GLR November-December 2025

ESSAY South Africa’s Clash of Cultures K ELLEY N ELE

I STRUT INTO the hospital in Pretoria with confidence, my heels clicking and hair swaying, but I’m immedi ately met with judgmental stares. As a trans woman from South Africa, I’ve experienced this many times before, so I brush it off; it’s part of the routine. The dis approving glances come not only from other patients but even from the healthcare providers. They want me to feel unwelcome, to know I don’t belong, though both science and the law support my existence. This hostility is rooted in a long history of violence against gender fluidity in Africa, a legacy of colonization that lingers today. Gender fluidity remains a contentious topic across the African continent, marked by societal norms and cultural be liefs that often hinder its expression and acceptance. African so cial expectations of gender identity are largely determined by a deeply entrenched patriarchal system and the influence of colo nialism. But this wasn’t always how gender fluidity and diver sity have been viewed throughout the continent. Before the onset of colonization, numerous African cultures displayed a rich tapestry of gender identities and expressions that were far more fluid and diverse than the rigid frameworks tions through cultural practices and spiritual beliefs. This ac ceptance demonstrated a deep-rooted understanding of gender as a complex and multifaceted aspect of human identity. The Lango people of Uganda have a flexible view of gender that allows people to identify as either male or female regardless of their biological sex, an acceptance that extends to same-sex relationships. Similarly, the Imbangala people in Angola have a cultural practice in which men can don women’s clothing and live alongside their wives. In Nigeria, the Igbo and Yoruba com munities don’t assign gender at birth. Instead, a person’s gender identity is shaped over time, influenced by societal roles and per sonal characteristics, allowing for a more dynamic interpreta tion of gender that evolves throughout a person’s life. The Dagaaba people of Ghana assign gender based on the en ergy a person exudes rather than their biological sex, emphasiz ing the fluidity of gender identities and diverging from the conventional binary perspective. In Zimbabwe, the San people have left cave paintings that illustrate sexual relationships be Kelley Nele, a trans educator based in Pretoria, South Africa, has writ ten for L GBTQ Nation , Reader’s Digest UK , MetroUK , among others. imposed by colonial authorities. In many so cieties, traditional gender roles were not strictly defined, allowing for a broader spec trum of gender experiences. Some commu nities even embraced members who didn’t fit neatly into the binary understanding of gender, integrating them into specific social roles or recognizing their unique contribu

tween men, suggesting a cultural acceptance and hinting at the possibility of gender fluidity within their society. Among the Zande warriors in the Congo and Sudan, same-sex relationships were not only commonplace but also culturally significant, with young men often marrying older warriors and assuming domes tic roles until they transitioned into being warriors themselves. South African miners adopted a similar practice in which the older men would have younger men as “boy-wives” who were responsible for domestic tasks in addition to providing compan ionship and sexual intimacy. In Kenya and Uganda, the Iteso peo ple recognized men who adopted feminine attire and behaviors, allowing them to engage in sexual relationships with other men. Gender fluidity extends beyond cultural practices and is deeply embedded in African spirituality. Various African cul tures have historically celebrated androgynous or intersex deities. In Mali, the Nommo of the Dogon people embodies this fluidity, while ancient Egyptian deities like Mut and Sekhmet also reflect a reverence for nonbinary identities. Some West African societies have documented the presence of trans gender priests and rituals that included cross-dressing. Among the Lugbara community, there are transgender people who traditions continue to thrive. Today, however, Africa is rife with violent and murderous ha tred that affects LGBT people of all genders, sexualities, ages, and racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. The repression of gender fluidity can be traced back to the mid-19th century, when European colonizers—heavily influenced by religious mission aries—imposed strict, binary views of gender that were rooted in the values of Victorian-era Christianity. These views—particu larly those based on the King James Bible—condemned same sex relationships and marginalized any expression of gender that fell outside the traditional male and female categories. This rigid framework reshaped local cultures and laid the groundwork for ongoing discrimination against diverse gender identities, funda mentally altering the social fabric of the regions affected. The introduction of Christian values by the colonizers helped shape the legal systems that emerged during that era, criminalizing same-sex relationships and entrenching patriar chal norms. As the European powers expanded their influence, they imposed penal codes that explicitly banned homosexual acts. In South Africa, the Immorality Act of 1957 was one of the earliest laws aimed at restricting intimate relationships. communicate with the spirit world. Trans gender women mediums are named okule (“like women”), while transgender men mediums are called agule (“like men”). These practices involving cross-dressing have not only persisted but also have influ enced contemporary ceremonies in Brazil and Haiti, where elements of these ancient

Gender fl uidity is deeply embedded in African spirituality, which included

androgynous and intersex dei ti es.

TheG & LR

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