Sexual diversity is a contentious topic in South Africa because many people still hold the perception that sexual identity can only be understood in heteronormative terms. This article adopts a feminist research approach to investigate how black gay male identities are constructed and managed at home, within friendships and in mining workplaces, drawing on data collected from five black gay male mineworkers. It opens up discussion on gay mineworkers’ experiences in a country where diversity is upheld and celebrated through a democratic constitution, yet gay men must often negotiate and manage their sexual identities to fit in with the dominant heteronormative discourses present in different spaces in society, including adopting false heterosexual identities in particular spaces, which limits their freedoms. The study argues that experiences of constructing and managing black gay identities in heteronormative spaces is guided by the level of acceptance and tolerance perceived by gay people.

This scoping review explores the patterns of heteronormativity in healthcare sectors across Africa and its impact on the health and well-being of LGBTIQ+ individuals. By analyzing publications from major academic databases, this study identifies key themes and research gaps in the discourse on LGBTIQ+ health and heteronormativity in Africa. The findings underscore the urgent need to address these heteronormative barriers in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 (good health and well-being) and SDG 10 (reduced inequalities). Addressing heteronormativity in healthcare is essential for promoting equitable, inclusive healthcare systems and improving health outcomes for LGBTIQ+ populations across the continent.

Qualitative research on gay experiences in South African society is slowly gaining momentum. However, it is accompanied by serious ethical implications and positionality dilemmas that should be considered in carrying out such research. Black gay researchers' discussions of reflexivity in research that focuses on gay identities and realities in South Africa remain minimal. This paper focuses on a first-time gay male researcher's experience of being reflexive in a qualitative feminist study on the realities of Black gay men in mining workplaces. It highlights the importance of reflexivity and how it is enacted by a gay researcher who studies a gay population that they are in some way a part of, especially in South Africa, where sexuality is still a contentious topic. It is easy for a researcher to alter participants' narratives when they are a part of the population because they already have certain perceptions based on their personal experiences. This paper posits that the sexual and other intersecting identities and personal experiences of a researcher matter in research on vulnerable sexual minorities and should be a basis for critical reflections in qualitative feminist research.

South African literature demonstrates that heteronormative ideologies are evident at universities and inform various discriminations against LGBTIQ+ students. These heteronormative ideologies emanate from the traditional heteronormative socialisation in the South African society. While there is notable literature based on the experiences and perceptions of LGBTIQ+ students at universities, not much research pays attention to heterosexual students’ perceptions. It is imperative to consider heterosexual students’ perceptions of LGBTIQ+ identities to challenge heteronormative ideologies and transform universities into inclusive spaces. This article is based on heterosexual university students’ non-heteronormative perceptions of LGBTIQ+ identities. I argue that there is the potential to dismantle heteronormativity at universities since the heterosexual students in this research are critical of heteronormative ideologies and question stereotypes about sexual minority identities. Through semi-structured interviews with 10 self-identifying heterosexual students, the article established that students’ perceptions of LGBTIQ+ identities were affirming as they resisted traditional norms of sexuality and gender and demonstrated sensitivity to sexual diversity. The paper calls for further research to critically engage heterosexual students in conversations around heteronormativity to advance the acceptance, tolerance, and inclusion of LGBTIQ+ students at South African universities.

In this study, we explore how HIV-related social stigma in a South African rural township community informs parents’ and caregivers’ decisions to disclose their children’s HIV-positive status to them. To achieve the aim of the study, we conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with 12 parents and caregivers of HIV-positive children between the ages of seven and 14 years in a rural area based in Mpumalanga in South Africa. We found that, despite the development in HIV education across the country, HIV-related stigma is prevalent at a social level in rural townships and serves as a barrier to disclosing children’s HIV-positive status. We established that the parents and caregivers use “passing” as a stigma management strategy where they conceal their children’s HIV-positive status from them and instead tell them that they are infected with less stigmatised medical conditions such as asthma and tuberculosis. Based on these findings, we argue that, although education on HIV is widespread in South Africa, HIV-related stigma is still prevalent in some rural townships. This stigma compels parents and caregivers to avoid disclosing their children’s HIV-positive status to them and instead employ stigma management strategies that will maintain the concealment of their children’s HIV status.