Triangle Project has its origins in an organisation called GASA 6010, which was established in 1981 by a small group of gay men. In 1982, the organisation set up a counselling and medical service site as well as a telephone helpline. In 1984, GASA 6010 began a service on HIV & AIDS related issues.
GASA 6010 was one of the first organisations in the country to respond to the HIV & AIDS crisis, and assisted with prevention initiatives in the gay bars and clubs. In 1985 the organisation produced literature on HIV & AIDS which it distributed to all communities throughout South Africa. In 1989, a fundraising arm called AIDS Support and Education Trust (ASET) was established.
In 1994, ASET and the counselling service became independent from GASA 6010. ASET moved premises to a community centre, which was closer to public transport and could thus serve a potentially wider clientele. In that same year a meeting hosted the Gay, Lesbian and Cross-dresser Forum brought together a diverse group of people from the Western Cape. At this two day meeting it was decided ASET would be the forum to carry forward work on HIV & AIDS in the gay and lesbian communities of the Western Cape.
From 1995, the organisation focused on organisational processes and the objective of empowering gay and lesbian communities through health and development programmes.
In 1996, the organisation changed its name to Triangle Project to reflect the multi-faceted nature of its services. Triangle Project then established the first gay and lesbian health project in a Black African township in Cape Town. Today, Triangle Project is one of the largest LGBTIQ organisations in South Africa, offering a wide range of services to a diverse and growing community.