the past, they used to have the police at their events, however this seemed to scare away many of their members and they stopped coming for the events. Thus in order to create a conducive environment for all, they had to stop inviting the police. However, the staff were also concerned that with the now highly charged political environment where gay issues have become highly politicised, it will be difficult to get such support from the police. Responses by GALZ to raids GALZ has initiated security and safety training among its members, which helps them in their general day to day life as it pertains to their sexual orientation. Whenever GALZ holds an event, they do not reveal the venue beforehand. At times people do not know where they are going but are just given a transport pick up point. All this is done to protect the members. However with the advancements in technology, the venue may be unwittingly revealed by the members themselves. Whenever there are security concerns, GALZ sends message alerts to their members, not only when there are fears of raids but even general security threats. Members have also been informed that it has become a security issue for GALZ to hold an event with 50 or more people. The event that took place in December 2014 where a raid was conducted was fully organised by the members and not GALZ staff. When raids do take place, GALZ does report to the police since they have the mandate to investigate and get to the bottom of the issue. However the response at times has not been very encouraging. 48 An Assessment of the impact of state sanctioned and unsanctioned raids on GALZ premises and gatherings