Free Gender calls out on homophobic and racist symptoms of society and called for a boycott of the 2014 Cape Town Pride event, alleging racism, with Soldaat claiming that the event excludes women and nonwhites and instead targeting money strong white gay men.
[3] Soldaat was inspired to create Free Gender after her own rape, and the murder of nineteen-year-old lesbian Zoliswa Nkonyana[7] who was stoned and stabbed by a group of men in 2006.
She also experienced violence and abuse, later saying that “They [the police officers] threw me so hard into the jail cell, that my feet were no longer touching the ground.”[8] Soldaat’s attackers were never found.
[10] In 2010 a member of Free Gender, Millicent Gaika was raped, beaten, and tortured for five hours by a neighbor who wanted to “cure” her of homosexuality, and in 2013, her attacker, Andile Ngocka was sentenced to 22 years imprisonment.
In 2014, Funeka Soldaat announced that Free Gender would be boycotting the Cape Town Pride event because of its tendency to favor rich white men as opposed to reflecting the diverse community it represented, although Matthew Van As, the director of the event, disputed this claim.
They now enjoy strong relations with the local police of Khayelitsha, making it easier for victims to report harassment, violence, and other crimes.
"The organisation was established in Khayelitsha mainly because of the community's lack of understanding and its intolerance of LGBT lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people,” Soldaat[8] later said of her organization’s location.
[1] This nonprofit is based in Cape Town, South Africa and offers resources and assistance to LGBTI people throughout the city.
The Triangle Project also works in tandem with the South African Department of Justice to fight for LGBTI legislation and protection in court cases and policies.