Exploring the need for safe spaces for lesbian and gay students of the North-West University Potchefstroom Campus

Abstract

The visibility of our issues and our bodies is said to present a double-edged sword: on the one hand that visibility serves the necessary purpose of de-mystifying LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) persons and their human rights concerns. Conversely it tends to create a backlash towards many of those bodies who put themselves out in the open (De Wet, Rothmann & Simmonds, 2016). This study provides an exploration of the need for safe spaces for lesbian and gay students on the Potchefstroom campus of the North-West University. This is a qualitative study informed by the meta-theoretical principles of social constructionism and features of interpretivism. Twenty (20) interviews were conducted with ten (10) students who were openly gay and the other ten (10) students were openly lesbian. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. The findings in this study give an insight into the experiences of gay and lesbian students on the Potchefstroom campus of the North-West University, and discuss the favourable nature of safe spaces and their limitations