Simon Tseko Nkoli | |
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Born | Soweto, Union of South Africa | 26 November 1957
Died | 30 November 1998 Johannesburg, South Africa | (aged 41)
Cause of death | AIDS-related illness |
Known for | anti-apartheid, gay rights, and AIDS activism |
Partner(s) | Roy Shepherd; Roderick Sharp |
Simon Tseko Nkoli (26 November 1957 – 30 November 1998) was an anti-apartheid, gay rights and AIDS activist in South Africa. Active in the Congress of South African Students (COSAS), the United Democratic Front, and the Gay Association of South Africa (GASA), he was arrested as part of the Delmas Treason Trial in 1984. After his release in 1988, he founded the Gay and Lesbian Organisation of the Witwatersrand (GLOW) and organized South Africa's first pride parade. His activism influenced the African National Congress (ANC) to enshrine gay rights in the South African constitution. One of the first South Africans to disclose that he was living with HIV/AIDS, Nkoli founded the Township AIDS Project. After his death from AIDS-related complications, his colleagues established the Treatment Action Campaign.