Are Same-Sex Marriages UnAfrican? Same-Sex Relationships and Belonging in Post-Apartheid South Africa

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dc.contributor.authorVan Zyl M.
dc.date.accessioned2011-10-13T16:58:21Z
dc.date.available2011-10-13T16:58:21Z
dc.date.issued2011
dc.description.abstractIn 1996 South Africa was the first country in the world to safeguard sexual orientation as a human right in its Constitution. Homonegativity is pervasive in Africa, including South Africa, with claims that, "homosexuality is unAfrican." In interviews with 20 self-identified lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex, and queer people living in South Africa, the participants spoke about how their identities were shaped by history, place, race, gender, and culture. Though they all recognized marriage as a powerful instrument in asserting their rights, it did not take the place of subjective commitment. Four out of 11 couples were married, whereas the rest were in various stages of either contemplating or rejecting marriage. I used the concept of "belonging" to analyze the underlying social values attached to marriage that position couples differently as citizens. A key issue concerned the tensions between values of "Whiteness," Ubuntu, and the role of kinship in belonging in post-apartheid South Africa. © 2011 The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.
dc.description.versionArticle
dc.identifier.citationJournal of Social Issues
dc.identifier.citation67
dc.identifier.citation2
dc.identifier.citationhttp://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-79958805122&partnerID=40&md5=1136eaaafb4b8131454c1502e758516c
dc.identifier.issn224537
dc.identifier.other10.1111/j.1540-4560.2011.01701.x
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/16693
dc.subjectcultural identity
dc.subjectgender identity
dc.subjecthomosexuality
dc.subjecthuman rights
dc.subjectkinship
dc.subjectmarriage
dc.subjectnational identity
dc.subjectpost-apartheid
dc.subjectSouth Africa
dc.titleAre Same-Sex Marriages UnAfrican? Same-Sex Relationships and Belonging in Post-Apartheid South Africa
dc.typeArticle
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