Race Relations in the Lesbian Movement

Author(s): Nomfundo Luphondwana

Source: Agenda: Empowering Women for Gender Equity, No. 29, Women and the
Environment (1996), pp. 72-78
Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of Agenda Feminist Media
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4065804
Accessed: 18-06-2016 20:59 UTC

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at
http://about.jstor.org/terms

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted
digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about
JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Taylor & Francis, Ltd., Agenda Feminist Media are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and
extend access to Agenda: Empowering Women for Gender Equity

This content downloaded from 63.158.87.14 on Sat, 18 Jun 2016 20:59:06 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 lesbian movement
Racism is rendering South Africa's lesbian movement ineffective and
> irrelevant, believes NOMFUNDO LUPHONDWANA. She explores the
IN BRIEF
overemphasis on sexual orientation, leadership by default, tokenism and
relations among black lesbians

The burdens of centuries of latter merely reacting to racism and other

colonialism and decades of
apartheid, combined with out-of-sync
white lesbians and token blacks, has
resulted in an ineffective, irrelevant and
useless lesbian movement in South Africa.
A politically What could be called a lesbian movement is
practically nonexistent in our country.
relevant and I argue that a politically relevant and
effective effective lesbian movement is doomed as
most lesbian organisations are afraid to
lesbian confront and constructively deal with a
movement is complex and webbed relationship between
blacks and whites. This relationship is
doomed characterised by and summed up in one word
that sends chills down the spine: racism.
It is a difficult task to describe or analyse
the race relations of any organisation,
community, society or country. This is more
so if the context of that analysis is the 'new
South Africa': transformed from centuries of
colonialism and decades of apartheid to a
constitutional democracy. Race is, indeed,
the baggage of most lesbian organisations
throughout the country.
forms of prejudice. Sometimes their
reaction is inappropriate, but this is not the
subject of this piece.
For clarity, I choose to present my
analysis under separate headings, but this
should not mislead the reader into thinking
that the issues presented are not
intricately linked.
Overemphasis on sexual
orientation
It is unfortunate that the majority of both
gay and lesbian organisations overrely on
'sexual orientation' as a basis of building a
movement, as this is usually at the expense
of the political, social and economic
backgrounds of its membership. Naturally,
this approach has spelt disaster for the
movement at large. It is this ignorance and
insensitivity regarding where people are
coming from that manifests itself in the
form of racism. Thus, critical issues like the
venue of meetings (which have fiscal

Race relations between black and white implications) and what campaigns will be

lesbians are generally highly strained and embarked upon (a clearly political issue)
loaded with mutual prejudices and invariably come down to the issue of who

stereotypes - with both parties being guilty,
though not to the same extent. From my
experience, it is generally white lesbians
who tend to be racist towards black lesbians
(for the simple fact that one needs power to
enforce and perpetuate racism), with the
makes decisions. Holland-Muter (1995:60)
alludes to the 'unspoken assumption' that,
for instance, meetings will be conducted in
English and they will happen in city
centres. There is a tendency and habit
among white lesbians to 'expect black

72 AGENDA

This content downloaded from 63.158.87.14 on Sat, 18 Jun 2016 20:59:06 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms

people to enter our world and work with us
on our terms' - black people must
challenge this and ensure that it comes to
an immediate end. There is much truth in
Holland-Muter's (1995:55) claim that:
White women have also been criticised
for their lack of understanding and
failure to address the charges of racism
As a superficial mechanism of dealing
with some of these issues, most
organisations have opted to be what they
call 'social' organisations (as if political and
economic issues are not inherently social).
This approach invariably means that issues
like where meetings are held and what
campaigns are to be embarked upon, are
already decided by the powers that be.
Leadership by default
The kind of leadership found within lesbian
organisations is almost exclusively white
and middle class. A coincidence? No!
Experience has taught me that leadership
in lesbian organisations does not come
about because people have great
leadership skills. In fact, the contrary is
more true. Most white lesbian leadership
develops by default: access to resources
like cars, fax machines, phones,
computers, printers and so on. When a
campaign is embarked upon, it is usually
white lesbians who take the lead for the
simple political reason that they have easy
access to resources that will enable the
campaign to come to some fruition - like
typing information leaflets on their
computers, printing them out, faxing them
off and/or distributing them effectively from
club to club in their cars.
Most politically aware South Africans
know that this situation did not come about
because whites worked harder than black
people. These are some of the perks that
came with the apartheid package: job
reservation, better education, access to
better and well-equipped schools and
universities, etc. It is such access to
AGENDA
This content downloaded from 63.158.87.14 on Sat, 18 Jun 2016 20:59:06 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
RACE RELATIONS IN THE LESBIAN MOVEMENT I N BRIE F
resources that results in many lesbian
organisations being led by whites. Naturally,
this scenario disempowers black lesbians
and discourages them from taking positions
of leadership.
Leaders who lead by default tend to be
unaccountable to the organisation. In
reality, these leaders tend to give the
impression that they are doing the
organisation and its membership a favour.
Further, this makes it extremely difficult for
many black lesbians, some of whom are
not confident and eloquent English
speakers, to challenge even a most obvious
racist remark or comment. Thus, even
lesbian women themselves are guilty of
oppressing and subordinating other women.
While Holland-Muter (1995:57) argues that Lesbian
this is 'a result of differing structural
women
positions', I add that it is also a result of
deep-rooted racism. themselves
Perhaps both black and white lesbians
are guilty of
need an open forum-cum-conference where
both parties can embark on what Holland- oppressing
Muter (1995:60) calls 'inward navel-gazing'
and
as a first step to confronting and dealing
with racism. subordinating
Black tokenism other women
It is interesting to note that there is usually
a token black subordinate 'leadership' that
develops around the white 'main' leaders.
These are usually one or two black lesbians
whose main mandate is to 'translate' what
the white leaders have dictated and then
report back on what the 'feeling' is within
the black camp. A result has been a 'black
on black' fight and bad blood.
To illustrate tokenism, let me give you
a typical scenario in a typical meeting:
A subject is raised which may not be
supported by many white lesbians, like
attending a meeting in Soweto. White
lesbians will dominate the discussion by
being very vocal and opinionated. One or
two black lesbians will attempt to discredit
the arguments, only to be overshadowed by
73
 IN BRIEF RACE RELATIONS IN THE LESBIAN MOVEMENT
* *.. *.-.
* * ** * ______ ..:....
* *. *.">-*
* -. :2:
0 -
o /2
*
.IiW
The black
disciple
cannot
an eloquent mother-tongue English speaker
effectively - who is not necessarily using good
chair or counterarguments but is just an eloquent
English speaker - whereupon the black
facilitate a lesbians surrender. But look carefully and
meeting or critically and you will notice the unspoken
disgruntlement and the silence of black
take minutes lesbians, even after there is 'agreement' on
the subject. This usually goes unnoticed by
white lesbians who perhaps assume that
silence means consent. Most importantly,
they do not notice because they do not
understand and do not know many black
lesbians beyond bumping into them at a
club or engaging with them at
organisational meetings.
This is the unfortunate nature of forging
a movement based only or mainly on
sexual orientation, at the expense of
political, social and economic factors
impacting on the organisational
membership at large. A consciousness of
these is achievable with effort, dedication
and commitment to that cause!
Instead, in a meek attempt to depict
themselves as politically correct, some of
74 AGENDA
This content downloaded from 63.158.87.14 on Sat, 18 Jun 2016 20:59:06 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
. ***
%:K.< _
m
these white leaders surround themselves
with one or two black disciples - who are
mere puppets. It becomes obvious that the
black lesbian 'leader' is a token when the
white counterparts leave or abandon the
organisation for whatever reason. Suddenly,
there is a vacuum. The black disciple, who
is supposed to be a de facto leader, cannot
effectively chair or facilitate a meeting or
take minutes. It is also no coincidence that
the white lesbians who have some of these
skills leave without sharing them.
Liberal versus pragmatic
approach
With the sort of leadership already outlined,
it is no surprise that a liberal approach is
usually preferred. This manifests itself in
the emphasis on individualism over and
above communalism. I suppose this is also
a matter of different cultural backgrounds
and way of life of black and white lesbians.
To illustrate the point, let's use a sensitive
subject like 'coming out'. White lesbians
are usually worried about their nuclear
family's response. For black lesbians

(specifically Africans), the matter is much
more complex: they have to worry about
the responses of the nuclear family,
extended family and the community at
large. In an African culture, you are a child
not only of your mother and father, but of
your relatives and the community.
In this context, many African lesbians
cannot afford to put their individual needs
over those of the broader community of
which they are an integral part. Thus,
during pride parades, slogans such as 'yes
mum I am' are viewed, and rightly so, as
disrespectful to elders - an abomination in
African society. Even an event like a pride
parade is met with mixed and unfavourable
feelings within the African communities, for
reasons such as:
* While drag queens and exhibitionists
may be part of a gay and lesbian culture
worldwide, most black parents feel that
this is a western import. Hence when
most Africans refer to gays and lesbians
as 'unAfrican', they are, in fact, referring
to such stereotypes of gays as 'boys
who want to wear bras' and lesbians as
'girls who want to be boys'.
* Lesbians and gays always parade for
their rights. In recent South African
history, lesbians and gays have not
taken a public stand on issues such as
crime and violence that affect the
broader community. When they do, it is
only in so far as it affects them, not the
community at large.
These are some of the issues that white
lesbians (and gays) are oblivious to -
issues which grow into a racial cancer.
I feel that it is understandable for white
lesbians to have a suburban focus and
manner of dealing with things as this is part
of their background. For me, the critical
issue is what are black lesbians doing for
themselves to challenge homophobia and
conscientise the majority of people in our
townships? Are black lesbians quite content
and happy to be perpetually co-opted into
AGENDA
This content downloaded from 63.158.87.14 on Sat, 18 Jun 2016 20:59:06 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
RACE RELATIONS IN THE LESBIAN MOVEMENT I N BRIE F
structures and campaigns from which they
may not necessarily derive any benefit?
Like Holland-Muter (1995.56), 1
disagree with the belief or:
assumption that once we are in the
same political organisation ... our
common political affiliation will
compensate for our differences and the
inequalities between us.
I find it mindboggling how many human
rights activists have made such
oversimplistic and, indeed, very
embarrassing statements. It is these kinds
of assumptions that result in the
unsustainability of lesbian organisations.
The challenge is how to constructively deal
African
with our diverse needs, approaches and
lesbians
political analyses. The role of liberalism in
the gay and lesbian movement is still 'a
cannot
curious one', to use Themba Sono's (1993)
words. I conclude by echoing Steve Biko's afford to put
(1978:63) statement that:
their
the biggest mistake that the black
world ever made was to assume that individual
whoever opposed apartheid was an ally.
needs over
Relations among black lesbians those of the
Lest I be accused of being unobjective, let
me acknowledge that relations among broader
black lesbians themselves leave much to be community
desired. It is true that:
... the most potent weapon in the hands
of the oppressor is the mind of the
oppressed (Biko, 1978:68).
We could accept the definition of black,
as defined by the black consciousness
movement (Biko, 1978:49), to entail the
following two essential ingredients:
Being black is not a matter of
pigmentation - being black is a reflection
of a mental attitude.
Merely by describing yourself as black
you have started on a road towards
emancipation, you have committed
yourself to fight against all forces that
seek to use your blackness as a stamp
that marks you out as subservient.
75
 I N BRIE F RACE RELATIONS IN THE LESBIAN MOVEMENT

If we do accept the above definition, fate: we are allowing ourselves to be

then black people, and black lesbians
specifically, need to take time out for
introspection on their relations with one
another. We cannot go on attributing the
way we disrespect, disregard and mistreat
one another solely on the
sociopsychological effects of apartheid
oppression. We urgently need to deal with
what Aggrey Klaaste (1995:339) calls:
divided over the methods of attaining
common objectives. Objectives such as
conscientising the black community of our
existence, fighting against homophobia
within our communities and cultures and so
on.
Somehow we have been successfully
taught to 'hate ourselves' to the extent that
we are not enlightened about each other's

.. the tendency to act like Dr Jekyll and
Mr Hyde. One moment we are bowed
scraping slaves ... The next thing we are
engaged in unbelievable acts of violence
... more irrationally against ourselves.
Klaaste proposes that we resolve our
needs. I do not lump black lesbians together
as one homogeneous blob. While I
acknowledge that there are as many black
experiences as there are black people, there
are issues that unify us as black people: our
experience of racism, our suffering during

self-hatred dilemma through nation-building, apartheid, our experiences of township

and I cannot agree with him more. As black hardships (depending on the coloured,

lesbians, we need to look beyond our noses Indian or African classification). These, of
Sexuality course, vary in degree and extent, but we do
and start contributing to what I call broader
history is as community issues. If I had all the answers, I share many common experiences.

would go on to elaborate on how we can do Emma Goldman (1969:70), a

important as renowned anarchist, states that:
this, but I don't. We all need to look at how
the history we can effectively and
practically contribute
of war and
to the nation-building
migration of our communities.
Clarke
(1990:308) quotes
Malcolm X as saying
it is:

... ignorance of each

other (referring
specifically to African-
Americans) that has
made unity impossible
in the past ... we are
not divided over
objectives but we have
allowed our racist
enemies to divide us
over the methods of
attaining these
common objectives.

Black South
African lesbians are
suffering the same m

76 AGENDA

This content downloaded from 63.158.87.14 on Sat, 18 Jun 2016 20:59:06 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms

... lacking utterly in originality and moral
courage, the majority has always placed
its destiny in the hands of others.
I would like to believe that this is not
altogether true of black lesbians, who will
be the majority in the lesbian movement in
the near future.
Challenges ahead
Goldman (1969:50) states: 'It requires less
mental effort to condemn than to think'.
Although I would like to believe that I have
not been merely condemning, but am in a
process of constructive criticism, that
challenge of putting forward suggestions to
deal with racism remains. I therefore propose
the following, not as solutions, but as ideas
that need much deconstruction and scrutiny
within the lesbian movement, taking into
account not only the provincial needs,
dynamics and contexts, but also the specific
situations of individual black lesbians:
* Formation of a Black Lesbian Caucus.
This forum would allow black lesbians
to debate and discuss issues that
specifically affect black lesbians within
their community context. This would
not exclude white lesbians, but it is
important that black lesbians take the
lead. The Black Lesbian Caucus would
also be a forum where black lesbians
could assess their situations and the
problems specific to their daily
situations. It could also look at sensitive
topics like tokenism and racism. Blacks
themselves would be able to start
looking at their own prejudices (for
instance coloured-African
relationships). My point of departure is
that there are a lot of black people,
including lesbians, who have been
psychologically scarred by apartheid
and who do not feel empowered and
comfortable enough to raise certain
issues within a mixed-race scenario.
* Proactive involvement of black lesbians
in broader community issues. In this time
AGENDA
This content downloaded from 63.158.87.14 on Sat, 18 Jun 2016 20:59:06 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
RACE RELATIONS IN THE LESBIAN MOVEMEN1 I N BRIE F
of reconstruction and development, what
is the critical and practical contribution of
the gay and lesbian movement, beyond
the calls for equality? Proactive
involvement will make the lesbian
movement politically relevant, not
correct, and therefore a force to be
reckoned with. It will ensure that black
people take the lead and are at the
forefront, breaking the syndrome of
placing our destiny in the hands of others.
As a start, a project has already been
initiated by black lesbians and gays, which
will take the form of a march against
domestic violence. Its aim is to raise lesbian
and gay issues within broader community
A forum-
problems, such as domestic violence. Ideally,
the project should be spearheaded by gays cum-open
and lesbians, but community and other
conference
organisations will be drawn into the project.
This approach will ensure that black lesbians should be
and gays are seen to be doing something
convened as
constructive for and with the communities,
while also using the opportunity to highlight a matter of
the plight of the gay and lesbian people at
urgency to
large. (A discussion document on this project
is available on request.) confront the
* A forum-cum-open conference should
issue of
be convened as a matter of urgency to
confront the issue of racism. This would racism
include feminists and women's right
activists. I am not suggesting that this
forum will end racism, but it will at least
put it on the table for open and honest
discussion. Otherwise the struggle for
gender equality and equity, the struggle
against machismo, patriarchy and
sexism will never be won. Women's
organisations (be they specifically
lesbians or feminists, or both) will
remain plagued by internal problems
that lead to their unsustainability and
ineffectiveness in the long-term. To
achieve this, we must stop perceiving all
confrontations as 'negative'.
* Debates on racism and difference, as
well as other subjects, should be
77
 IN BR 1fF RACE RELATIONS IN THE LESBIAN MOVEMENT

encouraged among
various women from
various backgrounds.
In this regard, Agenda
must be commended
for consistently
tackling and dealing
with what are
considered
controversial subjects.

REFERENCES
Biko S (1978) 1 write what I
like, United States:
Heinemann.
Clarke JH (1990) Malcolm
X: the Man and His
Times, Trenton, New ILn

Jersey: Africa World

Press Inc. QD

Debates on
Goldman E (1969)
racism and Anarchism and other essays, New York:
Dover Publications.
difference, Holland-Muter S (1995) 'Opening Pandora's

should be box: reflections on "whiteness" in the r -- --- - ---_ -_I

South African women's movement'
encouraged Agenda 25.
Klaaste A (1995) 'The thinking behind nation-
building' in J Wentzel (ed) The Liberal
Slideaway, Johannesburg: South African
Institute of Race Relations.
Sono T (1993) Reflections on the origins of
Black Consciousness in South Africa,
Pretoria: HSRC Publishers.
I Nomfundo Luphondwana is a proud and out I
black lesbian. She charaderises he,selfas a
I human rights activist, focusing specifically on
I lesbian/gay issues and generally on women's I
I issues. Nomfundo has an Honours Degree in I
I English Language Teaching from Rhodes I
I University and presently works for a land I
I service organisation in Johannesburg
L-J

78 AGENDA

This content downloaded from 63.158.87.14 on Sat, 18 Jun 2016 20:59:06 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms