A local gender glossary: some key gender and sexuality terms decoded

As part of a three year collaborative research project (the “Learning Partnerships to Support Gender Transformative Innovations for Adolescents’ Sexual and Reproductive Health in South Africa”) the School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, NACOSA and H.O.P.E Africa, in partnership with the Triangle Project, has developed a local gender glossary.

The 60-word glossary entitled ‘No Label: some gender and sexuality terms decoded’ aims to define and describe each of the 60 gender-related terms in a way that makes sense in a local South African context and to young people themselves. This first edition of the gender glossary provides a description of the words in English, isi-Xhosa and Afrikaans.

Importantly, the glossary is not intended as a mass communication tool, or to be distributed in communities without any facilitated discussion. It has been developed with, and for, trained community-based facilitators and educators working in the sexual and reproductive health field (SRHR) field. As such it has been conceptualized as an additional resource in a peer facilitators’ ‘toolbox’ of resources that they use to facilitate dialogue and discussions with adolescents and young people about key gender words and concepts.