Thank you to everyone for creating a wonderful space for all! 
Widening the Circle: What Homophobia Costs Us All, by Frank Malaba
Homophobia is usually spoken about as something that only hurts queer people.
That is not true. It damages everyone. It teaches fear. It breaks families. It weakens communities. It shrinks the world we all have to live in.
Growing up as a Black person born in Zimbabwe, with roots stretching through the expanses of Southern Africa and into Nguni heritage, I was taught that umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu. A person becomes a person through other people. Our elders taught belonging. They taught relationship. They taught that life is held together by how we treat one another.
Somewhere along the way, homophobia arrived wearing the mask of culture and holiness. Suddenly, love became suspicious. Difference became dangerous. Silence moved into our homes, and people learned to hide who they are.
I have seen leaders use homophobia as a distraction while real problems continue. I have watched communities shout about morality while ignoring kindness. I have seen people condemn queer folks publicly, then live quietly queer lives in private. Fear turns into hypocrisy, and hypocrisy turns into violence of the spirit.
Many of the harsh ideas and laws that fuel this hatred did not come from our ancestors. They were imported during colonisation, handed to us, and guarded as if they were sacred. We were convinced that exclusion was strength. It never was.
Homophobia fractures families. It isolates children who only want to be loved. It pushes brilliant minds into silence. It convinces us that cruelty is a sign of faith.
And I keep asking myself the same question:
If it harms our children, breaks our communities, and echoes the very systems that once oppressed us, why do we keep choosing it?
Compassion is not foreign.
Belonging is not a threat.
Our cultures do not become weaker when we make room. They become more alive.
May we build communities that widen the circle.
May we choose love that does not need anyone to disappear.
Frank Malaba
Frank Malaba is a multidisciplinary artist and storyteller based in Oslo, Norway, and Cape Town, South Africa. His work spans theatre, photography, writing, and podcasting, exploring themes of memory, identity, spirituality, and queer lives across the African diaspora. He is known for his performance piece Stories of My Bones, his photography exhibition Rituals, and his ongoing storytelling projects that centre dignity, belonging, and ancestral connection.
