We are Transgender and Intersex Africa

Transgender and Intersex Africa has been in existence since 2010. At first an informal group, we formally started operating as a registered NPO with a constitution in 2011.

TIA primarily focuses on black trans and intersex people living in rural areas and black townships in South Africa. We run projects that bring these communities together. Our advocacy programme seeks to ensure trans and intersex rights are recognized and protected, trans and intersex people have access to legal gender recognition and affirming quality healthcare, and discrimination against trans and intersex people in education, employment, and local communities is prevented.

Access to legal gender recognition is one of the most pressing matters affecting trans and intersex people in South Africa. The quality of the service is often questionable, and hospitals have long waiting lists- up to 20 years. TIA engages with the Department of Health and the Department of Home Affairs, in order to increase access to affirming healthcare services. This includes access to gender marker changes without obstacles.

Who Makes Up TIA

 TIA is a trans and intersex led organisation. Our core constituency is black transgender and intersex people and their families, while our secondary constituency includes the people who provide them services.

We recognise that representation is important, especially in social justice. In a country where the representation of “transgender” is often middle class, non-black and Eurocentric, the creation of an organisation that represents black trans and intersex people is political. We are an organisation that represents the people in an image they can relate to and disseminates information in languages and formats that people understand.