Sandton is set to explode in a riot of rainbow colours next week, when the LBGTQ+ community and supporters take to the streets to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Gay Pride.
Like a well-aged diva, the annual pride celebration has grown bolder, louder and more unapologetic over time, transforming into a world where the fabulous meet the fearless and drag queens dazzle in a kaleidoscope of diversity.
Among them will be Pride stalwart Donald Nkomo, 36, who was born in QwaQwa in the Free State and played with dolls, had no interest in cars and constantly felt out of place.
“Back then there was no Google, and there were no words to describe who I was. In high school I was bullied and called derogatory names. One night, after the news, there was a lifestyle insert on TV about Pride in Joburg and suddenly I was looking at people who looked, acted and sounded like me,” he said, describing the sense of jubilation that bubbled up with the realisation that he had found his tribe.
After high school he applied to study at the University of Johannesburg and moved to the city.
“All I wanted was to attend Pride, and so I headed out to my first march that October by myself. And, oh my word, it was the best experience ever. I met people like me, I made friends who are still my friends today. And now every year I have lots of followers on social media — I tell people scared to come on their own to just come,” Nkomo told the Sunday Times.
“It’s where I found myself, and I have never looked back. I have never missed a Pride march.”
He said the march had changed over the years.
“When I first started going, there weren’t many people and you’d have Christian organisations lining the side of the road to protest against us. Now they come as a show of support and shout ‘You’re a child of God and we love you as you are’. And the gay people are almost outnumbered by the straight people and families because of all our supporters.”
Another diehard Pride supporter is Joburg’s oldest working drag queen Neil Holland, 64, whose alter ego Holly Diamond lights up the stage on Friday nights when Hotel Sky in Sandton presents Risque.
“I started out in the ’70s and I’m hoping to go another 63 years or more before I get told to hang my tits up,” said Holland, who has been dressing up in drag since he was a young man.
The path that led to him finding Holly Diamond began when he went into hairdressing.
“It was the ’80s and a time where we were going to more funerals than breakfasts because of Aids. But there was the fun side too. There was no internet or Ru Paul, so we were inventive and creative, and made up our own shows where you would have 300 people dancing and laughing with you.”
Holland describes his style during that time “just the same as straight girls now because we all once thought we were super cool with our big hair and bright makeup, and now we look back on those photos and cringe”.
Holly Diamond was created before the onset of online shopping, China malls, artificial intelligence designs and when large-size stylish stilettos were impossible to find locally.
“We had to come up with our own ideas. We’d frequent charity shops for wigs and bling. And the old queens would have to ask air stewardesses to buy high-heel shoes for them overseas in New York or Paris where they made them in size 9 and 10. And our music was on cassette tapes.”
His quest for the ultimate designer wardrobe led him to a mother-daughter team that started out creating the sexy costumes for the Sun City Extravaganza dancers.
Another regular Pride participant who has witnessed the transformation from the slow and deliberate steps of a community in the shadows to what is now a parade of colour, culture and activism is drag queen LouLou Blue, also known as introvert Robin McBroom.
McBroom, who owns a beauty salon, was a professional dancer for many years and learnt to do his own makeup. That led to doing makeup for friends, training as a professional makeup artist, going into drag makeup and eventually full-scale performing.
This year Blue will not be participating in the Pride march “because she’s a look queen and it’s much too hot, especially in size 9 bespoke heels, a constrictive corset and an expensive wig”, but will be part of the later celebrations.
Kaye Ally, founder and director of Pride of Africa Foundation, said “35 years of Pride is an incredible journey, one built on the strength and resilience of our community”.
“From the early days, when we marched in defiance of oppressive laws, to today, where we celebrate our diverse identities, Pride has always been a force for positive change.”
Ally said Pride 2024 was “about honouring the past, embracing the future and continuing the fight for equality for everyone”.
“It has become a powerful platform for raising awareness critical for LGBTQ+ issues such as rights, mental health, and healthcare access, particularly around HIV/Aids and intimate partner violence.”
The march would also “amplify the voices” of marginalised groups, including queer people of colour, transgender individuals and people from rural areas.
This year’s Pride march takes place next Saturday starting in West Street at 10am. Local and international artists feature on the concert line-up as the day culminates in an evening of entertainment.
“I’ve organised 14 Prides and last year we had more than 25,000 people joining the march but I have never seen it blow up like this year. It’s shaping up to be huge,” Ally said.
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