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  • 1 day ago
Then the blue lights came, doors smashed open, flashlights cut through the smoke, uniforms, batons, shouting.

You hear the boots first. They didn't knock. They came to humiliate us. That was the whole point.

They lined us up, photographed our faces, dehumanized us, called us names, locked the doors.

They made us stand like criminals against that wall. My neighbour watched from the window. In that moment they treated us like animals. Made us feel like we had no rights.

This is what happened to gay men in South Africa under apartheid

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Transcript
00:00Then the blue lights came, doors smashed open, flashlights cut through the smoke, uniforms, batons, shouting.
00:10You hear the boots first. They didn't knock. They came to humiliate us. That was the whole point.
00:18They lined us up, photographed our faces, dehumanized us, called us names, locked the doors.
00:27They made us stand like criminals against that wall. My neighbor watched from the window.
00:34In that moment, they treated us like animals, made us feel like we had no rights.
00:48In Hillbrow, Johannesburg, every beautiful night could end like this.
00:54They took my shoes. I walked out of there barefoot, but I never walked out quietly again.
01:02Get down! Hands where I can see them! Line up! No talking!
01:05As the gay community, our very existence was illegal.
01:08Follow us now for the next episode.

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