Abstract
This study explores black homosexual male mineworkers’ construction and management of multiple identities in spaces of discrimination. A feminist epistemology was adopted in investigating how black homosexual male mineworkers construct their (homo)sexual identities and how they manage them within private and public spaces. Discrimination against homosexual individuals manifests in multiple ways within different spaces, which affects how participants construct their (homo)sexual identities. Most of the available studies tend to study LGBTIQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and other) people as a coherent group. However, the reality is that the experiences of LGBTIQ+ individuals differ as a result of their different social statuses, and this has been a neglected reality in studies that focus on the effects of discrimination against sexual minority identities in South Africa. This study attempts to fill this gap in knowledge by using an intersectional framework to study the unique experiences of the participants. Black homosexual men are marginalised and silenced by the stigma attached to their sexual identities, which highlights the need to bring their voices to the fore. Thus, the study explores how identity markers such as race, religion, gender and sexuality collectively inform their experiences of identity construction and management in spaces that are characterised by discrimination. In-depth interviews were conducted with five participants who are formally employed in the mining industry, so as to capture their experiences. This study opens up dialogue on black homosexual male mineworkers’ experiences of discrimination in a country that upholds a democratic constitution which explicitly promotes equality for all. This dissertation also highlights the struggles of constructing triple identities and living multiple lives to navigate heteronormative spaces, which is a direct consequence of discrimination and fear.
M.A. (Industrial Sociology)