Jade's Story

I was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and lived there until I was ten when my parents separated, and I moved with my mother to Johannesburg. My world was never open to non-heteronormative sexuality. The topic wasn’t even discussed in our family, so I felt lonely for a long time. I am a social worker by day and do community work in the evening. I’m the co-director of a sustainable agricultural company and want to make sustainability available to everyone.

I’ve always wanted to be a writer and help my community. My family suggested I take up social work so I could be part of the community and help people within it. I chose that path partly because it gives me time for my writing. I became involved with a special needs school — my area of specialization — and slowly, I managed to get my master’s degree in social work. I’ve been a social worker for about seven and a half years. I specialise in early childhood development, helping nurseries to develop their syllabus and policies so that learning is more accessible and inclusive in every way. This ensures a higher number of educated children, which translates into fewer school dropouts later and less poverty in the future.

Although we have a lot of queer people here in South Africa, our society is not open. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, the queer community is quite close-knit. Those who know each other are like family; they look after one another. Even so, the queer community is quite male-dominated; there has been a dearth of representation for women. This is why I’ve tried to work with amBi (the world’s largest bi social club) to bring more queer women into the fold. It is a challenge because of the social dynamics in South Africa. Not everyone feels safe in every space — for example, because I am light-skinned, many in the community do not trust me. And there are women who do not feel comfortable in male-dominated spaces. Consequently, it is primarily white men who show up to Pride events.

In order to combat this, a better rapport must be forged between queer women and men, and since cultivating a supportive environment is a key step toward allowing this to happen, I figured out that schools are the best place for it to start. I started working to create such spaces in high schools, where the students desperately look for affirmation to enable conversations and awareness that can help young adults and teenagers figure themselves out. I’ve taught high school kids and younger adults at the university for five years. The adults often come to me and say things like, “Your words changed my life. You may have taught us English, but you also provided a space for the personal growth we needed. Thank you so much.”

Needless to say, this is extremely gratifying work. I believe people are capable and self-sufficient and need to be affirmed in those qualities. Every community holds a network of history, knowledge, skill, and wisdom. As a social worker, I have come to recognise that much can be learned from the communities with which we connect simply by observing and listening, and I have done so many times. I owe them a debt of gratitude, not the other way around.

My message: Be kind to each other, and our communities will thrive.

For more about Jade, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.