by: naledi chuwe
The real rainbow nation will continue to show their pride through the colours of identity.
The prestigious institution of Rhodes University is hoped to be profoundly liberating in terms of the LGBT+ community. In an investigation executed in mid-2015, the results of surveys answered concluded that a significant amount of LGBT+ members who were unsatisfied with the treatment towards them. Although the aftermath of the findings resulted dishearteningly, within four years Rhodes University has transformed into a gradually friendly and accepting environment for people with colourful identities to express.
Rhodes University has increased their tolerance as the LGBT+ society has grown in noticeable proportions. The societal members alongside non-members of the community who are in full support gather annually on the last week of October to celebrate and express themselves as vibrantly as possible. The week is dedicated to honour self-acceptance, societal achievements, legal rights and overall pride. The commemoration celebrated globally on the last Sunday of June is incorporated into marches, fashion shows as well as flamboyant parties at Rhodes, which are, rumour has it, anticipated from the beginning of the year. At the pre- and post-holdings of the celebrations, there are discussions on strategies to raise awareness and engage with LGBTQ+ struggles that are still faced in the university.
A handful of members through interviews express their uncertainty of the institution being fully acceptant of lesbianism. When asked if the institution is LGBT+ friendly, a pansexual and non-binary anonymous replied frustratingly, “It is neutral. Most people tolerate the community and a lot sexualise it. In my experience, quite a number sexualise lesbian relationships.” Ms Dikobe commented, “Yes and no. There is a stigma attached to bisexual people in general. I get the sense that I am not ‘queer’ enough. I feel as though as a bisexual girl, I am more accepted (which could possibly be because of a fetish) by heterosexuals. Society is encouraged to break the ignorance around the stereotypical sexually fluid relationships.”
Buhle Ntusi rants about the lack of knowledge society obtains about the community as she explains that the list of identities in the community are not the “common ones”. She, a pansexual, constantly finds herself having to elaborate on the meaning of her sexuality. She goes on to define it as, “It basically means it is more inclusive, so if you were to fall in love with somebody that is perhaps transgender, non-binary or gender fluid, pansexuality will be able to accommodate it.”
Rhodes has done an applaudable job at creating an environment where sexually fluid students feel free to express themselves through their sexuality. Students are not feeling ‘caged’. However, research shows that every participant of the investigation knows of someone who has been discriminated against in the university. Both physical and verbal abuse were experienced, with the latter being more common. In all cases found, neither justice nor care and interest from the university were shown. This is an opportunity for Rhodes to change through improvement.
As the research strengthens and moves forward with the established answers, the question still remains, so what from here? What is the next step of progression for Rhodes University to overcome the stigma the community of the LGBT+ have to face on a daily basis? Nonjabulo Ntuli, an open lesbian, suggests, “We need more information talks, people do not understand what being queer is. The talks need to be a safe space for even homophobes, even though it is as uncomfortable as it could be.” An anonymous source commented with a different perspective of the question, “Students bear the responsibility to educate themselves. They should be aware and mindful of the existence of the queer community and allow people to express themselves. The institution by itself has tried in my opinion, with unisex bathrooms.”
The realisation of sexuality is typically experienced during early teenage years. This allowed many LGBTQ+ community members to fully accept and understand a large part of who they are. The difficulty comes with the acceptance and judgement from others. Non-members of the LGBT+ community are motivated to educate and develop acceptance or tolerance. A lack of knowledge will result in retaliation, which some have concluded in acting upon. A better understanding and increase of awareness will go a long way for the community.
The LGBT+ community has experienced hardships as the society and governmental rules still struggle to accept and allow them to live as freely as heterosexual members. The institution of Rhodes University cannot be denied of its improvement in the tolerance and awareness of the community, but it still has a lengthy journey to travel to secure a safe environment for LGBT+ students.
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