Jonathan Botes 🗃

Continuously trying to highlight the hidden work done by countless #lesbian activists in South Africa’s #history.

Back to work. Time to complete this #PhD and show how queer organising was linked to #anti-apartheid activism.

Getting in on the act. Post the LAST SENTENCE of your last article.

“Such historical narratives also remind us of their importance and why further research is imperative to document the diverse and situated voices of marginalised queer women.”

#queer #skystorians

Queer women have remained marginalised, even within the spaces of queer organisations. I found the stories of GLOW's lesbian members hidden even in the archive, and found that the best way to access their stories was through interviews and personal archives. Here I explore the Lesbian Forum.

Thanks! I’ll check it out!

Constantly torn between archives, interviews, and writing. Constantly getting overwhelmed and choosing to spend the day not working. PhD procrastination at its finest.

26 years ago today Simon Nkoli passed away from HIV/Aids. Forming the #Gay and #Lesbian Organisation of the Witwatersrand he made the struggle #intersectional stating: “I am black and I am gay. I cannot separate the two parts of me into secondary and primary struggle. They will be all one struggle."

Australian social media ban on under-16s approved by Senate The ban aims to reduce "harms" on children and will take at least a year to implement, the PM says.

Something exciting coming out of Australia.

Learning from the past is always beneficial. With #queer rights in trouble today, perhaps learning from South Africa's #struggle could help some. This article briefly examines the #intersectional struggle for queer rights in South Africa shortly after the #apartheid government had lost power.

Considering how often the right complains about being censored it’s quite interesting that I’ve been inundated with ads from the daily wire on YouTube today. For #blackfriday deals. Don’t recall when last I’ve seen #leftist ads or even content promoted. But no, they’re the ones being silenced.

As someone currently based in South Africa, but looking abroad for a #postdoc, it was always the fear of something like this happening that has kept me from applying in the US. Our #research is under attack. #Queer spaces and places of inquiry are in danger, and sadly this won’t be the last.

Some great advice for all us new folk who have recently joined.

A reminder that #landlords fucking suck.

@leejamiller.bsky.social and other YouTube #leftists had been speaking about #Project2025 for months before it was mentioned elsewhere. Unfortunately more people seem to pay more attention to toxic podcasts than educate themselves listening to well-researched arguments.

The right-wing believes we on the left are a well organised group. Imagine what we could achieve if we were as organised as what they believe we are. Let’s keep the #struggle #intersectional and organised wherever we are.

The true #struggle will always be #intersectional and we will need to maintain support to succeed. Emotional and physical.

I always find the #history of any form of protection exciting. Add an image of an incredibly cubic condom and I’m hooked. #SexHistory is always fun.

Intergenerational Oral History and Section 28 How can oral history interviews between different generations of LGBTQ+ people aid our understanding of the ongoing impact of Section 28?

21 years ago, in November 2003, Section 28 was repealed.

From the HW archive: how can oral history interviews between different generations of LGBTQ+ people aid our understanding of the ongoing impact of Section 28?

www.historyworkshop....

#queerhistory #oralhistory

Keep up with @fragileforestfairy.bsky.social if you’re keen to see the journey of a queer leftie working their way into psychology as a way to help younger queer folk reach their true potential. I’m also sure you’ll be given a decent dose of humour along the way 🏳️‍🌈 🌹 🧠

LGBT folk are not “propaganda” or “ideology.” We are people. And we deserve to exist in the world without our lives being politicised endlessly as a subject of hostile public debate.

Internal fighting among the left tends to allow the far-right to succeed. We need to learn to mobilise as a collective who seek liberation for all in order to make sure that the far-right don’t succeed with their plans to oppress us all.

As #queer folk today we are able to find safety in numerous spaces, however this is increasingly under threat. My first ever article examines queer #visibility and the construction of queer space during a previous #far-right regime in #apartheid South Africa.

dx.doi.org/10.51185/jou...

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Thank you 🙏🏽 yes, I’ve been in GALA constantly over the last few years, but have also been keeping my work focused on more oral sources to try and find input from people who weren’t at the forefront of queer movements but who still contributed just as much. I’ll keep the work posted as it comes out.

Please and thank you! That would be lovely 🫰🏽

Hi Bluesky, I’m a #queer #historian PhD candidate at the University of the Witwatersrand where I am studying the #Gay and #Lesbian Organisation of the Witwatersrand #GLOW and their role in the #anti-apartheid movement. Stay tuned for queer leftist politics.

I’m researching queer anti-apartheid organisations in South Africa, currently studying the history of the Gay and Lesbian Organisation of the Witwatersrand (GLOW) for my PhD based at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Find my work on #queer South African #history @ www.researchgate.net/profile/Jona... or wits.academia.edu/NathanBotes