Idolised, immobilised and vilified
Winnie Mandela threw in her lot with patriarchy but, when measured against its benchmarks of a ‘good woman’, she was found to be flawed.
Winnie Mandela threw in her lot with patriarchy but, when measured against its benchmarks of a ‘good woman’, she was found to be flawed.
Lesbianism in South Africa is a bit like a crazy and eccentric old auntie we tolerate because of the equality clause, and whom we keep at a safe distance, in case people think queerness runs in the family. The broader political issues about what it means to be a woman who loves women — in theory and in sexual practice — never seem to get a look in because of the feverish curiosity around what lesbians do in bed.