Chris de Beer-Procter (she/her) is a queer photojournalist who uses social documentary and portraiture to tell human stories “at the intersection of the personal and the political”. She has been documenting the queer rights movement in Namibia since 2021 and has published several articles on the topic both locally and internationally. For Beyond the Margins, she writes about her experiences covering the fight for LGBTQIA+ equality in Namibia, and accompanies it with a slideshow of Drag Night Namibia’s “electrifying” second anniversary celebration.
Something important has been happening in Namibia. Over the past few years, a small but dedicated group of queer activists have doggedly been fighting for their constitutional rights – a battle against what they term ‘state-sanctioned homophobia’.
As a queer photojournalist from neighbouring South Africa (where our rights as LGBTQIA+ people are enshrined in the country’s Constitution), I’ve been following the Namibian queer rights movement over the past few years, documenting their experiences as they take to the streets – as well as the courts – to push for their rights.
Since 2021, in what has been labelled “the biggest civil rights movement since [the country gained] Independence”, there have been numerous court cases brought by LGBTQIA+ Namibians and their families in attempts to secure their rights to live, work, love and raise a family.
Being in the courts and hearing arguments against the validity of our love, and being faced with anti-LGBTQIA+ protesters and witnessing how this affects the litigants, was not easy. I experienced feelings of frustration and fear as I read the posters of protestors outside the Supreme Court, claiming – falsely – that “homosexuality is one of the biggest health risks in Namibia”, and that “about 70% of all new HIV infections are transmitted between men having sex with men (anal sex)”. Or reminding us that “Jesus loves you”, but also cautioning Namibians to “obey God’s word” to “escape God’s wrath upon Namibia for immorality acts”.
These moments can wear you down. They are also the reason the monthly event, Drag Night Namibia, is so vital to the country’s LGBTQIA+ community. Taking place in a country which is witnessing an ever-increasing amount of “direct attack[s] on the LGBTQ community”, Drag Night Namibia offers LGBTQIA+ Namibians a place of community, solace, affirmation and joy.
In March this year, I attended the event’s second anniversary. And, as soon as I stepped into the venue, Windhoek’s The Loft for You, with its pride flag-draped walls encasing the queer and allied revellers, I felt at home.
Miss Mavis Dash, The Mother Of The House Of Dash, hosted Drag Night Namibia’s second anniversary show. Photo: Chris de Beer-Procter. 4 March 2023. 
Selena Dash, of The House of Dash, leads the entrance of the Drag Night Namibia cast. Omar van Reenen, founder of Equal Namibia, took to the stage later in the evening to say: “What we are doing here today is massive. Taking up space in a born-free Namibia… This is what our liberators fought for. Because their blood waters our freedom, too.” Photo: Chris de Beer-Procter. 4 March 2023 
Coco and Miss Shy Dash take a bow. Photograph: Chris de Beer-Procter. 4 March 2023. 
Mercedez von Cloete takes in the atmosphere with friends. Von Cloete is an active member of the movement who won a high-profile case against Namibian Minister of Safety and Security after a transphobic attack by police. Photo: Chris de Beer-Procter. 4 March 2023. 
Miss Mavis Dash acknowledges Deyoncé Naris (or ‘Mamma D’ as she’s affectionately known), a trans rights activist, who is executive director of the Transgender, Intersex and Androgynous Movement of Namibia (TIAMON) and chairperson of the Southern African Trans Forum. Photo: Chris de Beer-Procter. 4 March 2023. 
Gigi Has Arrived, from The House of Arrivals, and Miss Mavis, from The House of Dash, take to the stage. “When you experience it, you feel on top of the world. Like, whatever you think creatively, can be a reality. And the most beautiful thing is there are people that are celebrating it with you.” says Rodelio Lewis. Photo: Chris de Beer-Procter. 4 March 2023. 
The crowd enjoys a performance. Daniel Digashu, a litigant in a same-sex marriage case which was heard at the Namibian Supreme Court the day before, says: “With all the painful stuff that’s going on in the fight, it’s good to be in a safe space with [a] group of LGBT people. I broke down a few times, because it’s so special. We’re all fighting the same fight.” Photo: Chris de Beer-Procter. 4 March 2023. 
Sven-Eric Müller, an activist, choreographer and dancer realises that, during his performance, he has broken a heel. “The night was incredible,” he says. “I honestly couldn’t believe I was in Namibia. It was a very exciting feeling and I can’t wait to see more of it.” Photo: Chris de Beer-Procter. 4 March 2023. 
“It’s the combination of both the divine masculine [and] the divine feminine in one moment – and allowing them both to shine. It’s challenging the patriarchy. It’s rewriting the narrative. It’s leading the troops into war,” says Rodelio Lewis, who founded Drag Night Namibia and hosted the event as his drag persona, Miss Mavis Dash. Photo: Chris de Beer-Procter. 4 March 2023. 
Selena Dash, from The House of Dash, performs. Photo: Chris de Beer-Procter. 4 March 2023.
All around me, I witnessed a celebration of queerness as members of our LGBTQIA+ family expressed their true selves: being, dressing and dancing in ways many of them cannot do in their everyday lives. In the seemingly uphill battle against increased queerphobia – and in a country where queer-centred spaces are a rarity – Drag Night Namibia provides something invaluable for queer Namibians: the opportunity to revel in queer joy, and the euphoria of expressing their authentic selves.
“It’s something very beautiful for people to experience someone [being] their most vulnerable and true self… to showcase that and receive such love and respect,” says Rodelio Lewis, who runs Drag Night Namibia, and hosts the event in his drag persona, Miss Mavis. “It’s a very community-building experience – and it’s very beautiful.”