Cape Town Pride 2025 saw a moment of history in the making. Dr Dion George, South Africa’s Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, took to the stage at Green Point Track on Saturday, 1 March, delivering a powerful speech that resonated with the LGBTQ+ community and beyond.
George, a member of the Democratic Alliance (DA) and part of the Government of National Unity, is the first proudly out gay man to serve in the South African Cabinet. He follows in the footsteps of the ANC’s Lynne Brown, who became the country’s first LGBTQ+ cabinet minister in 2014.
A Pride Veteran Reflects on the Past
George began by recalling his presence at South Africa’s first-ever Pride March in Johannesburg in 1990, when he was just 24 years old.
“I did not wear a paper bag over my head like many others who had no option because they would be fired from work or get beaten up if they openly expressed who they were,” he shared, acknowledging the fear that once gripped the LGBTQ+ community.
He reminded the crowd of the hostility early Pride participants faced, enduring insults, physical assaults, and public ridicule. “But we never blinked and instead stood together, united in the fight for our freedom, to be who we are, and to love who we choose.”
The Fight for Equality Continues
Despite the strides made since the dawn of democracy, George was clear that the battle for true equality is far from over.
“Some who choose to hate came out to the sidelines of our celebration today. Some who choose to hate want to paint over the rainbow crossing in the road that we walked across earlier today,” he said, referencing ongoing resistance from anti-LGBTQ+ groups. “To them I say, you just make the fight for equality stronger! And you remind us that we must never ever take the freedom we have won for granted.”
George highlighted the brutal realities still faced by LGBTQ+ South Africans, where individuals are raped and murdered because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. “That is not freedom, but tyranny,” he declared, calling on the South African Police Service to do more to combat these specific hate crimes.
Challenges in Healthcare and HIV Response
The minister also took aim at the recent decision by the new United States government to end funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a move that threatens HIV treatment programmes worldwide.
“Our community has survived two pandemics in my lifetime—AIDS and COVID,” George said. “AIDS took a lot longer to grip the attention of the world and for medication to be developed because it was associated with people like us, and nobody cared enough until it was not just us.”
He assured those in the Western Cape that the DA-led provincial government remains committed to ensuring continued access to antiretroviral treatment, with funding and healthcare resources largely covered by the province’s own budget.
Making History, Together
In an emotional and proud moment, George introduced his husband, Craig, to the Pride audience, marking another milestone in South African history.
“Craig is the only same-sex husband in the National Cabinet and the first in South African history,” he said, receiving cheers and applause from the crowd.
Concluding his speech, George left the audience with a powerful declaration: “Celebrate today this truth: We are proudly everywhere!”
As Cape Town Pride 2025 came to a close, Dion George’s speech served as both a reminder of past struggles and a rallying call for continued advocacy. His presence in the Cabinet signals progress, but as he made clear, the fight for full equality is far from over.
Via Mamba Online
