An eight-year-old Grade 3 learner in Johannesburg was denied access to her new public school for three weeks allegedly due to her sexual orientation. The school cited concerns about gender-specific facilities, claiming her presence would be awkward for other children and potentially compromise her safety. After intervention from the grandmother and community members, the learner was finally allowed to attend school this week.
A Grade 3 learner almost found herself in the cold after her new school prevented her from attending her classes due to her alleged non-binary sexual identity. Picture: SuppliedIn spite of clear guidelines governing the rights of minorities including those belonging to the LGBTQI groups, learners in SA schools continue to encounter discrimination based on their sexual orientation.
When she was to move to a public school, her grandmother, 60, approached the school for her granddaughter to be admitted. She immediately explained the child’s circumstances and was given the assurance that everything would be resolved as soon as the schools re-opened. “So for three weeks, she could not attend school and this situation was unbearable as we were not sure what was going to happen to her. We were told that her sexuality made it difficult for everyone because she could not use the male toilets and the female toilets as this would be awkward for other children and her own safety and comfort as well... So, we waited until this week.
A member of the school, who did not want to be named for fear of victimisation, condemned the isolation of the learner, saying: “ We have been engaging with the principal and told her that what she had done was not the right way of handling the situation. I was not aware that the child has returned to school, but this should not have happened in the first place,” the member said.
Tholo Motaung, an LGBTQI activist, indicated that while concerns of the school are understandable, there is no reason a child could be prevented from attending school as this is a right guaranteed by the Constitution.
Human Rights Discrimination LGBTQI School Gender Identity South Africa
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