Queer activism in South African education: a book review

Dennis A. Francis’ (2023) publication, Queer Activism in South African Education: Disrupting Cis(hetero)normativity in Schools, recognises and brings into visibility the experiences of queer youth, teachers and other school staff, and queer and trans activists. Throughout the book, moments of recognition suggest a radical movement toward more socially just practice, while others reveal the overwhelming persistence of oppressive norms. Although many aspects of South Africa’s policy landscape might represent progressive and queer-trans-inclusive perspectives on human rights, education, health, governance, and so on, the lived realities of LGBTQI+ youth (and adults) continue to be filled with violence and suspicion (Msibi, 2012). Queer and trans people, communities, and activists, as revealed through the corpus of Francis’ research in this book, are nevertheless powerful agents of change – from the everyday to the systemic.