{"id":4379,"date":"2024-09-11T10:59:16","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T10:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/transintersexhistory.africa\/?page_id=4379"},"modified":"2025-02-27T17:59:42","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T15:59:42","slug":"questions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/transintersexhistory.africa\/questions\/","title":{"rendered":"FAQs"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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What is the Trans and Intersex History Africa website about?\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Trans and Intersex History Africa (TIHA) website is a space where African trans and\/or intersex activists share our archival collections, memories, reflections and facts about the trans and intersex movements in Africa and the Diaspora. Using a timeline of events, contributions include the founding dates of trans and intersex organisations, legal struggles and victories, and individuals\u2019 accomplishments in sport, art, music and other private domains, along with passionate contributions towards positive change for trans and\/or intersex struggles on the continent.\u00a0We are interested in documenting pivotal moments that have changed the face of trans and intersex organising, movement building and human rights struggles and victories on the continent and within the African Diaspora. Read more<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Are you involved in any advocacy?\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The TIHA website is positioned at a unique and interesting nexus between archiving and providing accurate information as an <\/span>advocacy tool <\/span>that forms part of trans and intersex movement building. Our website with its Timeline is a tool for trans and intersex activists, organisations, scholars and allies. There is no better time than NOW, as throughout the continent the anti-gender, conservative, TERF (<\/span>Trans Radical Exclusionary Feminist) <\/span> rhetoric gains momentum and threatens trans and intersex people and our rights. The TIHA website can contribute to the efforts of organisations to ensure that trans existence is recorded (as many organisations in countries like Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana and Zambia are forced into silence or to go underground), thereby providing a voice for trans and intersex individuals, organisations and the movements as a whole to counter anti-rights misrepresentations of what it means to be trans and intersex and what our lived experiences are. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

We do not seek to get actively involved in <\/span>current advocacy<\/span> using leading campaigns and initiating media releases or any of the work contemporary trans and intersex organisations (NGOs, CSOs or groups \u2013 formal or informal) do. Instead, we aim to document, record and archive the work of activists, community members and organisations or groups and individuals, who we strongly believe will continue advocating for and doing the work of fighting for trans and intersex rights. Our website exists to tell the stories of the past and to support the individuals and organisations in the trans and intersex movements by documenting our collective histories\/herstories\/theirstories.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Why intersex and trans?\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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We are aware that intersex and trans activists often advocate for the need for independent advocacy and the development of separate activism trajectories. There are also times both in activism and personal lives when these paths cross. But in the case of the early founding years and the emergence of what is known today as a gendered \u201cmovement\/s\u201d in Africa, the reality is that strong alliances were formed between intersex and trans activism during the early years of the movement in Southern and Eastern Africa, especially through advocacy and important collaborative projects. This represents a rich joint history that cannot be ignored. The history that we present on this website is based on the reality of those years and contributes to what became an important part of the many trans and intersex histories and movements in Africa. It would be counterproductive and unfeasible to present two separate sets of records\/archives. Also, in the face of the anti-rights movement mentioned in the previous point, presenting a unified front to counter anti-gender and conservative rhetoric is essential.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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What is the TIHA website\u2019s position on representation?\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Trans and Intersex History in Africa website takes an intersectional and transfeminist approach to the stories we tell. We acknowledge the existence of multiple movements, networks, groups and individuals and that the stories to be told contain various voices to form histories, herstories, and theirstories. We therefore try to ensure that we work from a point of capturing the diversity of our movements by making our Timeline as representative of this diversity and intersectionality.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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This website is an ongoing project and invites contributions by trans and intersex individuals and organisations to share first-hand experiences about important moments that form part of those histories, herstories, and theirstories. We welcome content and information in any chosen language, as we are aware that communicating only in colonial languages creates barriers. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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What terminology do you use in the Timeline articles?\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Terminology has changed over time and continues to change. Words and descriptions that were acceptable in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s might not be acceptable anymore today. The TIHA website, however, records, reports and archives those stories as they were captured in the media, but we do point out problematic terminology and provide current alternatives.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

When interviewing someone about their experiences during or before the early 2000s, it is important to note that in the early years of our movements, terminology such as \u2018Transvestites\u2019, \u2018Trannies\/Tranny\u2019, and \u2018Transsexual\u2019 was used. It is also important to note that this terminology may be used even today, based on individuals\u2019 right to self-identify and the way they describe themselves and those in their communities.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The most \u201cprogressive\u201d word in the early 2000s would have been \u2018transgender\u2019. In 2010 the most progressive word was \u2018Trans*\u2019 and from there it moved to \u2018Trans\u2019, \u2018Transmasculine\u2019, and \u2018Transfeminine\u2019, or a \u201cman\/woman with trans experience\u201d, depending on what the person preferred and still prefers.\u00a0The earlier term, \u2018Gender Non-conforming (GNC)\u2019 has now been replaced by the term \u2018Gender Diverse\u2019 in many circles, although the term GNC is still used by some.<\/span><\/p>

Another example of changing terminology is that in the earlier years it was acceptable to refer to \u2018Sex Change Surgery\u2019, which was later replaced by \u2018Gender Reassignment Surgery\u2019. The latest terminology\u00a0 to \u2018Gender Affirming Healthcare\u2019 or \u2018Gender Affirming Procedures\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Intersex activists have worked hard over the past 20+ years to raise awareness and advocate for language that avoids using the term \u2018hermaphrodite\u2019. During the early 2000s through to the mid-2010s, the term introduced and widely accepted was \u2018intersex\u2019. Nowadays the terms \u2018intersex\u2019 and \u2018differences in sex development\u2019 (DSD) (not \u2018disorders\u2019) are both equally accepted and can be used interchangeably.\u00a0 However, it is true that Southern Africa prefers the term \u2018intersex\u2019 while East Africa has debated about moving away from the term \u2018intersex\u2019 completely and using the term \u2018differences in sex development (DSD)\u2019, but the term \u2018intersex\u2019 is still widely used and accepted.<\/span><\/p>

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It would be an error for the TIHA website to brush all these complexities aside by referring only to descriptions or words that are acceptable today. For the TIHA website, It is acceptable to use the terminology as it was practised and accepted in the period the article is about.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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What time period do you record\/document on the Timeline?\n\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Several scholars have built a canon of knowledge on the existence of homosexuality, same-sex relations and gender nonconformity in pre-colonial Africa.\u00a0In a contemporary context, however, LGBTIQ+ history has initially remained largely silent about African trans and intersex people, especially during the times before the frequent use of the internet and social media and there is very little archiving or information available in the era around the time of the turn of the century.<\/span><\/p>

Our timeline is one of contemporary history and an effort to capture, record and share history nearly lost.\u00a0While we focus on the time period with a closing date until 2023, we acknowledge and try to ensure that we capture as much as possible to help ensure that histories, accomplishments and important moments don\u2019t get lost.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Who provides or contributes the content?\n\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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During the initial development of the website, most of the information was predominantly supplied by African activists \u2013 <\/span>Julius Kaggwa<\/span><\/a> (Uganda),  <\/span>Victor Mukasa<\/span><\/a> (Uganda) and <\/span>Liesl Theron<\/span><\/a> (South Africa) We were actively involved in various ways and forms prior to and during the inception years of parts of the larger African trans and intersex movements as they are known today.  Over the years we became good friends and after many discussions realised that we had a shared aim to combine all the information that we collected over the years and present it on one platform that will be easily accessible to all who are interested.<\/span><\/p>\n

The TIHA website team has recently grown to include <\/span> Delphine Barigye, the Programme Director at Support Initiative for People with Atypical Sex Development (SIPD), Gabriel (Gabe) de Larch, a genderqueer, non-binary trans activist, as well as a trans man from East Africa who chooses to remain anonymous at this moment for safety reasons. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Once we launched the website, we started to reach out to other activists and organisations across Africa to collect more stories and to ensure that the information supplied by us is factually correct while we expand content to have inclusion and representation from all across Africa and the African Diaspora.<\/span><\/p>\n

We are making a start with the information currently available but invite stories in whatever media to be submitted from across the continent and from the many places and voices not yet represented. We particularly invite first person stories and can facilitate the sharing of these. If you would like to include your story in text, email <\/span>info@transintersexhistory.africa or research@transintersexhistory.africa. If you would like to be interviewed by Victor Mukasa via audio or video for our YouTube channel<\/a>, email studio@transintersexhistory.africa<\/span><\/p>\n

Alternatively, you can enter information at the Self-list platform <\/a>to <\/span>submit information.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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What are your plans for the future?\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Future developments will include the development of an art section where we plan to showcase and discuss art developed during the timeframe covered by our Timeline. We will be expanding our collection to include a selection of artists representing an array of genres and art mediums.  One of the first releases of the art section will include a separate timeline to showcase Gabrielle Le Roux\u2019s series <\/span>Proudly African and Transgender.  <\/span>We are looking forward to sharing the early artwork of Robert Hamblin, including his series <\/span> Gender<\/span>, and to release a private collection of photos by Professor Muholi that was previously circulated to a handful of trans activists and has never been publicly released. We also plan to host a representation of the poetry and performance art by Kenyan artist, Neo Sinoxolo Musangi.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once we launch the art section, we welcome submissions by and of artists and artivists (artists who use art as tool for activism) from the intersex and trans communities across Africa and the African Diaspora.<\/span><\/p>\n

The art section will only ever feature work by trans and intersex artists and artivists and will only include work from cisgender artists about trans and intersex people that actively collaborates with our people rather than seeing them as subjects, and work that doesn\u2019t sensationalise or tokenise trans and intersex people.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tFacebook<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tYoutube<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Frequently Asked Questions What is the Trans and Intersex History Africa website about? The Trans and Intersex History Africa (TIHA) website is a space where African trans and\/or intersex activists share our archival collections, memories, reflections and facts about the trans and intersex movements in Africa and the Diaspora. Using a timeline of events, contributions […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5066,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4379","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/transintersexhistory.africa\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/transintersexhistory.africa\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/transintersexhistory.africa\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/transintersexhistory.africa\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/transintersexhistory.africa\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4379"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/transintersexhistory.africa\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4379\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5571,"href":"https:\/\/transintersexhistory.africa\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4379\/revisions\/5571"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/transintersexhistory.africa\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/transintersexhistory.africa\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}