Nomsa Buthelezi says she was accused of coming out of the closet for 'fame'

Coming out as a member of the LGBTQI+ community is still one of the hardest things you could do and it is no different for celebrities. Nomsa Buthelezi has opened up about being accused of "claiming to be lesbian" for publicity.

After Nomsa finally made the decision to live in her truth as a lesbian she says she's never been happier, but told TshisaLIVE her happiness has also attracted some harsh words.

"Living in your truth is not for the faint hearted. You battle with yourself first and just when you gain confidence, you battle with everyone else who is against who you are. When I came out, and even today, people said it's because I wanted attention as a celebrity. I was cursed, insulted and every second word felt like I was being spat on."

However, it hasn't been all that bad for the Our Perfect Wedding presenter, who revealed that she has been encouraged by hundreds of DMs from women commending her for her bravery.

Nomsa explained that even though she's received some nasty comments, the amount of love she has received across all her social media platforms has inspired her to stand strong.

"I knew that a lot of people looked up to me and as much as that made my decision hard, I knew that it would help some woman who is trapped in a lie. I could have just looked for a husband, so I could have a perfect family, but I opted to be me. I have so many DMs since then with women saying I have given them strength to not live a lie. A woman told me, 'I am married to a man I don't love and I can't stand it anymore'"

No matter how many strides the LGBTQI+ community has made in the past years in South Africa, homophobia is still a real thing for many people and that makes life harder for the homosexuals.

Nomsa has previously told TshisaLIVE that she's known for a long time that she had feelings for women, but was too afraid to explore the possibility of dating one on account of fear.

"The funny thing I think my parents knew first. Even when I was younger, my peers would be going on dates and I would just sit it out. I knew that I didn't love men in that way, I took time to date because I was scared. I was afraid of this "sexuality thing". I couldn't even be vocal about it. I grew up in the township, this kind of thing is not something you just up and talk about, so I tried to fit in. But when my father finally found out I was dating a woman, he said 'We've been waiting for you to embrace who you are."