IMPORTANT: PLEASE OPEN OR DOWNLOAD THE PDF BELOW TO REGISTER YOUR NICKNAME.

HOW TO REGISTER YOUR NICKNAME

Welcome to #GaySA, the largest, official gay IRC chat room.

QUICK TIP: CHAT NOW ON GAYSA! CHOOSE A CHAT PORTAL ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS PAGE TO GO DIRECTLY TO GAYSA. Mibbit (the frog) is recommended for most users and devices – our Mibbit portal is clean and more stable than connections to chat from other websites.

#GaySA IRC originates as far back as the 90’s. Despite dwindling user numbers on the IRC platform, #GaySA has remained strong throughout the years – thanks to our loyal users and supporting partnerships such as Chat27.co.za which undoubtedly attracts the majority of our new users. #GaySA is a community that values the need for connecting with other people they can relate to from a variety of perspectives.

As we journey into the future of #GaySA in modern times, we’re constantly searching for new ways to innovate and transform our brand and platform in a new world. Keep an eye out for updates and activities on our website – add your input on polls from the home page or contact us to for comments, input or suggestions – including suggestions and ideas for new polls.

We’re on the lookout for volunteers to help us stand out and active online. Content contributors, visual info-content creators, graphic creators for banners, branding, post visuals and design elements. Fun blog posts, relevant (and unique) posts and shares that support our mission to differentiate ourselves locally instead of echoing or competing with other local initiatives with related activities or audiences. Editors, content managers and savvy social media masters to help us develop a structured social media strategy would be a huge bonus too! If you have ideas or would like to contribute any content or volunteer your services – don’t hold back. Even if it’s a one-off – there’s no expectations to commit to anything as a volunteer, we’d love to see what you’ve got for us anyway 🙂

This website is the official website for the official and original #GaySA IRC chatroom – hosted on the Atrum.org network. #GaySA was established way back in 1993 and has remained South Africa’s largest and longest running gay chatroom to this very day. Our channel has also proudly been one of the largest and longest running consistently operational South African IRC channel across all South African IRC networks. In fact, #GaySA had its 23rd birthday on the 19th of June (2016).

Our history within our community is filled with stories of heartache, tough journeys, life-saving supportive heroes when days were dark, coming of age, finding a sense of belonging in a safe place when the world around you wouldn’t understand. There are the stories of star-crossed lovers finding one another, sometimes life-long partners.

Many long lasting, true and meaningful new friendships, soulmates whose paths would cross right here on #GaySA. Fond memories of social outings and a real-world community pulling together as a family over a lonely and difficult Christmas season. Stories that remember those we have lost along the way – old friends and new ones – and whose names and memory is preserved and honored within our ever-changing community – past and present.

It’s a legacy that shaped lives and reflects what we – whoever we were an g-bi-str8-but-still-human d whomever are – have lived through and triumphed as a community and individuals.

So while we want to honor our past and celebrate our legacy by sharing some of these tales over time, our legacy should live on beyond ourselves and to bring this incredible legacy and community to future lives and journeys, we have to evolve to survive and survive strong. We have a lot of catching up to do, the mission is tough, the calling on our community is heavy, but we have legends in our community – loyal and strong against all the odds.

For an IRC channel to weather the tough storms we have for over 23 years and still going strong (in the good times) is a phenomenal achievement worth celebrating! Welcome to our never ending story, let’s fill the pages we have yet to write and keep on keeping on!

~JayJay

UPDATED NICKNAME POLICY, RULES AND GUIDELINES – CLICK HERE TO VIEW

#GaySA remains committed to delivering a socially centered group chat experience whilst endeavoring to build a open or private chat hub that caters to the interest of all our users. Defining and implementing newer and more definitive and targeted rules and guidelines is an integral part of our identity and brand. Changes that affect the fundamental ways in which chatters operate when joining #GaySA – (such as guidelines and limitations that deal with establishing what is acceptable in a nickname and what is going a step too far) – will often be a very slow and naturally evolving organic process to minimize the shock impact of fundamental changes. During these periods between identifying and making public a topic/rule/guideline/amendment/expansion plans/issue/protest/reformation/etc. that will have an impact on how things are done by #GaySA, and officially adopting and enforcing the actual changes, there will be opportunities given via our website for ANYONE and EVERYONE to understand what is being tabled for change.