Are Your Rights Respected?

"Are Your Rights Respected?" is a comic book which was developed to help outreach education in the Deaf community about HIV/AIDS, sexuality, sexual diversity, rights, and empowerment. The comic was developed by the Gay and Lesbian Archives, then an independent project of the South African History Archives located at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, and now an independent trust called Gay and Lesbian Memory In Action (GALA ). It was produced in collaboration with comic storytellers Neil Verlaque-Napper and Andre Croucamp, Community Media for Development, and the South African sign language interpreters' organisation SASLINC, among others. It is illustrated by South African artist Tommy Motswai.

The comic looks at issues of sexual abuse and violence, sexually transmitted infections (STI), HIV, and different sexualities in the Deaf community. It tells the story of a group of friends at a Deaf school as they seek to learn about sexual health, and lobby for their right to information.

According to the Centre for Deaf Studies at the University of the Witswaterstrand, Deafness is considered the single largest disability grouping in South Africa. Sign Language (SASL) is used as a first language by approximately 500,000 Deaf South Africans. The producers used Motswai’s images and illustrations of South African SASL to communicate the storyline. The comic contains very few words, and, as a result, is designed to be accessible for those with lower literacy. The book is based on a series of consultations and focus groups undertaken with young Deaf people.