Manoeuvring the Closet and Re-closeting: Negotiating Freedom, Agency, and Safety amongst Black African Queer Women in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Abstract

This article explores the complex negotiations surrounding identity, visibility, and safety amongst queer women in South Africa, as part of a broader PhD research project. Using in-depth qualitative interviews, it highlights insider perspectives to demonstrate how coming out serves both as a form of self-empowerment and a strategic move against deeply rooted heteronormative and patriarchal norms. Participants describe a dual process, publicly revealing their marginalised identities to foster community support and to challenge prevailing cultural norms, while also sometimes re-closeting themselves to protect against ongoing risks of discrimination, violence, and social alienation. These ideas were explored within interpretivist theoretical models, using queer theory, African feminisms, and decolonial intersectional models to underscore the importance of intersecting factors such as race, gender performance, and socio-economic status in shaping the experiences of Black African queer women. These theoretical models informed the study’s understanding of the closet, closeting, and re-closeting, drawing on Grzanka’s (2019) work on the Epistemology of the Closet. This work characterises “the closet” as a position from which knowledge is generated and where students of queer theory can explore sexuality and gender as potentially “transgressive subject positions.” Therefore, manoeuvring the closet is seen as a dynamic space where knowledge about queer identity negotiations is produced as individuals navigate different spaces and authentically present their gendered bodies in varied ways. Ultimately, the research advocates for cultural and institutional reforms that affirm and support diverse queer identities. By offering a detailed perspective on how queer women navigate issues of freedom and safety in post-apartheid South Africa, this study contributes to academic discussions and urges policies and societal practices that enhance both visibility and protection for marginalised LGBTIQA+ communities.