Don't look away | Homophobic bullying fuels South Africa’s GBV disaster

Bullying remains a widespread issue in South Africa, but when rooted in sexism and homophobia, it becomes deeply personal and damaging.

Gendered bullying targets individuals for their gender expression or sexual identity and leaves lasting psychological scars.

The experiences of LGBTQIA+ youth reveal how entrenched cultural norms, institutional failures, and social prejudice continue to deny them safety and dignity despite the country’s progressive legal framework.

Defining Gendered Bullying

Professor Deevia Bhana, South African Research Chair in Gender and Childhood Sexuality at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, stresses that all forms of bullying are gendered.

She explains that bullying is not simply an individual behaviour pattern but is embedded in power relations rooted in patriarchy and heteronormative expectations.

Gendered bullying manifests through verbal, emotional, physical and sexual aggression aimed at enforcing “proper” masculinity and femininity and punishing those who do not conform.

Bhana says sexism and homophobia often overlap, with children shaming those perceived as “not properly heterosexual” using slurs such as istabane, gay, fag and sissy. These patterns appear from early childhood and intensify with age, occurring in classrooms, playgrounds, sports spaces and online environments.

Lack of Safety and Support

Kim Lithgow, founder of Same Love Toti, explained that in conservative areas like Amanzimtoti, Durban, there are almost no safe spaces for queer young people. She said there were virtually no formal LGBTQIA+ support groups in the region, adding that she believed she was “the only one in Amanzimtoti and there’s one in uMlazi.”

According to Lithgow, LGBTQIA+ youth face bullying at school and online, often ignored because communities believe “they should just not be LGBT.”

Many affected young people underperform academically or drop out entirely. She emphasised that even one supportive person can dramatically reduce a young person’s risk of mental health challenges or suicidal ideation, and urged communities, including religious and traditional leaders, to create inclusive spaces and recognise that sexual orientation is “not a choice” but “a variation of the human condition.”

Lithgow added that while South Africa has laws protecting LGBTQIA+ people, implementation remains weak. She welcomed the passage of the Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Act in 2024 but stressed that enforcement is the real test.

As chair of the Hate Crimes Working Group, she said the organisation continues to advocate for the “full and effective implementation” of the law and emphasised that all families,same-sex, transgender or intersex, deserve dignity and equality.

A Worsening Climate of Gender-Based Violence

Data released by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) at the end of 2024 highlighted the growing crisis. Although overall violent crime had decreased, gender-based violence continued to rise across the country.

The HSRC’s First National Gender-Based Violence Study showed widespread emotional, physical, psychological and economic violence in all nine provinces.

HSRC divisional executive Professor Khangelani Zuma said South Africa needs data-driven, multidisciplinary approaches to gender equity, but implementation, funding and entrenched cultural norms remain significant challenges.

Researcher Natisha Dukhi warned that if society continues to normalise violence, “it would be a shame on our side if we do nothing about it.” LGBTQIA+ women face intensified vulnerability within this climate.

Impact on LGBTQIA+ Youth

Bhana’s research shows that LGBTQ+ learners often live in fear, remain closeted and occupy social margins at school due to lack of institutional support. Many face daily mockery, emotional abuse and threats of violence.

She notes that resilience is possible, but only when families, schools and communities provide affirming environments. Legal protection alone, she warns, does not guarantee safety.

Nicole Alexander, director of the Pride Shelter Trust, said queer women, particularly transgender and lesbian women, experience intersecting forms of discrimination and are often rejected by families or religious communities. Many face homelessness, and shelters or state programmes frequently lack the training needed to support LGBTQIA+ individuals.

Urgent Need for Reform in Schools

OUT LGBT Well-being commended Parliament for passing the Hate Crimes Act but warned that discriminatory school environments remain a serious issue.

OUT’s Human Rights Coordinator, Sibonelo Ncanana, said teachers often impose personal prejudices on learners, perpetuating “generational homophobia.” The organisation cited the death of 12-year-old Sibusiso Mbatha in 2023, after alleged bullying and a teacher telling him to keep his “gay tendencies” at home, as a tragic example of systemic failure.

OUT called for mandatory teacher training, gender-neutral bathrooms and curriculum reforms that reflect diverse families and gender identities.

Government Response

Government leaders have acknowledged the scale of the crisis. In 2025, the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster launched a national 90-day blitz to address gender-based violence and femicide (GBV+F) and revived the Inter-Ministerial Committee on GBV+F to coordinate state interventions.

In November 2025, GBVF was officially classified as a national disaster following nationwide protests.

The Need for Cultural and Educational Change

UNESCO has described homophobic bullying as a global threat to the right to education, and the United Nations has labelled it “a moral outrage.”

Bhana warns that South Africa cannot address GBV as a national crisis without addressing violence against LGBTQIA+ learners.

She says schools must adopt clear anti-bullying guidelines, teacher training and comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) that includes LGBTQI+ identities. Open conversations, she argues, do not “contaminate” children but protect them.

She also notes that gendered bullying remains under-researched in South Africa. More scholars are needed, along with studies on how online platforms, TikTok, Instagram, and gaming apps, shape young people’s experiences of risk, sexuality, and abuse.

A Call for Dignity, Equality and Support

The call for action across South Africa is clear. Lithgow said the country must recommit to the constitutional values of dignity, equality, inclusiveness and freedom.

“We must always treat people equally,” she said. “Dignity, inclusiveness, equality, freedom, all those great things. That’s what we need to follow.”

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