HOMOPREJUDICE DENIES YOUTH THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION

By Nthateng Mhlambiso (BTM Managing Editor)

As thousands of matriculants sat for their final exams on Monday, I remembered many stories that we have published at behind the Mask of young people in this country who never had an opportunity to do so because they are gays or lesbians.

Of course there are many contributing factors to lack of education among South African youth such as poverty, lack of affordability due to unemployment, orphanage as a result of HIV and AIDS deaths etc. but it is still so disturbing to see affording families paying school fees for their children but excluding the one who is gay, as a sort of a punishment to stop his or her “evil behaviour.”

As a woman, to me this is a painful reminder of the days when parents refused to send their female children to school, saying that they will get married and take the family wealth with them, preferring to empower males who “will carry forward the family name.”

This sexism was fought for the benefit of the same women who are neglecting their children today, just because they happen to be different from social expectations of what males and females should look or behave like.

While many have been neglected before they even reached Matric, a large number drop out of universities when parents learn of their sexual orientation, which they may have tried hard to hide when they were still staying with parents or only discovered when they got to higher education where they have more freedom.

Some gay youths who have faced these problems at the hands of their parents confess to having turned to alcohol and drugs for comfort, something which alienated them further from even, the well wishers who would want to sponsor their education.

They end up hating their sisters and brothers for the preferential treatment they receive at home.

In fact some lose respect for their parents and society at large because they are perceived to be wayward anyway by being gay.

For others, the inhumane treatment they receive from schools by fellow students and teachers has forced them to drop out of schools and lack of action by education institutions is not helping either.

As a result, many have given up in life and have developed self hatred. They drink and sleep in the shebeens, are drug addicts, they steal and they are bitter.

The Department of Education has condemned crime, violence, alcohol and drugs in schools but has failed to try and find out some of the reasons that cause such misbehaviour.

I say it has failed, because if it did, it would have detected, among other things, the gross homophobia in schools and it would have publicly condemned hate crimes, violence and drug abuse, perpetuated by homophobia.

A few gay rights NGOs such as the Forum for Empowerment of Women (FEW) have tried to empower some black lesbians from townships, but they can only do so much, efforts from parents, civil society and government is needed to afford these youths their right to education.

We wish all matriculants good luck but as we do so let us think of a neighbour’s daughter or son who cannot have an opportunity to be a better person because of a sexual orientation that he or she did not choose.

If you are a parent and you are punishing your child by not paying for his or her studies, imagine if you were to be punished for giving birth to a gay child.

My guess is you were going to say that you did not choose to give birth to a gay child, it is the case with your children, they did not choose to be gay!

You do not necessarily need to be inlove with their sexual orientation but the least you can do is acknowledge their difference, support and empower them.

That way, you will be building a leader that you will be proud of tomorrow!