Karen Hultzer who is representing South Africa in archery at the London 2012 Olympics recently spoke out about being a lesbian in South Africa.

In a recent interview with local gay website, Mamba online, the 42-year-old Olympian highlighted the discrimination towards lesbians in the country.

“I am an archer, middle aged and a lesbian. I am also cranky before my first cup of coffee. None of these aspects define who I am, they are simply part of me. I am fortunate that my sexual identity is not an issue, and I don’t suffer the level of discrimination and violence that black lesbians in South Africa do. I look forward to the day when this is a non-issue and as relevant as my eye color or favorite sushi.”

Aaah, Karen…

If we work together to fight hate crimes, I believe it can become a non-issue.
Not only are we inspired by Karen’s bravery, but we also commend her for making a public statement regarding her sexuality on such a huge platform.

Hopefully this will call some attention to the issues of gay and lesbian rights in our country.

Follow Women24 and Kay on Twitter.