Gender-based violence (GBV) is a pervasive issue in South Africa, with the country having one of the highest rates of domestic violence globally. Findings by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) demonstrate that GBV in rape and sexual assault cases are rampant in our communities.
GBV’s adverse impact on young women and non-binary minority groups has reached higher learning institutions. As a result, universities are no longer regarded as secure environments.
The scourge sparked student protests on South African university campuses in 2016. That again is proof that we are a generation fighting for survival and that GBV has become a norm in South Africa. Victims include members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) community.
We celebrated Pride Month in June as with Youth Month, which is a direct result of the 1976 generation who fought for quality education as a human right. Pride Month commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Riot and honours the LGBTQI+ community’s right to associate with others.
However, under the current status quo, students and youth who identify with the LGBTQI+ community continue to face harassment and discrimination. This is driven by prejudice deeply rooted in nonsensical societal assumptions about gender roles, particularly in South African universities. Undeniably, people identifying with the LGBTQI+ community encounter various forms of discrimination daily, creating a persistent fear of “coming out” owing to systematic challenges.
The LGBTQI+ community faces challenges such as, but not limited to, the language used in university institutional policies and documents; infrastructure such as toilets, residential spaces that are not inclusive to the transgender community and LGBTQI+ community; labelling as “isitabane” as a reference to homosexuals; and homophobic behaviour on campus. Universities should be at the forefront of fostering and advocating for inclusive and non-sexist environments and in doing so, be deliberate in making an impact in this regard.
Siyanda Maganya of the Gender Equality and Anti-discrimination office in the Unit for Institutional Change and Social Justice in an opinion piece titled “Gender-neutral language and titles can help create a more equitable playing field” states that “the long-standing tradition of using terminologies that only recognise the gender binary ought to be denounced, as it is discriminatory and exclusionary towards students who do not identify as either male or female for participation in leadership roles.
For the sake of this piece, I would use those words not only in the context of leadership roles, but also in the language used to address students and employees in university policies, documents, and other forms of communication. In other words, institutions have a significant role in confronting the difficulties faced by the LGBQI+ community and young people in general.
Furthermore, institutions are responsible for developing well-rounded graduates regarding societal challenges and educating communities about acts of marginalisation against the LGBTQI+ community. ) Vusumzi Qqalane is of the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of the Free State (UFS).
