Mark Gevisser

Mark Gevisser

Mark Gevisser was born in 1964 and is currently 62 years old. Mark Gevisser was born in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Mark Gevisser is a South African author of the Alan Paton award-winning book Portraits of Power.

His book, The Pink Line expands on our understanding of today’s queer history and broadens in both scope and depth. Gevisser utilizes a combination of analytical chapters that situate the struggle of LGBTQ+ people for human rights within the context of globalization, and moving personal accounts from queer individuals whom the author interviewed across nine countries.

These stories include that of a Malawian transgender refugee who received asylum in South Africa; a Ugandan gay refugee stranded in Nairobi; a lesbian couple who opened a gay café in Cairo; a trans woman battling for custody of her son in Moscow; and a community of Kothis who are in charge of a temple in an Indian fishing village.

The strength of this book lies in how the author highlights the interplay of these human rights struggles: how progress and change in one region of the world can create both a dynamic in favor of LGBTQ+ rights and a hostile reaction to those same rights in another region.

This global power struggle has led to the instrumentalization of LGBTQ+ lives by political groups that have little to do with their demands for equality and dignity. In Western Europe and the United States, conservative politicians have turned LGBTQ+ rights into a rallying cry against the influx of immigrants.

For example, in 2018, the far-right Flemish national party Vlaams Belang claimed to be the most LGBTQ+ friendly, since all other parties were “ready to bring thousands of Muslims with very violent views against homosexuality or trans identity into the country.” In Eastern Europe and Russia, progress on LGBTQ+ rights in Western Europe is being used as a rallying cry against the entrenchment of a decadent Western liberalism.

But the story gives us hope. LGBTQ activists worldwide have campaigned for their recognition as human rights despite the abuse of LGBTQ rights by some politicians for personal gain. In 2019, the WHO adopted the ICD-11, and soon Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.

The "It Gets Better" campaign has evolved into a global movement, starting with American celebrities posting videos online about their experiences and their belief in a better future.

Gevisser tells the story of a young Egyptian man found by his family along with his partner. The family shaved his head and then locked him in a room for a month. This young man used his phone to upload his own "It Gets Better" video to YouTube, and in 2018, he overcame all adversity and became a lawyer.

The path to justice continues to evolve, even when negative reactions sometimes obscure the progress made. But as people from all over the world who shared their stories with Mark Gevisser know, change requires active engagement.

Mark Gevisser: Lists & Other Mentions

• The Pink Line: Journeys Across the World's Queer Frontiers was a Time Magazine: 100 Must-Read Books Selection in 2020.

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2. Susan Lewis, author of: My Lies, Your Lies.
3. Susan McBride, author of the Detective Jo Larsen Series.
4. Susan Meissner, author of: The Nature of Fragile Things.
5. Susan Orlean, author of the Susan Orlean Library Science Books.

Mark Gevisser: F.A.Q