Siya Khumalo
South Africa

Siya Khumalo is the author of several sociopolitical analyses and the book You Have to Be Gay To Know God, which made the longlist for the Alan Paton Literary Award from the Sunday Times and the shortlist for the University of Johannesburg Debut Prize, and won the Desmond Tutu’Gerrit Brand Literary Prize. Siya is ex-military, a speaker, the runner-up for Mr. Gay South Africa, and a finalist for Mr. Gay World Top 10. He writes often for News24 on bridging the gap between South Africa’s democratic ideals, the lived experiences of LGBTI persons, and the importance of decriminalizing LGBTI identities to strengthen human rights under democracies. He is also a Writing Fellow with the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study. After completing the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, Siya plans to continue his work as a sociopolitical commentator and hopes to reach a broader audience through the Fellowship’s network.