminatory towards homosexuals, but after 9pm – when no one is around – demand sex from homosexuals) is a sheer product of the stigma that is placed on homosexuality and provokes segregation as well as increased risks of STI infections and violence.

In these pageants I found a group of people who celebrate their identity. They are making a stand for who they are, they are proud of who they are, and they are not afraid to express this.

I chose to spend time backstage to find out who these people really are. I was curious to look at the effort that goes into the presentation of a South African Gay or Transvestite. I see the process of ‘dressing’ as being very raw and by catching the competitors out of their costumes I hoped to capture the psychological side of reaching a point where one is comfortable enough to stand on stage and be proud of who they are.