Sexual and gender diversity, ageing and elder care in South Africa: voices and realities

While South Africa is a world leader in terms of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) rights, the disjuncture between policy and practice—especially for more invisible cohorts within LGBTI communities—means that the formal rights that exist are often not translated into practice. There is no research to date in South Africa on sexual and gender minority ageing and LGBTI elders remain almost entirely invisible in terms of policy and public service provision. The chapter focuses on African perspectives on ageing and presents the narrative account of an older lesbian couple. Findings are that the experiences of ageing for African LGBTI elders are necessarily inflected through community norms and through power, privilege and oppression. Recommendations include the capacitation of home based support services to engage the needs of LGBTI elders and the inclusion of sexual and gender diversity in policy and approaches to the care of older people

Download Full-text

Sexual and Reproductive Justice for LGBTQI Youth in Policy Responses Across Eastern and Southern Africa

10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.1363 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ingrid Lynch ◽

Finn Reygan

Keyword(s):

Young People ◽

Reproductive Health ◽

Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽

Gender Diversity ◽

Minority Youth ◽

Reproductive Justice ◽

Policy Narratives ◽

Sexual And Gender Minority ◽

Eastern And Southern Africa ◽

And Gender

Both significant progress and profound backlash have occurred in the inclusion of sexual and gender diversity across eastern and southern Africa. This includes the decriminalization of homosexuality in Mozambique in 2015 and the introduction of the Anti-Homosexuality Act (later annulled) in Uganda in the preceding year. Simultaneously there is increased pressure on Ministries of Education to engage more robustly with sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) education in education systems across the region. Emerging regional research points to a narrow, heteronormative focus in comprehensive sexuality education; access barriers to sexual and reproductive health services; and pervasive school-related gender-based violence, including homophobic and transphobic violence. Civil society organizations (CSOs) play a key role in developing best practice in advancing the SRHR of sexual and gender minority youth and are therefore a valuable resource for government SRHR policies and programmatic responses. The regional SRHR education policy landscape is underpinned by two policy narratives: that of young people’s SRHR as a public health concern and a focus on young people’s human rights. These policy narratives not only underpin SRHR policy in the region but also in many instances are drawn on in CSO advocacy when positioning the SRHR of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) young people as an important policy concern. These two dominant policy narratives, however, have a narrow focus on young people’s risks and vulnerabilities, may inadvertently perpetuate stigma and marginalization of LGBTQI youth, and may limit youth voice and agency. These narratives also do not sufficiently engage local sociocultural and structural conditions that drive negative SRHR outcomes for young people in the region. Research, advocacy, and policy development toward the full realization of the SRHR of sexual and gender minority youth can address some of the limitations of health and rights-based policy narratives by drawing on a sexual and reproductive justice framework. Such a framework expands the policy focus on health risks and individual rights to include engagement with sociocultural and structural constraints on young people’s ability to exercise their rights. A sexual and reproductive justice framework provides a more robust toolkit when working toward full inclusion of sexual and gender diversity in regional school-based SRHR policy and programs.

Download Full-text

Emotions and pedagogies of discomfort: Teachers’ responses to sexual and gender diversity in the Free State, South Africa

Education as Change ◽

10.1080/16823206.2014.943259 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 101-119 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Finn Reygan ◽

Dennis Francis

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Gender Diversity ◽

Free State ◽

And Gender

Download Full-text

Teaching About Sexual and Gender Diversity and Challenging Homophobia/Transphobia in the South African School System

Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Schooling ◽

10.1093/med:psych/9780199387656.003.0010 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 165-184

Author(s):

Finn Reygan

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Education Policy ◽

South African ◽

Gender Diversity ◽

The South ◽

Gender Minorities ◽

South African School ◽

And Gender ◽

South African Constitution ◽

Diversity In Education

The South African Constitution was the first in the world to include sexual orientation protections, and the country was an early embracer of same-sex marriage. Nevertheless, the lives of sexual and gender minorities in South Africa, including young people in schools, are often characterized by violence and discrimination. The growing body of research on sexual and gender diversity in education in South Africa indicates that homophobia is widespread in schools and that teachers and school principals are ill-prepared to challenge this homophobia and to teach in an affirming way about sexual and gender diversity. This chapter discusses the development of a training module for South African teachers on how best to challenge homophobia and transphobia and to teach about sexual and gender diversity in schools. Given the focus in South African education policy on social justice and inclusion in the post-apartheid context, this ground-breaking intervention supports transformative education policy.

Download Full-text

Support to address barriers to learning for learners who are deaf

African Journal of Disability ◽

10.4102/ajod.v7i0.381 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

Author(s):

Peter Mapepa ◽

Meahabo D. Magano

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Support Services ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Research Policy ◽

Universal Design For Learning ◽

Qualitative Content Analysis ◽

Barriers To Learning ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

Special Schools ◽

Design For Learning

Background: There is great importance in support services for successfully addressing the barriers to learning optimally or learners who are deaf. The study, though conducted in South Africa, has national and international appeal.Objectives: The aim of the study was to identify educator reflections on support services needed for them to address barriers to learning of learners who are deaf.Method: The study used a qualitative design for collecting data in natural settings. A sample size of 11 educators of learners who are deaf was purposively selected from two provinces of South Africa. The study used an open ended individual interview questionnaire.Results: Data was analysed using qualitative content analysis considering the context of the schools in which the study was carried out. Results showed that there was: limited curriculum support in special schools; lack of support and inadequate teaching and learning materials; overcrowding in one school and; limited support of multidisciplinary professionals in most schools.Conclusion: The study provided a framework for support services important for research, policy and practice. Of significance was the relevance of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) theoretical framework in implementing support services programmes in schools.

Download Full-text