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Navigating family as a closeted queer person during the festive season

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Activist and author Itumeleng Letsoalo says it is important to set your boundaries and honour them. Photo: Supplied
Activist and author Itumeleng Letsoalo says it is important to set your boundaries and honour them. Photo: Supplied

The festive season can be a wonderful time and often leads to special memories being created, especially for those with good support systems that give them badly needed joy and love.

Yet for some who are not so fortunate, this can be an extremely triggering period, devoid of any love or acceptance. Yearly, members of the LGBTIQ+ community spend the festive break at their family homes, where they are forced to repress their authentic identities. For them, these occasions are stark reminders of the secret lives they led for years – and worked hard to escape.

READ: Zanele Muholi speaks: ‘I haven’t spent so many sleepless nights to be robbed’

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