Justin Jacobs and his husband Iekraam.
We entered into a civil union at the Department of Home Affairs in August 2015, because, like a lot of people, we didn’t really have the money for a big, lavish wedding. Then, in March last year, we entered a competition by the Pink Loerie Festival, which is held annually in Knysna, to be one of 16 gay couples to be wed in what was the first mass gay wedding ceremony on the continent – and we won. The day after the ceremony, the parade took place and the 16 couples were asked to lead the procession.
That day, it was overcast and rainy, but about an hour before the parade was due to start, the sun came out, which was amazing. There were drag queens with impeccable make-up, bears with their leather harnesses and Mr Mardi Gras contestants, all buffed and oiled up. There was even a local high school marching band. It was really special. What made it really special for us, though, was that our families were there to support us.
We had, for a few years, had no contact with Iekraam’s mother because she couldn’t come to terms with him being gay. She wasn’t angry about it, but just needed to take her time coming to accept it, I think. So, having her there really meant a lot to us.
On the day of the parade, as the procession passed where our families were standing, they asked if they could join us. We said ‘of course’ and pulled them in to walk along with us. I remember looking back at them and Iekraam’s mother turning to my mother, laughing, and saying, ‘Look at us, Maria – we’re finally coming out of the closet.’
That moment was, for me, an absolutely beautiful way for that message to come across – that she had come to terms with his sexuality and our relationship. And that she accepted and loved us.
Justin Jacobs, 39, as told to Carl Collison, the Other Foundation’s Rainbow Fellow at the Mail&Guardian