Modern Queer Lifestyles

Katlego Kolanyane-Kesuplie, the founder of the Queer Shorts Showcase Festival, did a talk on being queer and starting Botswana's very first and only LGBT theater festival. The TED Fellow examines and explains the connection between a modern queer lifestyle and her upbringing in a rural village in Botswana.

She starts her talk by breaking down what insults truly mean, stating that "you don't belong here" usually translates to "we can't find a function or a role for you." She explains how most things usually have a double meaning, without necessarily intending to be insulting. Most people of color that are a part of the LGBT community face these issues daily, so she aims to bring awareness to smaller communities that have less popularity compared to global cities. Bringing forward acts of pride to villages where she speaks the language to form a stronger connection is her goal, indigenizing queerness to bridge many exceptional parts of herself.

Katlego Kolanyane-Kesuplie's talk on being queer in a smaller community explains that sexuality is something to be proud of whether you're in a big city on a rooftop patio, or at home in the countryside.