Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-6bf8c574d5-j5c6p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-03-09T03:29:01.640Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

13 - South Africa

from Part II - Looking toward the Future

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2025

By
Juan A. Nel ,
Abayomi Oladele Olaseni  and
Tinyiko T. Mathebula
Edited by
Ashley K. Randall  and
Pamela J. Lannutti
Ashley K. Randall
Affiliation:
Arizona State University
Pamela J. Lannutti
Affiliation:
Widener University, Pennsylvania
Get access

Summary

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in South Africa, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. Given the dearth of research on this topic, a large portion of this chapter focuses on recommendations for future research and practice for those interested in working with SMGD individuals living in South Africa.

Keywords

Sexual minoritygender diverseminority stresswell-beingsocial supportdyadic copingSouth Africa
Type
Chapter
Information
Experiences of Sexual Minority and Gender Diverse Individuals in Romantic Relationships
Heeding a Global Call
 , pp. 242 - 263
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf). (2015). Diversity in Human Sexuality: Implications for Policy in Africa. Pretoria. www.assaf.org.za/files/8-June-Diversity-in-human-sexuality1.pdfGoogle Scholar
Adeagbo, O. (2016). “Love beyond colour”: The formation of interracial gay men’s intimate relationships in post-apartheid South Africa. National Identities, 18(3), 241–264. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14608944.2014.990957CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arndt, M., & Hewat, H. (2009). The experience of stress and trauma: Black lesbians in South Africa. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 19(2), 207–212. https://doi.org/10.1080/14330237.2009.10820280CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barker, N. (2011). Ambiguous symbolisms: Recognising customary marriage and same-sex marriage in South Africa. International Journal of Law in Context, 7(4), 447–466. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1744552311000243CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bodenmann, G., Randall, A. K., & Falconier, M. K. (2016). Coping in couples: The Systemic Transactional Model (STM). In Falconier, M. K., Randall, A. K., & Bodenmann, G. (eds.), Couples Coping with Stress: A Cross-Cultural Perspective (pp. 5–22). Routledge.Google Scholar
Breen, D., Lynch, I., Nel, J. A., & Matthews, I. (2016). Hate crime in transitional societies: The case of South Africa. In Schweppe, J., & Walters, M. A. (eds.), The Globalization of Hate: Internationalizing Hate Crime? (pp. 126–141). Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Breshears, D., & Lubbe-De Beer, C. (2016). Same-sex parented families’ negotiation of minority social identity in South Africa. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 12(4), 346–364. https://doi.org/10.1080/1550428X.2015.1080134CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carolin, A., & Fourie, R (2023). Woolworths Pride and why the US war on LGBTQ rights should matter to all of us. Daily Maverick. www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2023-06-21-woolworths-pride-why-us-war-on-lgbtq-rights-matters-to-us/Google Scholar
Cho, S., Crenshaw, K. W., & McCall, L. (2013). Toward a field of intersectionality studies: Theory, applications, and praxis. Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 38(4), 785–810. www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/669608CrossRefGoogle Scholar
da Costa Santos, G. G. (2013). Decriminalising homosexuality in Africa: Lessons from the South African experience. In Lennox, C., & Waites, M. (eds.), Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in the Commonwealth: Struggles for Decriminalisation and Change (pp. 313–337). London: School of Advanced Study, University of London. https://doi.org/10.14296/518.9781912250134Google Scholar
De Vos, P. (2007). The “inevitability” of same-sex marriage in South Africa’s post- apartheid state. South African Journal on Human Rights, 23(3), 432–465. https://doi.org/10.1080/19962126.2007.11864931CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diamond, L. M., & Alley, J. (2022). Rethinking minority stress: A social safety perspective on the health effects of stigma in sexually-diverse and gender-diverse population. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 138, 1–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104720CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Du Pisani, K. (2012). Shifting sexual morality? Changing views on homosexuality in Afrikaner society during the 1960s. Historia, 57(2), 182–221.Google Scholar
Edwards, K. M., Sylaska, K. M., & Neal, A. M. (2015). Intimate partner violence among sexual minority populations: A critical review of the literature and agenda for future research. Psychology of Violence, 5(2), 112. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0038656CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glassgold, J. M., & Drescher, J. (2007). Activism and LGBT psychology: An introduction. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy, 11(3–4), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1300/J236v11n03_01CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Graziano, K. J. (2004). Oppression and resiliency in a post-apartheid South Africa: Unheard voices of Black gay men and lesbians. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 10(3), 302–316. https://doi.org/10.1037/1099-9809.10.3.302CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ILGA World. (2020). State-Sponsored Homophobia 2020: Global Legislation Overview Update. Geneva: ILGA. https://ilga.org/downloads/ILGA_World_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_report_global_legislation_overview_update_December_2020.pdfGoogle Scholar
Ipsos. (2023). A 30-Country Ipsos Global Advisor Survey. www.ipsos.com/en/pride-month-2023-9-of-adults-identify-as-lgbtGoogle Scholar
Judge, M. (2018). Blackwashing Homophobia: Violence and the Politics of Sexuality, Gender and Race. Cape Town: Routledge.Google Scholar
Judge, M., Manion, A., & De Waal, S. (eds.) (2008). To Have and to Hold: The Making of Same-Sex Marriage in South Africa. Johannesburg: Jacana Media. https://gala.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/TO_HAVE_TO_HOLD_LR.pdfGoogle Scholar
Judge, M., & Nel, J. A. (2018). Psychology and hate speech: A critical and restorative encounter. South African Journal of Psychology, 48, 15–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0081246317728165CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lesch, E., Brits, S., & Naidoo, N. T. (2017). “Walking on eggshells to not offend people”: Experiences of same-sex student couples at a South African university. South African Journal of Higher Education, 31(4), 127–149. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8083-1925CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lynch, I., & Maree, D. J. F. (2013). Negotiating heteronormativity: Exploring South African bisexual women’s constructions of marriage and family. Feminism & Psychology, 23, 459–477. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959353513480019CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McAdams-Mahmoud, A., Stephenson, R., Rentsch, C., Cooper, H., Arriola, K. J., Jobson, G., et al. (2014). Minority stress in the lives of men who have sex with men in Cape Town, South Africa. Journal of Homosexuality, 61(6), 847–867. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2014.870454CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McLachlan, C., Nel, J. A., Pillay, S. R., & Victor, C. J. (2019). The Psychological Society of South Africa’s guidelines for psychology professionals working with sexually and gender-diverse people: Towards inclusive and affirmative practice. South African Journal of Psychology, 49(3), 314–324. https://doi.org/10.1177/0081246319853423CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Metheny, N., Stephenson, R., Darbes, L. A., Chavanduka, T., Essack, Z., & van Rooyen, H. (2022). Correlates of substance misuse, transactional sex, and depressive symptomatology among partnered gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in South Africa and Namibia. AIDS and Behavior, 26(6), 2003–2014. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461–021-03549-6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mitchell, Y., & Nel, J. A. (2017). The hate and bias crimes monitoring form project: January 2013 to September 2017. The Hate Crimes Working Group. http://hcwg.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Report-Hate-Bias-Crimes-Monitoring-Form-Project-SCREEN.pdfGoogle Scholar
Moreno, A., Ardila, R., Zervoulis, K., Nel, J. A., & Chamberland, L. (2020). Cross-cultural perspectives of LGBTQ psychology from five different countries: Current state and recommendations. Psychology & Sexuality, 11(1–2), 5–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2019.1658125CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Müller, A., & Daskilewicz, K. (2019). Are We Doing Alright? Realities of Violence, Mental Health, and Access to Healthcare Related to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression in East and Southern Africa: Research Report based on a Community-led Study in Nine Countries. Amsterdam: COC Netherlands. www.ghjru.uct.ac.za/sites/default/files/image_tool/images/242/PDFs/Dynamic_feature/SOGIE%20and%20wellbeing_07_South%20Africa.pdf.Google Scholar
Nel, J. A., & Judge, M. (2008). Exploring homophobic victimisation in Gauteng, South Africa: Issues, impacts and responses. Acta Criminologica: African Journal of Criminology & Victimology, 21(3), 19–36. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.19148.28805Google Scholar
Nel, J. A. & Mitchell, Y. (2019). Victims of hate crime. In Peacock, R. (ed.), Victimology in Africa, 3rd ed. (pp. 271–292). Pretoria: Van Schaik.Google Scholar
Nel, J. A., Rich, E., & Joubert, K. (2007). Lifting the veil: Gay men’s experiences in a therapy group. South African Journal of Psychology, 37(2), 284–306. https://doi.org/10.1177/008124630703700205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Other Foundation. (2016). Progressive Prudes: A Survey of Attitudes towards Homosexuality & Gender Non-conformity in South Africa. Johannesburg: Other Foundation.Google Scholar
Padmanabhanunni, A., & Edwards, D. (2013). Victimisation in the lives of lesbian-identified women in South Africa: Implications for clinical assessment and treatment. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 23(3), 385–392. https://doi.org/10.1080/14330237.2013.10820642CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pillay, S. R., Nel, J. A., McLachlan, C., & Victor, C. J. (2019). Queering the history of South African psychology: From apartheid to LGBTI+ affirmative practices. American Psychologist, 74(8), 954. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000557CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Polders, L. A., Nel, J. A., Kruger, P., & Wells, H. L. (2008). Factors affecting vulnerability to depression among gay men and lesbian women in Gauteng, South Africa. South African Journal of Psychology, 38(4), 673–687. https://doi.org/10.1177/008124630803800407CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Psychological Society of South Africa. (2017). Practice Guidelines for Psychology Professionals Working with Sexually and Gender-Diverse People.Google Scholar
Qwelane v SAHRC [South African Human Rights Commission] and Another. (2021). “CCT13/20 [2021] ZACC 22.” www.concourt.org.za/index.php/judgement/400-qwelane-versus-south-african-human-rights-commission-and-another-cct13-20 (last accessed May 23, 2023).Google Scholar
Reid, G. (2013). How to Be a Real Gay: Gay Identities in Small-town South Africa. Durban: University of KwaZulu-Natal Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508–018-1168-9Google Scholar
Stephenson, R., Darbes, L. A., Chavanduka, T., Essack, Z., & van Rooyen, H. (2022). Intimate partner violence among male couples in South Africa and Namibia. Journal of Family Violence, 37, 395–405. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896–020-00214-9CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tallis, V., Jean-Pierre, T., & Madi, T. (2020). When the personal remains personal. Intimate partner violence in lesbian relationships. Agenda, 34(2), 71–77. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/79399CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Theron, L., & Collier, K. L. (2013). Experiences of female partners of masculine-identifying trans persons. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 15(supp. 1), 62–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2013.788214CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tomson, A., McLachlan, C., Wattrus, C., Adams, K., Addinall, R., Bothma, R., et al. (2021). Southern African HIV Clinicians Society gender-affirming healthcare guideline for South Africa. Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine, 22(1), a1299. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhivmed.v22i1.1299CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tshisa, N., & van der Walt, F. (2021). Discrimination challenges and psychological well-being of black African queer employees. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 47(1), 1–11. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v47i0.1835CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Victor, C. J., & Nel, J. A. (2016). Lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients’ experience with counselling and psychotherapy in South Africa: Implications for affirmative practice. South African Journal of Psychology, 46(3), 351–363. 10.1177/0081246315620774 sap.sagepub.comCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilks, M., Papakyriakou, B., & Nel, J. A. (2022). Positioning resilience science more centrally in affirming LGBTIQA+ persons and communities. South African Journal of Psychology, 52(3), 351–363. 10.1177/00812463211073872 journals.sagepub.com/home/sapCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, D., Marais, A., De Villiers, A., Addinall, R., & Campbell, M. M. (2014). Transgender issues in South Africa, with particular reference to the Groote Schuur Hospital Transgender Unit. South African Medical Journal, 104(6), 448–449. https://doi.org/10.7196/samj.8392CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wolson, S. (2023). Lived Experiences of Gay Men in Their Achievement of Leadership in South African Organisations. Unpublished Doctoral Thesis. University of South Africa. https://hdl.handle.net/10500/30059Google Scholar
van Wyk, H., & Nel, J. A. (2023). The role of organized psychology in inspiring hope and preventing hate victimization: Recommendations from a South African hate and bias monitoring initiative. Journal of Hate Studies, 18(1), 16–30. https://doi.org/10.33972/jhs.230CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van Zyl, M. (2011). Are same-sex marriages unAfrican? Same-sex relationships and belonging in post-apartheid South Africa. Journal of Social Issues, 67(2), 335–357. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.2011.01701.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×