Beyond The Mountain: Queer Life in "Africa's Gay Capital" contributes to the body of knowledge on the lived experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) communities in Cape Town. The book provides insight on the lives of the LGBTQI communities in Cape Town and challenges the stereotypes and prejudices against these communities. The chapters consist of both narratives of lived experiences and academic discussions presented by novice as well as experienced scholars. The imagery of beyond the mountain is a depiction of the lives of LGBTQI community and immovable negative perceptions the general public have to them and seeks to expose their world and the kinds of violence and abuse they are subjected to, as well as unveiling the racial discrimination within these communities. The book revolves around five themes: education, emancipation, protection, acceptance, and integration of those who identify as LGBTQI people in society.

African sexualities are dynamic, multi-faceted and resilient. However, people with non-heterosexual sexualities and gender variant identities are often involved in struggles for survival, self-definition, and erotic rights.

Queer in Africa forms an entry point for understanding the vulnerabilities of queer Africans as shaped by social, cultural and political processes, aiming to provide innovative insights about contentious disagreements over their lives. The volume mediates Southern and Northern scholarship, directing attention toward African-centred beliefs made accessible to a wide audience. Key concerns such as identity construction and the intersections between different social forces (such as nationalist traditionalism and sexualities) are addressed via engaging chapters; some empirically based and others providing critical cultural analysis.

Highly interdisciplinary in nature, Queer in Africa provides a key resource for students, academics, and activists concerned with the international support of sex and gender diversity. It will appeal to those interested in fields such as anthropology, film studies, literary studies, political science, public health, sociology, and socio-legal studies.

Table of Contents

Introduction by Vasu Reddy, Surya Monro, and Zethu Matebeni

The human and the non-human: African sexuality debates and symbolisms of transgression by Senayon Olaoluwa

Creaturely lives and sexual exposure in African prison writing by Taiwo Adetunji Osinubi

‘She who creates havoc is here’: a queer bisexual reading of sexuality, dance and social critique in karmen geï by Cheryl Stobie

Beyond identity: Queer affiliation and the politics of solidarity in Gordimer’s None to Accompany Me and Duiker’s The Quiet Violence of Dreams by Derrick Higginbotham

‘Queer/white’ in South Africa: A troubling oxymoron? By Jane Bennett

Practices of non-heterosexual masculinities among MSM in Nigeria by Abisola Balogun and Paul Bissell

Lesbian students in the academy: Invisible, assimilated or ignored? by Mary Hames

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) forced migrants and asylum seekers: multiple discriminations by Guillain Koko, Surya Monro and Kate Smith

Experiences of transgender people in Swaziland by Velile Vilane

African sexualities are dynamic, multi-faceted and resilient. However, people with non-heterosexual sexualities and gender variant identities are often involved in struggles for survival, self-definition, and erotic rights.

Queer in Africa forms an entry point for understanding the vulnerabilities of queer Africans as shaped by social, cultural and political processes, aiming to provide innovative insights about contentious disagreements over their lives. The volume mediates Southern and Northern scholarship, directing attention toward African-centred beliefs made accessible to a wide audience. Key concerns such as identity construction and the intersections between different social forces (such as nationalist traditionalism and sexualities) are addressed via engaging chapters; some empirically based and others providing critical cultural analysis.

Highly interdisciplinary in nature, Queer in Africa provides a key resource for students, academics, and activists concerned with the international support of sex and gender diversity. It will appeal to those interested in fields such as anthropology, film studies, literary studies, political science, public health, sociology, and socio-legal studies.

Table of Contents

Introduction by Vasu Reddy, Surya Monro, and Zethu Matebeni

The human and the non-human: African sexuality debates and symbolisms of transgression by Senayon Olaoluwa

Creaturely lives and sexual exposure in African prison writing by Taiwo Adetunji Osinubi

‘She who creates havoc is here’: a queer bisexual reading of sexuality, dance and social critique in karmen geï by Cheryl Stobie

Beyond identity: Queer affiliation and the politics of solidarity in Gordimer’s None to Accompany Me and Duiker’s The Quiet Violence of Dreams by Derrick Higginbotham

‘Queer/white’ in South Africa: A troubling oxymoron? By Jane Bennett

Practices of non-heterosexual masculinities among MSM in Nigeria by Abisola Balogun and Paul Bissell

Lesbian students in the academy: Invisible, assimilated or ignored? by Mary Hames

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) forced migrants and asylum seekers: multiple discriminations by Guillain Koko, Surya Monro and Kate Smith

Experiences of transgender people in Swaziland by Velile Vilane

Black lesbian sexualities and identity is a multifaceted in-depth ethnographic study of black urban lesbian life in contemporary South Africa. It speaks to current concerns, which raise questions related to the politics of inclusion/exclusion, love, sexuality, identity politics, violence, style and urban space while sensitively giving agency to women's narratives. In many ways, it enriches and challenges conventional gay and lesbian studies and studies on sexuality in Africa by bringing meaning to the complex interplay between space, style, erotic practice and sexuality. It further illustrates the flexible practices and variable notions of sex, sexuality and gender categories. At the same time it tackles the precarious and painful position of black lesbian women whose narratives show that they inhabit the world actively, not only as victims, but also as conscious subjects who make meanings of their lives.