Spatial Geographies of Biphobia and Resilience Among School-Going Lesbian, Bisexual, and Nonbinary Girls With Visual Impairment in South Africa

This study explored how 14 Black South African school-going lesbian, bisexual, and nonbinary girls who were visually impaired (aged 16-19 years) navigated spatial geographies of bi- and homophobia and whether they employed any resilience strategies to maintain personal and relational well-being. A focus group discussion was employed, and the data were analyzed thematically. Underpinned by geographies of sexuality and queer theory, the findings show a negotiation of institutional and spatial geographies of bi- and homophobia driven by teachers, learners, and school managers as perpetrators. Participants reported exclusionary schooling practices marked by conversion, regulatory, and distancing practices, including sexual molestation by male students, teachers, and school managers refusing to acknowledge the girls' sexuality as valid and acceptable through curriculum erasure, and segregation by other girls in female-only changing rooms. At home, participants also experienced cisheteronormative silencing and denial by parents and siblings, choosing to conceal their identity in fear of rejection. Despite these challenges, countergeographies of resilience emerged across these relational spaces, marked by supportive peer networks, reclaimed identity, and a sense of belonging in affirming environments. Findings suggest an urgent call for disability-inclusive environments, championing sexuality-affirming school policies, and safe dialogical spaces for self-advocacy and support for the well-being of such students.