The actress has come a long way in her career as an actress, writer, and director. Her hard-earned journey is documented with the awards that she has received, but a topic that always pops up when mentioning her name is her openness about her sexuality.
Speaking to Pabi Moloi in a recent interview, Thishiwe dismissed the claim that homosexual people have to ‘come out the closet’ as she had never had to live like that.
“Coming out as a concept is very homophobic in itself because heterosexual people don’t come out, no one has ever had to say: ‘Ma, I’m straight,’ so why is it that if I love women, I have to say: ’Ma, I’m gay?' It’s to make straight people feel comfortable. So yeah I've never had to come out, I just lived as myself.”
Thishiwe went on to say that in as much as there are people going out in communities, spreading the word and enlightening people about homosexuality and homophobia, she prefers to educate people about such through the films that she makes, but without being too preachy.
“I always said that my activism is art, so everyone has their own calling, there are people that go out and do the work, they go to communities, they educate people. I make films, and I use films to educate people about such things without also being too preachy. So for me, that's my activism, spreading love is another way you can cure, kill, destroy, obliterate homophobia, it has to be messages of love.”
Reminded of the backlash that the actress received when she and her bae, actress Mandisa Nduna received when posting a sexy picture together, Thishiwe says that she is disgusted with the way people attack homosexuals for just being themselves.
“Obviously we know it’s a huge problem, it’s disgusting how people feel that it is ok to take from someone, to rob them, to rape them, to attack them, or to even spew hate speech because they differ to you, who gave you the right?
Following the big features Thishiwe has made on our screens, she says that she has been working on some work that will air in July this year, that she is very proud of.
“I just wrote, directed and creatively produced a four-part urban fantasy mini-series, so it’s almost done, it’s going to be on air in July, and it’s beautiful. I’m so proud of my work and I love that I am able to say that."
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Main image credit: instagram.com/@thishiwe