Welcome to the SSOGIE Series, Taboom Media’s introductory course on sexual and gender diversity and related human rights topics. Our SSOGIE Series includes 20 videos across two tracks, one for activists and one for journalists. The 16 videos below aim to help activists and other human rights defenders develop media advocacy strategies, campaigns, and stories to advance LGBTQI+ equality. If you’re a journalist, click here to watch our SSOGIE human rights reporting videos for journalists.
1. A Quick Start Guide to Media Advocacy with Brian Pellot
In this introductory video, Taboom Media’s co-founding director Brian Pellot provides an easy roadmap for using social media and traditional media to advance your advocacy goals.
2. Storytelling for Change with Isabella Matambanadzo
Bella Matambanadzo is a Zimbabwean feminist and author who has worked in 36 countries on the African continent in print media, radio journalism, and television news production. In this video, Bella offers tips for how human rights defenders can use storytelling to advance their advocacy goals.
3. Archiving Queer Existence with Keval Harie
Keval Harie is Executive Director at GALA Queer Archive in South Africa. GALA is a catalyst for the production, preservation and dissemination of information about the history, culture and contemporary experiences of LGBTIQ people. In this video, Keval offers tips for archiving and showcasing your work.
4. Framing Advocacy Messages with Bulelani Mzila
Bulelani Mzila is a gender diversity political activist and founder of the Isibani Civil Society Forum in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. The Isibani Civil Society Forum aims to amplify political representation and the political voice of KwaZulu Natal’s LGBTQI+ community. In this video, Bulelani defines framing and suggests some effective ways to spread your advocacy messages.
5. Self-Care for Mental Health with Billy Hani
Billy Hani is a queer trans artist and activist based in Kenya. They use writing and photography to explore African queerness, sexuality, gender identity and expression, bodies, and mental health. In this video, Billy offers practical self-care tips for activists to safeguard their mental health.
6. Sexual and Gender Diversity in the Bible with Rev. Hanzline Davids
The Rev. Hanzline R. Davids works towards the full recognition, celebration, and participation of LGBTIQ+ people in faith and civil society communities across Africa. In this video, he discusses sexual and gender diversity in the Bible and the importance of contextual intercultural interpretation. He also introduces Inclusive and Affirming Ministries’ Bible and Homosexuality Toolkit, which is available for free here.
7. Sexual and Gender Diversity in Islam with Imam Muhsin Hendricks
Muhsin Hendricks is an Islamic scholar, imam (religious leader), and human rights activist focused on sexual orientation and gender identity within Islam. In 2004, Muhsin founded The Inner Circle, the world’s largest formal organization that supports Muslims marginalized based on sexual orientation and gender. He now leads Compassion-Centred Islam (the CCI Network) along with Al-Ghurbaah Foundation and the Masjidul Ghurbaah project. In this video, he discusses the Quran, Hadith, and historical and contemporary Muslim attitudes towards gender and sexual diversity.
8. In Conversation with Journalist & Filmmaker Carl Collison
Carl Collison is a South African journalist and filmmaker who reports extensively on issues facing queer and other marginalized communities for the Mail & Guardian, New Frame, Daily Maverick, and international publications. In this video, Carl and Taboom’s co-founding director Brian Pellot discuss some of the realities journalists face when covering SSOGIE issues in order to help activists better understand what motivates and influences media professionals.
9. Artivismo para a mudança com (Artivism for Change with) Pamina Sebastião
Pamina Sebastião is a multidisciplinary visual activist based in Luanda, Angola. Their work includes text, film, photography, and collages, often centering their body as a medium/terrain from which to interrogate coloniality. In this video (in Portuguese with English subtitles), Pamina discusses how artivism (art + activism) can be a powerful tool for media advocacy.
10. High-Level Media Advocacy with Activist Nandini Tanya Lallmon
Nandini Tanya Lallmon is an activist and campaigner from Mauritius with expertise in using the international law system to protect LGBTQIA+ people from religion-based violence. In this video (in French with English subtitles), she discusses how advocacy works at the United Nations, African Union, and other high-level/intergovernmental contexts and how we can effectively engage leaders in these arenas.
11. Crisis Communication with Mino Likwasi
Mino Likwasi is a human rights advocate and co-founder of Women’s Alliance for Equality Limited (WAFE) in Zambia. In this video, Mino discusses best practices for preventing and managing media and communications crises that might arise in your work.
12. Understanding Intersex with Crystal Hendricks
Crystal Hendricks is an intersex human rights defender. She serves as Iranti’s intersex rights programme officer, as Intersex South Africa’s administrator, as chair of the intersex steering committee at ILGA World, and on the advisory board of the Intersex Human Rights Fund. In this video, Crystal explains some intersex lived realities we must educate ourselves about as human rights defenders.
13. Unboxing Gender Binaries with Akani Shimange
Akani Shimange (They/Them) is a black non-binary individual with a background in advocacy, research, and movement building. Their experience includes sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR), transgender and gender diverse research, and capacity building and mobilization across the African continent. In this video, Akani defines important SSOGIE terms (including gender, transgender, cisgender, non-binary, agender, genderqueer, and genderfluid) and helps us understand the lived realities some gender non-binary people experience.
14. Purposeful Podcasting with Soufiane Hennani
Soufiane Hennani is the co-founder of Elille Collective for the promotion of gender plurality and sexual diversity in Morocco. He is also the creator of the Machi Rojola (Not So Manly) podcast, a platform for rethinking masculinities in Morocco. In this video, Soufiane discusses what makes podcasting an effective tool for media advocacy and offers tips for getting started. For more ideas, see The Children’s Radio Foundation’s LGBTQI+ Media Advocacy Toolkit, published in 2020, which was developed in partnership with Taboom Media and written by Taboom’s director Brian Pellot.
15. Communicating with Faith Communities about SSOGIE issues with Dr. Debra L. Mason
Debra L. Mason is COO and co-founder of Taboom Media and director and professor emerita at the University of Missouri School of Journalism’s Center on Religion & the Professions. In this video, Debra discusses strategies and best practices for communicating with faith communities about sexual and gender diversity and LGBTQI+ equality.
16. Queer Activism in Africa – Book Launch & Reception
In the first three volumes of our Queer Activism in Africa anthology series (“Hopes and Dreams that Sound like Yours” (2021), “Courage to Share” (2022), and “Whispers and Shouts” (2023)) more than 70 human rights defenders from across the continent share their origin stories and activist journeys. Queer and ally artists bring each story to life with original illustrations that depict the hardships and triumphs of this collective movement. This video showcases a panel discussion featuring contributors from the anthology series. The panel was held on October 29, 2022, at Zeitz MOCAA – Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town.
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