2025 Annual David Sanders Lecture in Public Health and Social Justice.
2 October 2025
The School of Public Health-UWC, NACOSA, Hope Africa and Triangle Project launch a glossary of gender and sexuality terms in three South African languages
On Tuesday, 23 February, the School of Public Health, NACOSA, Hope Africa, and Triangle Project, together with representatives from civil society and government departments working on sexual and reproductive health (SRH), gathered at Bertha House to celebrate the launch of a new South Africa gender glossary.
The 60-word glossary entitled ‘No Label: some gender and sexuality terms decoded’ defines and describes 60 gender-related terms in a way that makes sense in a local South African context and to young people. This first edition of the gender glossary provides a description of the words in English, isiXhosa and Afrikaans.
Providing a background to the development of the glossary, Coleen Wagner, a Grant Manager at NACOSA noted that the glossary was developed as part of a three year collaborative research project titled: “Learning Partnerships to Support Gender Transformative Innovations for Adolescents’ Sexual and Reproductive Health in South Africa”, funded by the IDRC, a Canadian development agency. The partnership comprised three organizations, namely, School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, NACOSA and H.O.P.E Africa. The glossary was developed in partnership with the Triangle Project.
As part of the work of the partnership, researchers from the School of Public Health held capacity strengthening sessions with facilitators of two social and behavior change programmes to address SRH needs of adolescent boys and young men in the Klipfontein sub-district, Cape Town. At the launch, Dr Tanya Jacobs, who led the capacity strengthening sessions, noted that the idea for the glossary emerged in response to facilitators’ expressed need for ‘a tool in their pockets’ which they could use to speak about gender and sexuality with participants, in a way that resonated with their lived experiences.
“The idea for the glossary emerged in response to facilitators’ expressed need for ‘a tool in their pockets’ which they could use to speak about gender and sexuality with participants, in a way that resonated with their lived experiences”
Dr. Tanya Jacobs, School of Public Health
Consequently, she noted, that the four project partners and facilitators embarked on a consultative process to co-create the glossary. Peer facilitators and project partners identified gender and sexuality terms that they wished to have explained in the three main languages that are spoken in the Western Cape (isiXhosa, Afrikaans and English), developed the terminology for explaining these terms and conceptualized the illustrations to be used in the glossary.
Speaking about the value of having a glossary of gender and sexuality terms in different languages, Khanyisani Xanywa, one of the peer facilitators stated that ‘these [gender and sexuality] terms often do not have translations in our languages’. He noted that before the glossary was developed, he would rely on other, more knowledgeable facilitators, to address topics related to gender and sexuality. However, this was not sustainable as the such facilitators left the organization. Sibabalo Gxumeka , another peer facilitator from H.O.P.E Africa, noted that the glossary helps facilitators to ‘understand and explain gender and sexuality terms, rather than parking them (or setting them aside) when participants raise questions’.
The glossary is a living document
“The glossary helps facilitators to understand and explain gender and sexuality terms, rather than parking them when participants raise questions “
Mr. Sibabalo Gxumeka, peer facilitator Hope Africa
Watch the event
Throughout the launch, various speakers emphasized that the glossary is a living document – one that can, and should be improved, updated, and expanded to include additional languages. Dr. Jacobs highlighted that language evolves across time and space, underscoring the importance of adaptability. She further noted that the current glossary is limited to languages spoken in the Western Cape, but there would be great value to include translations in all languages spoken across South Africa. Dr. Jacobs also indicated that the glossary was developed for use by peer facilitators of SRH-related social and behaviour change programmes, who had already had some basic training on gender and sexuality. She stressed that the glossary should be embedded within broader SRHR systems and programmes, rather than being treated as a stand-alone tool. It was not therefore ‘something that was designed as a mass communication tool to be handed out at a taxi-rank or as part of an outreach campaign’. Rather, she emphasized, it was created by and for peer facilitators to guide and support the conversations and small group discussions they had with their peers about gender and sexuality.
Reclaiming LGBTQI+ identities; decolonizing gender and sexuality
In the plenary discussion, some participants shared concerns about using the glossary in local contexts where cultural norms present significant barriers to speaking about gender and sexuality. Others however emphasized its potential as a powerful tool. Toughieda Basadien, a Programme Coordinator at the UWC HIV and AIDS programme observed that the glossary offers a decolonial lens to speaking about and understanding gender and sexuality. This was echoed by Savuka Abongile Matyila of the Desmond Tutu Foundation who added that the glossary is a great step towards reclaiming LGBTQI+ identities within an African context where they are sometimes regarded as un-African.
Explaining the rationale behind the term ‘No Label’ Juliana Davids from the Triangle Project explained that labels, defined by society, are powerful and can connect or constrain. ‘No Label’ therefore challenges the historical ownership society has had in defining individuals, while affirming the agency of individuals to define themselves and reclaim what identities mean to them.
Way forward
Moving forward, Prof Asha George, School of Public Health, UWC stressed that the glossary is important, but more work is needed to further discuss and address SRH rights. NACOSA plans to further develop ‘No Label’ to include additional South African languages and use it to support gender transformative programming with adolescents and young people countrywide. Participants were encouraged to download and share the glossary within their networks as well as share their feedback and thoughts on the current version. The glossary may be accessed via both the SOPH and NACOSA websites.
The glossary launch event was attended by representatives of the following organizations: City Health, the Department of Health and Wellness, Amandla Development, Desmond Tutu Foundation, the UWC HIV and AIDS Unit, The South African Smoking and Alcohol Harms Alleviation and Rehabilitation Association (SAHARA) – along with team members from the 4 project partners, namely: the School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, H.O.P.E Africa, NACOSA and Triangle Project.
If you would like to read more about the work of peer facilitators at the coalface, the Learning Partnerships to Support Gender Transformative Innovations for Adolescents’ Sexual and Reproductive Health in South Africa the project recently published a paper entitled “Let’s hear is from the facilitators: Experiences of peer facilitators in engendering work with adolescent boys and young men in Cape Town, South Africa”. It is freely accessible in the African Journal of Reproductive Health.
For further information about the gender glossary or the Learning Partnership collaborative research project, please contact Dr Phoene Oware, (School of Public Health, UWC) or Sophie Hobbs (NACOSA) at: poware@uwc.ac.za and Sophie@nacosa.org.za respectively.