IDAHOBIT: Past Tokenism to Inclusion

By Malaika Minyuku-Gutto

Womaniko Transforming Spaces is an organisation known for advocating for women in the workplace, but at its core the work Womaniko does is about creating equitable workplaces for all no matter their identity. With May 17th being International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, now is a time when many are reflecting on African LGBTQIA+ history. Multiple people and events are being celebrated as symbols of progress towards an inclusive society in which the LGBT+ community is not discriminated against. There is an optimistic picture that is painted which is far from the realities that the LGBT+ community face. This tokenism suggests? a level of inclusion that doesn’t reflect the lived realities of LGBTQIA+ Africans both in history and in the present. It is important to take a step back from highlighting our greatest achievements to focus on advocating for the inclusion and acceptance that these greatest moments strive for us to achieve.?

Advocacy and representation play an important role in LGBTQIA+ activism. African icons like Brenda Fassie, Steve Nkoli and Beverley Ditsie are rightfully spotlighted and noted as major players in LGBTQIA+ history; for example, Beverley Ditsie is a South African who is celebrated as the first out lesbian woman to address the United Nations about LGBTQIA+ rights. These people, their identities and their moments in our history are important and worth celebrating; yet their stories are not given the justice they deserve due to the tokenism that they are subjected to. There is more to Beverley Ditsie’s story than one address to the UN; if we could move away from tokenism we could learn many things from her experiences and life story to inform inclusion efforts today.?

This tokenism is not only an issue that LGBTQIA+ icons in Africa face; it is a global problem of highlighting trailblazing moments or individuals instead of a consistent focus on what is not changing and what must be improved.?

In 1996 South Africa’s Constitution became the first in the world to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. While this historical moment sparked hope and activism for LGBT+ communities in Africa; it has also seen slow progress and a backlash on legal protection across the continent for this community. In 2023 more than 30 African countries have a ban on same-sex relations. South Africa remains the only African country to legislatively recognise same-sex marriage, civil unions and adoption; while Botswana and Nambia have notable court rulings which positively recognise same-sex relationships and marriages respectively. On March 21 2023, Uganda passed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2023 which was a revised version of the 2014 bill that was more extreme than the original. This bill made it a crime to identify as LGBTQIA+ which many would argue is a direct violation of their human rights. Though our moments of progress are notable and worth celebration, the widespread phobia related to the LGBT+ community means that when there is one step forward, it is often followed by multiple steps back.?

Even in South Africa LGBTQIA+ inclusion has a long way to go. A study done by The Other Foundation in 2016 found that 72% of South Africans feel that same-sex sexual activity is ‘morally wrong.’ [Sutherland, C., Roberts, B., Gabriel, N., Struwig, J. & Gordon, S. (2016) Progressive Prudes: A survey of attitudes towards homosexuality & gender non-conformity in South Africa. (Commissioned by the Other Foundation)] The gap between the laws within South Africa and these individual beliefs reflects a less optimistic reality. As IDAHOBIT was celebrated yesterday and companies across the country hosted events and interventions the question is: How do LGBTQIA+ people navigate the obsession with tokenistic events that do not reflect their daily reality? And what should workplaces do about this??

Though most organisations promote an inclusive and safe workplace, this is rarely reflected in their policies and work environments for LGBTQIA+ workers. A UCLA School of Law study published in 2019 showed that Gender nonconforming heterosexual and LGBTQIA+ people in South Africa are less likely to be employed in comparison to gender-confirming heterosexual people. [The Economic Cost of LGBT Stigma and Discrimination in South Africa]?

While many organisations promote inclusion the reality is that the LGBT+ community is less likely to have access to that space at all. With workplaces often reflecting societal norms, it's no surprise that the LGBT+ community is discriminated against in the workplace despite policies to promote inclusion. Gender norms are a major issue within the work environments and just like women challenge gender norms by existing in the workplace; the LGBT+ community challenges gender norms by simply existing in any capacity. The LGBT+ community challenges gender binaries and the boundaries around self expression and attraction that society is used to operating under. Similarly, the LGBT+ community enter the workspace with inherent disadvantages; they face discrimination in access to work and often come up against discriminatory phobias, biases and attitudes from colleagues and leaders who lay claim to religious, cultural or societal beliefs that exclude them.?

When Womaniko Transforming Spaces works with partners on gender equity we dig deep and examine the gender norms that prevail in our workplaces both systemically and in the daily interactions based on individual beliefs. Moreover, we acknowledge that women are not monolithic and many women live with the intersecting reality of an LGBTQIA+ identity. Inevitably, when examining gender norms the discrimination, exclusion, prejudice and violence faced by LGBTQIA+ people surfaces. This work has taught us that we need leadership commitment (at an individual level having examined the gender norms we hold onto), relevant policies, processes and structures, and the difficult work of creating spaces to learn how to challenge individual prejudices, biases and beliefs for ourselves and others. As a result, our work often opens space for the focused workplace programmes that are necessary to begin bridging the gap between professed commitment on LGBTQIA+ inclusion and workplaces where the employee experience is inclusive for LGBTQIA+ people.?

We do this work with the belief that business as social actors can contribute to social change and turn the tide against discrimination and discriminatory laws. Because people that re-examine gender norms in safe spaces at work become equipped to do so in their communities and homes. People that have inclusive experiences at work are able to translate these into their lives outside work. So today, we challenge business to move beyond the tokenistic events and start the hard work of ensuring the many Beverly Ditsies of this world, in your workplace, can contribute, grow, excel, engage and receive the benefits of an inclusive workplace.?