Zethu Matebeni
Introduction
Gay and lesbian people have been on the social, legal and political agenda for some time. Post-apartheid South Africa has boldly included gay and lesbian rights in the transition to democracy. Most recently, same-sex marriages have been legalised even though widely challenged. While there is much talk about gay and lesbian rights, for many lesbian women these rights are merely paper rights as women struggle to cope and live with the challenges of a society with rampant inequalities. Furthermore, gay and lesbian people continue to face resistance from a society entrenched with patriarchy and notions of homosexuality as “unAfrican”.
Since the 1930s, sex and sexuality in South Africa, although to varying
degrees and largely focusing on men’s experiences, have been widely
speculated on and have been an important register of social hierarchy and
change (Delius and Glaser, 2002). Under apartheid, public and political
scrutiny of sex and sexuality was intensified through legislature, policing and censorship, as argued by Posel (2004). Also in the last two decades, sexuality has gained momentum in the public sphere due to the HIV and AIDS epidemic which has forced public discussions on sex and sexuality. The 1996 Constitution and the Bill of Rights have also placed sexual practices, identity, and freedom of expression as protected rights accessible to all citizens.
Despite some of these advances, critical work on lesbians or women’s samesex relationships has been minimal in the scholarship in South Africa.
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