‘Corrective rape’ and the homophobic everyday in contemporary South African cultural texts

Black lesbian visibility in post-apartheid South Africa has been met with a considerable backlash. Black lesbians have been identified as a particularly vulnerable minority and the practice of ‘corrective rapes’ with its aim to ‘correct’ or ‘cure’ lesbian sexuality has been reported on in South African newspapers since 2003. Although South Africa is regularly referenced for its progressive constitution with a focus on the protection of gay rights, there is also a discursive reproduction of the idea that homosexuality is unAfrican, unChristian and unnatural.

This study investigates the raced, classed and gendered reproduction of identity in three discursive spaces. The study analyses these discursive practices in South African newspapers, literature, and photography. The aim of the investigation is to deconstruct the discursive reproduction of negatively scripted identity markers and a limited notion of citizenship ascribed to black lesbian sexuality in contemporary South African cultural texts.

Researcher: Nadine Lake