3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item The narrated social and sexual experiences of black gay university students who have sex in the closet(2017) Kekana, PutukeThe aim of this study was to enquire on the narratives of black gay South African university students who are ‘in the closet" i.e. their parents do not know about their sexuality only a few trusted friends within the university space. These narratives focused on their social and sexual experiences which involved their interactions within the university as black gay men in the closet. Four black gay students from two Johannesburg universities aged 21 to 24 participated in this study. The study made use of a qualitative research design grounded in Narrative Theory. Unstructured interviews were conducted and the collected narratives were analysed using Narrative Analysis. Each participant narrated different individual experiences of the university space as well as how they negotiated their sexual practices as gay men who are in the closet. The participants offered knowledge about the university spaces that they occupied as well as the communities in which they were raised. The participants" narratives highlight the intersectional challenges black gay men from township and rural South Africa endure because of social constructs of heteronormativity, hegemonic masculinity, religious intolerance and homophobia, all which were perpetuated within these spaces. These challenges also affected their sexual experiences; influencing their lack of interest in sexual intercourse. The study highlights the importance of creating safe spaces for gay people to express their sexuality visibly. The study argues that visibility can challenge social ills experienced by gay people within university spaces and the country at large.Item Responding to hate crimes: identity politics in the context of race and class division among South African LGBTI(2016-03-01) Clayton, Matthew RossThis paper examines race and class schisms among South African LGBTI persons using the lens of hate crimes legislation. While much praise is given to South Africa’s constitutional framework which provides for non-discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, LGBTI persons still face unacceptably high levels of violence and victimisation. An ongoing trend of violent murders of black lesbian women in particular has mobilised advocacy by LGBTI organisations and other civil society actors to call for hate crimes legislation. This paper takes a critical look at hate crimes legislation and the potential problems of its application in a society with gross inequality and power discrepancies. This critique has as its foundation an acknowledgement that action needs to be taken to address the scourge of violence, while at the same time understanding the intersectionality of oppression and the uneven results achieved by liberal legal reform.