Guard your homophobia

Thabo Moenyane

More members of the LGBTQIA+ community are getting courageous and comfortable with coming out to their families, friends, and the public. However, homophobia is still something which people continue to experience in their daily lives.

First-year education student and content creator, Banele Shezi, recently came out as gay to the public on his social media platforms and faces homophobia on a daily basis “I love making TikTok videos and there’s always a bunch of homophobes that write homophobic slurs under my videos”, said Shezi. Shezi, before officially coming out to his family, educated them if he heard them using homophobic slurs after seeing gay content on television. Shezi did this so that when he came out, at least his family would be more receptive towards gay people. When asked what his family’s reaction was after he publicly came out, he said: “When I went back home for recess, my cousin brother didn’t want to share a bed with me because of my coming out video.”

Shezi said that even though he continues to experience homophobia, he is not in any way shaken. He said that he knows there are far more people that love him. The same cannot be said about Sipho Mabuza, a second-year psychology student, who has since suffered from anxiety and low self-esteem because of the homophobia he has experienced after coming out about his sexuality. “I deleted my social media accounts because I couldn’t bear the homophobic slurs I got each time I posted a picture on my social media accounts as a feminine gay person”, said Mabuza. Mabuza indicated that he is getting professional help to deal with his anxiety issues and hopes to not care about what anyone has to say about his sexuality one day. “I am also aware of the internalised homophobia I now have, due to the homophobia I had and continue to experience, and I am also dealing with that”, said Mabuza.

Homophobia has evolved throughout the women who fix their hijabs in the bathroom. In Islam, it is obligatory for women to cover their hair in the presence of the opposite sex, which in this case places Muslim women at risk when queer men use the female bathrooms. So, although UP still has steps to take to become all-inclusive, it is also vital to remain realistic. years but it continues to impact lives of those who are the unfortunate targets of abhorrence, prejudice, and violence. Homophobia stems from ignorance and a lack of education and can be perpetuated by a fear of the unfamiliar and religious beliefs. Therefore, it is vital to educate oneself on gender and sexuality so that they change their behaviour towards members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Homophobia is, to say the least, senseless. Guard your homophobia.

Individuals, however, can take certain steps to improve spaces on campus for LGBTQIA+ students.

UP&Out chairperson Kherina Narotam encourages UP students to get involved in the events organised by UP&OUT, a structure that advocates for Pride and represents queer students on campus, to be a part of the change. Brouard also emphasises that “a lot of queer people have experienced a lot of hurt, and sometimes it can leave them feeling angry, bitter and very sensitive to other hurts”. Therefore, UP&Out events and discussions provide an informal peer support structure to help improve an individual’s mental well-being and to let people know that they are not alone. Moreover, they provide training such as sensitivity training upon request to individuals or groups to help alleviate internalised homophobia at UP.

Another anonymous student outlined that disagreeing with the LGBTQIA+ community does not necessarily make a person homophobic. They further explained that individuals should be able to adjust to the people they disagree with being in their space, seeing that the student body at UP is diverse and everyone should be respected. But it is critical to discern between disagreement and hate - as the danger of disagreeing is that it may foster hate.

In light of this, Brouard indicates that there is huge diversity within the label “queer”. Not only does the queer community focus on gender and identity but also on the different struggles and histories faced such as racial oppression, social class disputes, culture, age, and faith. It provides a sense of freedom for you to acknowledge who you are without any stigma or discrimination relating to your choice of religion, identity, ethnicity, etc. It invites and accepts individuals from all backgrounds regardless of their choices, making pride for everyone.