Conceptualization of Trans Sexuality in Ghana: Implications for Minority Inclusion in Africa

Daniel Yaw Fiaveh, University of Cape Coast

Although LGBTQI+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex) discourse is politically and negatively charged in most parts of Africa, with different perspectives leading to discussion of an anti-homosexuality bill, we actually know very little about people’s understanding of the LGBTQI+ umbrella term. This study engages young people’s understanding of one of the umbrella groups, transgender people, as an important space for minority inclusion. Specifically, I provide an overview of the regional context around sex negativity/sex positivity in terms of regulation and attitudes towards queer sexualities using a literature review on the one hand and in-depth interviews with 20 purposively sampled young educated adults to explore their knowledge and perceptions of transgender people, the factors that influence such understanding, and how these work to influence an understanding of the distinctiveness of queerness in Africa, focusing on one of the umbrella groups, transgender people, as an important space for minority inclusion.