In 1990 Nkoli became one of the first South African activists to publicly acknowledge his HIV-positive status. He co-founded the Township AIDS Project (TAP) and the Gay Men's Health Forum, working assiduously to bring AIDS education and counseling to disadvantaged populations. He was also a founding member of both the Positive African Men's Project and the National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality (now the Lesbian and Gay Equality Project), as well as a board member of the International Lesbian and Gay Association.

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Playful and irreverent, Nkoli inspired the devotion of South African progressives from all backgrounds and drew an international following. A 1989 speaking tour of Europe, Canada, and the United States raised $35,000 for TAP.

Simon Nkoli died of AIDS in a Johannesburg hospital on November 30, 1998. A memorial at St. Mary's Anglican Cathedral was followed by a funeral in Sebokeng attended by many of the glbtq and anti-apartheid movements' luminaries. The September 1999 pride march was dedicated to him and included a stop at the newly named "Simon Nkoli Corner" at the intersection of Pretoria and Twist Streets in Johannesburg.

His papers at the Gay and Lesbian Archives of South Africa include his letters from prison, which were the basis for Robert Colman's 2003 play, "Your Loving Simon." Bev Ditsie's film Simon & I provides a loving portrait of his final years.

In the United States, glbtq people have played an integral and often leading role in AIDS activism, greatly influencing AIDS treatment and advocacy.

The diverse South African glbtq community both thrives and struggles amid the contradictions between a conservative traditional culture and some of the most progressive gay rights legislation in the world.

South African activist Zackie Achmat has been a pivotal figure in his country's progress in the area of glbtq rights and in its response to AIDS.

The International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) is a worldwide federation of local and national groups dedicated to achieving equal rights for glbtq people.