Abstract
Student activism forms an integral part of student life for many students at the University of Johannesburg. In this space (student activism), many find a sense of belonging during their academic journeys. From this juncture, students challenged the prevalence of coloniality in higher education through the 2015/2016 #MustFall movements, which raised issues of representation and inclusivity of black bodies in the university and the Western-centric focus of the curriculum. However, several participants in the #MustFall movements have since expressed frustrations at the erasure of feminist and queer voices as the years have passed. This study examines the perspectives of queer activists at UJ on queer representation, inclusivity, and visibility nearly a decade since the Fallist movements.
This research employed qualitative, in-depth, hybrid (face-to-face and online via Microsoft Teams) interviews of eight queer-identifying student activists across various societies and organisations at UJ. The perspectives captured were analysed using thematic analysis. The study applied queer and intersectional theories to analyse and interpret the findings and found that queer activists perceive self-acceptance and agency as important parts of their activist identity and work. Importantly, the study found that queer activists have an intersectional approach to their activist work, in which they also seek to humanise and highlight other marginalised voices. Furthermore, it was found that queer representation and inclusivity have gradually improved in certain organisations but there are still barriers in the mainstream activist space, particularly in student politics.