For Further Event Information:
215-732-FEST or
www.pridefestamerica.com

For Further Press Information:
Deborah Fleischman
215-735-7356

PRIDEFEST AMERICA 2002 FEATURES
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS ON SOUTH AFRICA WITH
ALL SOUTH-AFRICAN PANEL

With programming from halfway around the globe, PrideFest America 2002 explores gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) international issues in Living in a Rainbow Nation: Gay & Lesbian Dynamics in South Africa on Thursday, May 2 at the Prince Music Theater (1412 Chestnut Street) as part of PrideFest America's Tenth Anniversary, running April 29 through May 5. In exploring GLBT issues on an international level, PrideFest America will focus on the concerns of a different country each year.

Moderated by Sharon Cooper, editor and manager of WOMYN magazine, this all-South African panel features activists Shuaib Rahim, from Amnesty International South Africa; Evert Knoesen, Coordinator of Lesbian and Gay Equality Project; and Glenn de Swardt, Manager of the Triangle Project (the oldest gay and lesbian organization in Africa) in a provocative discussion about contemporary issues for gay black and white South Africans such as apartheid, constitutional protection, and AIDS in South Africa.
Admission to the Living in a Rainbow Nation panel requires a $5 Program Pass or is included in the $15 Week-Long Program Pass, which is available through the website at www.pridefestamerica.com. The week-long pass provides admission to over fifty (50) programs throughout the week.

"What is remarkable about South Africa is that a short time ago, the country was divided by discrimination. Today, extraordinary change has occurred. It is one of the few countries where gays are protected by the constitution and where an out and vibrant gay community is thriving," said Malcolm Lazin, Executive Director of PrideFest America. "Nonetheless, there remain dramatic issues in terms of HIV and the continuing disparity between black and white South Africans that make this panel an excellent first country for our international programming focus."

Shuaib Rahim is the GLBT Network Coordinator of Africa for Amnesty International, assisting with regional policy development and the development of GLBT campaigning structures in South Africa. He has worked at the Lesbian and Gay Equality Project as the Gay and Lesbian Legal Advice Centre Coordinator and assisted with program work for the Federation of Gay Games and the Human Rights Committee of South Africa. He is currently also involved with Behind the Mask, a South African-centric GLBT-interest website for which he is establishing an African GLBT youth section.

Evert Knoesen coordinates the Equal Rights Project of the Lesbian and Gay Equality Project, which works to secure equality in the military, equal rights to pensions in the private and public sector, and the right to permanent residency for the same sex partners of South Africans. He was also instrumental in the development of the first gay character in an indigenous South African soap opera. He also successfully led the legal campaign that saw the first-ever banning of broadcast advertisements, both on radio and television, which featured homophobic material. Previously a member of the National Council of Amnesty International South Africa and SA Pride, he now serves on the Advisory Board of the Minister of Defense and on the Film and Publications Board of South Africa.

Glenn de Swardt manages the clinical services and media portfolios of Triangle Project, the oldest gay and lesbian organization in South Africa. Triangle Project offers medical and psychological services, HIV prevention programs and HIV testing, a telephone helpline and a gay library. Glenn is also president of GALACTTIC (Gay And Lesbian Association of Cape Town Tourism, Industry & Commerce), a non-profit organization that promotes the interests of Cape Town's gay business sector.

Sharon Cooper is the editor and manager of WOMYN magazine, South Africa's only lesbian magazine. She is currently involved in The Gay Games Africa Soccer Initiative and participated in both the Sandton National Conference Against Racism and The World Conference Against Racism. Cooper was co-chair of the South African Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee for 1999 and 2000 and was a national executive committee member of the National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality from 1998-2000.

Since its founding in 1993, PrideFest America has become the nation's largest annual gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) symposium and festival. It has expanded from a three-day conference of regional organizations to a full week of events featuring international, national and regional leaders on a broad range of compelling issues. With more than 60 programs and social events presented by 80 regional, national and international organizations, PrideFest America 2002 is the nation's most in-depth program of the emergence of a vibrant GLBT community and its civil rights aspirations.

Some of the highlights of this year's tenth anniversary festival include Tseng Kwong Chi: A Retrospective, an exhibition of approximately 85 works is the first-ever retrospective of this important postmodern photographer; the Tom Stoddard National Role Model Award to MTV at the Kimmel Center in recognition of their distinguished contributions to social change in the GLBT community; a National Healthcare Panel with AIDS Czar Scott Evertz, and a National Religious Colloquy moderated by Dr. Arun Gandhi, grandson to Mahatma Gandhi and founder of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, among other national, international and regional programming.

For further information, visit the website at www.pridefestamerica. com, or call 215-732-FEST.

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