Violence against black lesbians: Minding our language

abstract

The Open Forum is a short report on the “Conversation Series” that was started by the Gender Equity Unit and the Women's and Gender Studies Department of the University of the Western Cape. The discussion problematises the use of terminology and language that depolitises the urgency and impact of violence against women in general and violence against black lesbians in particular. It raises critical questions with regard to the impunity in which certain terms and images are used in the name of ‘awareness-raising’ and ‘publicity’ about the rape and murders of black lesbians. It questions the complicity of feminist activists and lesbians in appropriating these dehumanising vocabularies.

Keywords:

• Language
• violence against women
• rape
• lesbian activism
• sexual orietation