"lesbian struggles are women's struggles"

By a BtM correspondent

December 8, 2005: As part of Mehlo-Maya's 16/365 "Artists Say No to Violence" campaign on 1 December 2005 from 17:30 to 19:30 at their artist space at the Market Theatre, organizers invited representatives from Behind the Mask (BtM) and the Forum for the Empowerment of Women (FEW) to participate in "Too Butch to Tango," an event intended to promote dialogue between lesbian women's organizations, heterosexual women's organizations, and artists. Mehlo-Maya has committed itself to combating violence against women and children throughout the year, not just on the 16 days designated by the state for concentrated activism.

The moderator welcomed attendees and stated she expected more heterosexual women in the audience. She then introduced Zanele Muholi, FEW's community relation officer, who is a talented photographer in her own right. Referring the audience to "An ABC of LGBTI: A Resource Guide for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersexed People," Muholi described FEW's mandate as the only black lesbian organization in South Africa and on the African continent. She explained FEW's work with young black lesbian women who have been victims of rape over the last couple of years and how mainstream media sidesteps this issue. Stressing the importance of creating safe spaces for lesbians, Muholi discussed FEW's own theatrical troupe, Safrodykes, which portrays the everyday concerns of lesbians, such as dealing with hate crimes and coming out in safe spaces.

Shortly after Muholi began her presentation, two women left the event. Later in the program, the moderator pointed to their departure as an indication of a need to promote dialogue and understanding between heterosexual and lesbian women. This issue resurfaced throughout the event.

Mpumi Mathabela, BtM's website designer and coordinator, then highlighted BtM's work as a website magazine that collects and publishes stories about LGBTI issues within South Africa and throughout Africa. BtM also receives daily reports from LGBTI persons about hate crimes, job discrimination, and stereotyping, which all stem from misconceptions about homosexuality.

Mathabela went on to discuss how uninformed people confuse sexual orientation with gender, meaning that some people believe gay men want to be women and that lesbians want to be men.

This confusion can have devastating effects for lesbians who are raped and then report their rape to the police. According to the speakers, the police commonly respond, "How can you be raped? You're a man." The police and society refuse to recognize lesbians as women who can be raped, further humiliating women who are the victims of unthinkable violence. At the root of this confusion is the unwillingness of the police and general public to view lesbians as human beings and as women, who are worthy of the same human rights as everyone else, the speakers contended. Even though South Africa has the most progressive constitution in the world, Mathabela stated, she challenged the audience, "Is the Constitution practiced?"
The speakers and audience members continually brought up the theme of the violation of women's rights throughout the programme. Muholi bluntly stated, "I don't know why people want to violate another person's rights."

A theme that emerged from the programme was that of heterosexual women's discomfort with different sexualities. Muholi and Mathabela both emphasized the need for heterosexuals to overcome their preoccupation with private sexual acts and to ask questions that unite heterosexual and lesbian women, rather than dividing them. As an example, Mathabela told the story about participating in a workshop for a men's group fighting violence against women and children at which she represented BtM. After her presentation about lesbian women's needs, one man persisted in querying, "I don't understand. How do you know you're gay?" Mathabela recalled that she asked him the same question, "How do you know you're straight?" Her point was that turning questions on heterosexual men and women is one strategy for demonstrating how ludicrous some questions are and that heterosexuals and LGBTI persons are not that different.

In addition, Muholi highlighted that asking inappropriate questions, such as asking what lesbians do in bed, is not productive. Instead, a more useful question would be, "How can heterosexuals help lesbians have safer sex?" Addressing lesbians' needs and demands, such as incorporating lesbian sexualities into HIV/AIDS prevention and education efforts and including lesbians in broader campaigns that fight violence against women, is an essential first step in bridging the gap between heterosexual women's and lesbian organizations. The moderator reasserted, "Lesbian struggles are women's struggles."

The speakers also made the point that the mainstream media do not accurately represent lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender or intersexed persons. Mathabela narrated how SABC portrayed the LGBTI movement's epic win on 1 December in gaining the right for same-sex couples to marry by featuring a picture of a black gay man kissing another black gay man. She questioned why the reporter selected this photograph out of all the others she snapped featuring LGBTI persons effusively hugging one another and smiling. Mathabela attributed the selection of the photograph to the media's tendency to sensationalize news about gay and lesbian issues, when they actually report on them; she cited the presence of one lone reporter from Kaya FM who attended the press conference about the same-sex marriage court ruling. Reinforcing this point, she asserted that Pride is not about drag queens, but about people who bravely work as secretaries, bus drivers, and accountants as openly gay men and lesbians.

Accurately representing lesbians as people with needs and desires and not exploiting them are ways in which artists can contribute to an ongoing dialogue between heterosexual and lesbian women, the presenters exhorted. In response to a question from an audience member who inquired how she could accurately portray gay men and lesbians, Muholi advised the artist to be honest when she approaches LGBTI persons about wanting to learn more about their lives. Although Muholi asserted that lesbian women are best able to represent themselves accurately and to identify the areas that deserve research, she explained that respectfully treating lesbians as human beings with feelings and needs, rather than as research subjects out of whom the artist wanted to extract information, would facilitate a dialogue with lesbian women. She invited artists and performers to participate in trainings at FEW that would sensitize them to the needs of lesbian women.

Despite the lively, productive exchange of ideas, the small turnout at the event alarmed audience members and organizers alike. One audience member initially raised the issue, inquiring, "Where are all the heterosexual and lesbian women?" The moderator indicated that many other events were attracting attendees during the 16 Days of Activism. She also admitted that had Mehlo-Maya staged a large concert on the street, many people would have shown up. The moderator stated that the organization would work on cultivating a media strategy that would attract more heterosexual and lesbian women in the future. The moderator encouraged the audience to attend other programs and workshops over the next week at their artist space.

Friday, 09/12, 17:30-19:30: "Grabbing the Beast by the Balls: Surviving Rape!"