ABSTRACT
The study explores the lived experiences of a group of black self-identified lesbian students at a historically black university in South Africa. It focuses on the marginalisation and erasure of lesbians in the broader lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer programme. The chapter also explores the safe space that they co-created. It raises questions pertaining to the hegemony of certain bodies in supposedly inclusive space. The meaning of safe spaces is interrogated through a black feminist lens. The chapter further highlights the contribution of lesbian feminists in the FeesMustFall student protests and the reclaiming of activist spaces. The study also highlights the continuation of racism, sexism, and violence in the higher education environment, and the role that lesbians played in raising awareness regarding rape cultures on campuses. Overall, this study focuses on claiming lesbian agency in the higher education environment.
