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The Significance of South Africa's First Prominent Lesbian TV CharacterNtuli talked about her character to South Africa's Tonight in April, when she made her debut on Rhythm City:
(Ntuli's statement in April that she was told her character "goes both ways" conflicts with Wandi's on-screen statement in July that she's a lesbian, but there are several possible explanations for this: that Ntuli knew Wandi was gay but was told to tell reporters Wandi was bisexual to minimize any potential backlash — a tactic employed during the early stages of lesbian visibility in other countries — or that the writers always planned to make Wandi a lesbian but didn't want to scare Ntuli off when she was first hired, or simply that the writers decided to change the character to a lesbian after Ntuli was hired.) Ntuli was also quick to add, "I want it on record that I am very straight and, yes, I love men." Although it's disappointing that she felt compelled to make that statement, it's not surprising given the conflicting messages about homosexuality in South Africa. A country of roughly 48 million people — approximately 80% of whom are black — and 11 official languages, South Africa is comprised of an extremely heterogeneous population with diverse backgrounds and beliefs. In 2006, South Africa became the fifth country (and the first in Africa) to legalize same-sex marriage. Adoption by same-sex couples has been legal in South Africa since 2002, and the age of consent was made the same for homosexual and heterosexual relationships in 2008. This makes South Africa more advanced than many other countries in the world — including the U.S. — when it comes to legal rights for its gay and lesbian citizens. But at the same time, homophobia and sexism pervade South African culture(s), which has led to a recent rise in the "corrective" rape of lesbians in South Africa. This tactic by straight men to "convert" lesbians came to international attention last year when national soccer player Eudy Simelane was brutally gang-raped and murdered because she was gay. Reports by humanitarian groups show sexual assault against lesbians (or simply those who advocate for women's rights) continues to be a major problem. South Africans protest the rape and murder of Eudy Simelane, right The South African government has been criticized for not doing anything about the problem. A statement released by South Africa’s national prosecuting authority at the time of Simelane's murder said: "While hate crimes — especially of a sexual nature — are rife, it is not something that the South African government has prioritized as a specific project." In this environment, many South African lesbian and bisexual women understandably don't want to come out, at least not publicly. So it's not surprising that there are very few high-profile openly gay or bisexual women in South Africa. The very short list includes the famous late lesbian/bisexual Queen of African Pop Brenda Fassie, who died in 2004 from a drug overdose; singer Melanie Lowe, who first became popular in 2002 on the American Idol-type show Idols and came out last month as a lesbian; and writer Marianne Thamm, who writes for one of South Africa's largest women's magazines, Fair Lady. Lowe (right) and her fiancée Angela; Brenda Fassie Anti-gay attitudes are unlikely to change, however, as long as most LGBT South Africans stay closeted, since studies have shown a clear correlation between knowing someone who is gay, and acceptance of homosexuality. Fortunately, queer television characters (and television personalities) can serve as surrogate gay "friends," and help pave the way for more social acceptance of homosexuality, as we have seen happen in the U.S. over the last 20 years. But there has been almost no representation of lesbian/bi women on South African television until now. There was a recurring lesbian character on the 2006 South African series Known Gods named Octavia Jolley (played by Nicole Holm), but she had a small role. Octavia was also white, which makes Wandi not only the first prominent gay or bisexual TV female character on South African TV, but the first black lesbian or bisexual TV character — not an insignificant fact in a country that is 80% black. (One of the main characters on a 2007 mini-series called Her Story: Society was a black lesbian, but it was only a four-episode series.) Rhythm City currently averages around 2 million viewers — more than most of the other soapies. Exposing that many viewers to positive depictions of lesbians through a character like Wandi on a daily or weekly basis for months means there may be 2 million more South Africans less likely to engage in or look the other way at homophobia or "corrective rape" in the future. And now that Rhythm City has broken the social taboo around portraying lesbian characters on South African TV, other South African TV shows are likely to follow suit over time. That will lead to more positive visibility, which — when combined with efforts by the government, judicial system, human rights organizations, and ordinary and high-profile LGBT South Africans — will lead to improved attitudes towards LGBT South Africans, and less violence. All of which underscores the fact that, although visibility matters everywhere, perhaps it matters even more in South Africa right now. Thanks to AE reader I Promise I'll Be Good for her invaluable help with research and background information. Check out the show's official website and the Rhythm City Facebook group. For more on "corrective rape," read our recent forum thread about it, and visit actionaid.org.uk. |
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News, Reviews & Commentary on Lesbian and Bisexual women in Entertainment and the Media
Erasing bisexuality?
The character's line is that she is a lesbian, but the actor was told that Wandi is bisexual ("In terms of her sexual orientation, I was told she goes both ways, which can be interesting.") This article also does not say that the character could potentially be bisexual, though the character currently states that she is a lesbian ( "Lu, did you not know I was a lesbian?").
Another case of erasing bisexuality in the media/entertainment?
Keeping things in perspective
I'm not going to speculate about whether a character is bisexual when she clearly identifies as a lesbian on the show, and no, that isn't a case of erasing bisexuality in entertainment. The actress made those statements 4 months ago, actresses don't always know what the writers' intend, and a lot can change on a daily drama in that time.
What's disturbing to me about your comment is that out of everything you read in this article — what a major milestone this is for South African visibility, all the horror that's happening to South African women, etc. — you chose to focus on a perceived slight of bisexual women.
Bisexual visibility is important, but let's keep some perspective! Even if you believed I deliberately erased bisexuality here (and you'd have to ignore everything I've written about bisexual visibility on the site over the last 8 years, and the tagline at the top of every page that deliberately includes bisexual women, in order to believe that), this article isn't really the place to focus on that. When there are no lesbian or bisexual women on TV, and real lesbian and bisexual women are being raped and murdered in large numbers simply for being who they are, distinctions between "lesbian" and "bisexual" simply don't matter very much.
There are many other places on this site where you can discuss the issue of bi visibility. Choosing to focus on that here minimizes both the achievement and the tragedy happening in South Africa.
Change
I completely agree, although Im English I've been studying South Africa as part of my Civil Rights course and the fact they are finally having an openly gay character on a television show is amazing and gives me a lot of hope for change in South Africa.
And surely as a community; much needed visibility of one identity will help the GLBTQ community as a whole in South Africa, not just lesbians. Usually I am such a pessimist but sometimtimes you really have to focus on what is a huge milestone as a positive rather than pick holes.
Sarah, you're awesome,
Sarah, you're awesome, seriously.
Great reply.
I haven't read this as yet...
being gay in SA
Thank you.
SA friends
but honestly, i think it's a society and generation issue (as hard as it sounds). i have a lot of south african friends and i was worrying about their reaction towards me when i came out to them. i couldn't have wished for more support or better friends in some tough times far away from home... me being gay is not a problem at all and they all said they'll love me unconditionally, no matter whom i fall in love with. but my friends are all in their early to late twenties, intelligent and raised in a more lgbt-friendly enviroment. even though they don't understand all aspects of what it means to be lgbt, or have a strong christian faith, they all have gay/bi/trans friends or family and it doesn't matter! so eventually i think something is going to change in the right direction as a new generation raises their children with teaching them tolerance, acceptance and equality. i know how harsh it sounds but let's wait some 20-30yrs. and we'll see a difference...
Harsh!?!
I don't think that too far off about waiting for the older generation to die off so that maybe we can have a more LBGT-friendly society. My mother says it all the time dealing with issues such as "tolerence for people who are different that cannot help it". She even includes herself in this generation of bigotry.
South Africa to me has always been a place to pay attention in it's global importance. How it's never too late for a country to move on from a questionable past as long as the people are willing to look for a brighter future. With this new element of a gay black South African lesbian, I can only hope her character does not fault in the typical storylines I see in the U.S. you know, getting pregnat randomly or being a bit crazy, misandry etc.
Proudly South African
wow, I'm behind the times... I had no clue about Melanie Lowe although I always suspected she may be gay when she was on idols...
I just wanted to say thanks for doing an article about SA that is in a more positive light. We have had quite a few gay characters on tv but hardly any lesbian ones so this should be interesting. I'll now be watching Rhythm City...
uh huh
I always had my suspisions about Melanie Lowe, she was my favorite for Idol in its first season! And happy for her!
Thanks for the article Sarah, a bit of positve and a bit of realistic negative, but still good for SA.
*don't judge*
I've been watching ever
Happy
All the things I hear about corrective rape and it not being apart of hate crimes in places in Africa disturbs me. This will definitely shine a light on the fact that we are people too. Visibility is key when striving towards equality.
"Mama, Ain't this your home? No, chile home is where you are loved."
Haley's 'Queen'
from SA
Firstly, thanks to Sarah for an awesome article, I don't recall reading anything about South Africa on here. All the information was not only spot-on, but I didn't even know that the Musician melanie lowe was gay! Had to read it on AE. And, the violence against gay women that Sarah spoke of, tends to be something more (not exclusive) to a cultural belief by SOME. Urban SA to me, especially cape town seems very gay-friendly.
So it's not all doom and gloom...
South Africa and Cape Town have had many pride events. The Mother City Queer Project is one such event. (Cape town is known as the MOTHER CITY) It is held annually(since 1994) and is greeted with positive enthusiasm by the gay and straight community alike. Here's a link for anyone interested. (note: its an old link)
http://www.mcqp.co.za/index.php
Thanks for the information,
Ur welcome..
Wow
Great article! It really highlights the different issues for Black Lesbians in South Africa.
Coming out in the '90's in JoBurg, the change of Constitution was quite something, there were a lot of changes back then, but you always heard the stories of what would happen to lesbians in the Townships. it is great that this Serious Problem is being highlighted and the beginnings of being dealt with.
RSA has always been a Country of Stark contrasts. Beautiful, but harsh....
Great!! Great! Great!! Great!!
Great!! Thank you for the information on this television show/soap opera. And the article is written well! Thank you to "I Promise I'll Be Good"!
It makes me very happy to see a brown skin woman character who is attracted to women. :) Hopefully this show and the character does make some kind of awareness to a individual viewer(s) (in South Africa or any where in the world) about women attracted to women (and men attracted to men).
Is there anyway I can view this soap opera online? :)
SA!! Woot!
Wow! Melanie Lowe is gay!? Haha, that's a surprise.
Great to see my country making headline AE news, it was a lovely little gift. I'm proud, though I have to admit I've never liked ETV. Mnet is better, if less local. I'll be impressed when Egoli gets a gay/bi character. In fact, I'll eat my foot if they ever get a gay/bi character :)
It's horrible to hear about the corrective rape stuff... I make a point to avoid the news. I can make it through the day easier that way. Cape Town is so gay-friendly though. Ridiculously. We're pretty lucky, considering.
A great step forward, for a country that has many more to make.
Who can say if I've been changed for the better, but because I knew you, I have been changed For Good - Wicked
ja
I agree... Etv has never been my favourite... I'm probably wrong or confused with another soapie but didn't Egoli have a gay couple but they broke up or something?
yeah
Yeah, Braam and What-his-face, and they were a long standing couple on Egoli for a couple of YEARS! Unfortuntely the storylie for the two did go very pear-shaped, such a pitty.
*don't judge*
Gay in SA
I came out 10 years ago and I still feel vulnerable when out at night. My greatest fear is being on the receiving end of 'corrective' rape. Because I'm not feminine in my appearance, I know I can be a target. I suppose the only thing that's in my favour is that I don't live in the townships. I know women who struggle with their sexuality so much because of the intolerance of their friends and family where they live.
Last year I went to the pride march in Soweto and was astounded to see how few people came out - the following week Joburg pride reportedly drew 5000 people. Yes, we are incredibly progressive compared with parts of the rest of the world, but women are under threat here all the time. And that scares me.
That said, I am proud to be lesbian and I love this country so much - I can't imagine ever leaving it.
YAY for SA
I Don't Know Much About SA
but I'm glad they are featuring a lesbian character on television. I enjoyed this article,Sarah. South Africa is a country like a lot of countries with older generations, no matter the cultural hertiage within the country , are holding on to old beliefs while the new generation are forming new ones. This significant turn in SA media will defintely determine the outcome of acceptance. It will be the new genration,the younger one, to change and challenge old beliefs and I hope they win.
I defintely want to watch this "soapie."
I am sorry to hear about soccer player Eudy Simelane. I get emotional over something like that.
South Africa has the ball in the court to change;I hope they can be it.
Melanie Lowe comes out on Mambagirl
Great article - thanks Sarah.
Melanie Lowe talks about her love for Ange, her life as a singer and her family's reaction to her coming out in an open interview on mambagirl.com, written by mambagirl Akira Wing.
MAMBAGIRL.COM | South Africa's most stylish lesbian lifestyle site :: features :: news :: entertainment :: galleries ::
Thank you
so much for the article. It is always nice to read about such a huge milestone in other countries. It saddens me when I read about how progressive the goverment is in certain ways (legalizing same sex marriages, adoptions, and the same age of consent regardless of sexual orientation) while at the same time, it seems like they're not doing anything about violence that gay/lesbians/bi/trans cititizens have to deal with on a daily basis.
Hopefully by having good references in pop culture will slowly change people's attitude in South Africa, and maybe in the near future people's attitudes will shift and the violence will decrease.
Kudos to South Africa for this positive move on their part, even if it's in the form of a tv show. Small steps that perhaps will lead to bigger ones.
"Come fly away with me, right in the land of eternity"
South Africa and its rainbow nation
Thank you for the article :)
South Africa in its diversity makes it one of the richest and interesting places in the world, but also puts almost as many beliefs and opinions as there are languages, races, religions, orientations and ultimately peolple. There is a substancial pro-gay community mostly situated in the bigger cities, especially Cape Town, but then there are also so many other less progressive areas where heterosexuality will stay the accepted norm for still some time to come. No matter where you go at this moment, anywhere in the world, you will find resistance against homosexuality. It saddens me that rape has to be one of the ways to try and enforce heterosexuality. It is primal (lack of) thinking and an utterly absurd notion.
Ultimately I do hope that that 2 million, in whom the seeds of acceptance of the LGBTQ community are being planted by "Rhythm City" and its breakthrough on this front, increases to the full 48 million, so that gays can also one day be a fully accepted part of our aptly named Rainbow Nation.
Great Article
Kudos!!!!!
I can only echo all of the above comments made on the current situation in SA. It's a vibrant and culturally rich country that holds a melting pot of ideas, perceptions and stigmas about alot of issues. But I have to mention here that our poison is also our power, and we've already chartered off the territory to have these discussions on. We can and should draw strenght from that and start to make a change!!
We all love our 'soapies' and the characters often feel like close friends. I think it was a very brave step of Rhythm City to finally bring a lesbian character into our living rooms. Maybe it will desensitise the stigma around lesbians, and hopefully the writers realise the power of influence they have on the community.
Happy to see that Melanie Lowe finally got peace within herself, and that she wants to share that with the rest of us..We definitely need more celesbians in the South-African media..
So Kudos to the writers of Rhythm City, kudos to Mel Lowe and kudos to Sarah for putting our smallish country on the map!!!
YES!
This is wonderful!
We need more representation of lesbians of colour, especially in other parts of the world which may not enjoy the level of exposure we get here (although even here representation of lesbians and women of colour in general, can be sorely lacking).
I am so happy for SA, can't wait to hear more stories like this.
Thank you for this article Sarah, it was excellent.
Thanks...
Her Story
I was just going to mention that one. Sociey was very entertaining and I managed to watch all four episodes, which is rare for me. Of all locally produced series I have watched, Her Story: Society was one of the best.
Thanks for the info!
My pleasure...
YAY for RSA
It's been a while since I've made it back to RSA. I'm happy to see that they've made progress in the TV arena. I'll need to put in a call or to to see what the reaction on the ground has been.
Thanks for the article Sarah!
------------------------------------------
http://thequeerafrican.blogspot.com/
Queer Africans say aye!
Nice.
I like readin about stuff like this; between gay sex being legalized in India and gay visibility on TV increasing worldwide, especially in countries that take such issue with homosexuality, it's amazing to read about it. In the midst of 'corrective rape' and all the violence surrounding homosexuality, it's like a beacon of hope or somethign to read about something positive, be it real-life or entertainment. Actually it makes me wanna jump and shout 'hooray!' for it. :D
i was psyched to see an
good insight
i think that you bring up a really great point.
i live in Colombia (south america) and people are always shocked when I tell them that there is gay marraige here. its not marraige with that wording. but gay partners can marry and sponsor their partner for residency (if that partner is from outside of Colombia). even though Colombia is a super catholic country.
Excellent Article.
This was great to read, especially after talking with black female friends who either are South African or have lived there for significant periods of time. I think the fact that a black lesbian is being showacsed is quite important in this case. Many of these corrective rapes are unfortunately black-on-black crime. It's a double-win in that a queer woman is represented AND she's of color. The article weaves in teh possible impact of media/entertainment in fighting material violence agains women.
shanteparadigm.blogspot.com
Slightly off topic
But for those who are interested the trial of three of the men accused of murdering Eudy Simelane will be taking place from the 29th to the 31st of this month (July) the 070707 Act to End Hate campaign will have people inside and outside the court and there should be press releases going out each evening that you should be able to find with a search for her name.
Thanks for the article its nice to see SA getting some coverage.