The watershed of activity around commemorative times such as Pride Month(October in South Africa, and June Internationally); Trans Day of Visibility on 31 March, as well as IDAHOBIT (International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Intersexism ) on 17 May, to name but a few, highlight the potential to engage in diversity and inclusivity projects that underscore the lived realities of queer people, whilst addressing their concerns and celebrating their humanity. Many of these initiatives also open doors for critique around rainbow washing and paying lip service to the experiences of queer individuals.          

Take for instance, the theme for this year’s IDAHOBIT, titled: ‘Together always: United in Diversity’ which speaks to the sustained awareness and support of queer individuals with due consideration of the intersectional challenges they face. Addressing these challenges entails engaging with key concepts such as ‘change’, ‘transformation’, ‘diversity’, 'and ‘inclusion’; which have become vogue and relevant in realising more transformed spaces.

For the higher education sector, this means paying attention to the various efforts by different stakeholders in higher education institutions in creating safer spaces and promoting meaningful change. As it stands, one of the more prolific research items by Trans University Forum[1] states that much of the advancements in the decolonial project in South African universities has happened on the back of the #FeesMustFall movements where, “the student struggle for a decolonised university with a human face fast spread into lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) spaces on some campuses…empowered by an intersectional approach and practice, student demands for racial and economic justice within universities”[2].

A common way that diversity is conceptualised in higher education includes aspects such as language, academic disadvantages, first-generation scholars, gender, race, culture, socio-economic status, religion, learning disabilities as well as the LGBTIQ+ community[3]. To this end, to redress and ensure that transformation occurs, institutions are likely to create and make space for change through a transformation office or officer. In 2017, the University of Pretoria established its first Transformation Plan[4] mandating the opening of the Transformation Office. This plan was a response to redress the institution's long history of exclusion, where many South African staff and students were excluded from obtaining an education and working for the institution, and were limited in their ability to thrive and contribute meaningfully to academic projects.

The Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender (CSA&G) works closely with the Transformation Office in prioritising inclusive practices, diversity as well as knowledge sharing. As qualified facilitators of anti-discrimination training at UP, we often see how students and staff lack awareness of the resources available to unpack issues of diversity and inclusion, both within the institution and within their communities. Some of these resources include the Trans Protocol[5], a key document developed by the University of Pretoria in consultation with the Centre for Human Rights (CHR) and the CSA&G. The value of this policy instrument is in providing a firm stance that the university is invested in curbing the harms, discrimination and marginalisation of Trans and Gender Diverse (TGD) staff and students. To this end, research projects are actively pursued by different stakeholders to aid in assessing the progress towards bringing such policies into practice[6].

The matrix of key stakeholders actively involved in supporting diversity and inclusion in higher education institutions, include student societies committed to creating safer spaces for their queer peers, and by extension, staff. At the University of Pretoria, UP&OUT, who turned 17 years this year, continuously raise awareness on how to be respectful of people’s identities through educating people on gender and sexuality by way of workshops and roundtable talks[7].

Looking back at the 2023 theme for IDAHOBIT, we can see how we all play a crucial role in promoting diversity and inclusion. This means actively engaging in the implementation of comprehensive policies that address discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersex status, in the spirit of the day. Such a commitment promotes cultural competence and inclusivity awareness among staff and students which fosters safer spaces for all to thrive.