Abstract
M.A.
This dissertation attempts to understand the different meanings attached to lesbian identities by comparing the experiences of black and white lesbian women living in South Africa. Literature of the experiences of black lesbian women, especially in South Africa, is plentiful. Thus, by including white lesbian women in the sample, this dissertation begins to fill a gap in literature and provide some insights into an overall experience of lesbian identity in South Africa. In-depth interviews were conducted with seven black lesbians and seven white lesbians living in and around Johannesburg, and an intersectional model of analysis was employed to analyse the data. The study found that race as an identity marker is significant in how lesbian women attach meaning to their sexual identities, though it is not the only denominator when it comes to constructing a lesbian identity. A number of other key identities arose from the study which have an impact on the way in which a lesbian identity is constructed, such as gender, ties to family, different social spaces and religion. These multiple identities are not mutually exclusive, and thus interact with each other to influence the construction of a lesbian identity. This dissertation also asserts that a lesbian identity impacts on how the participants experience their other, non-lesbian, identities. Comparing the experiences of fourteen diverse lesbian women has contributed to a deeper understanding of lesbian identity construction, as well as the coming-out process.