Conclusion

Throughout the interviews and other resources used for this research, it is clear that masculine and male-identified women and transgender men have unique needs that must be addressed, including: substance addiction, the potential desire for Gender Reassignment Surgery and hormone therapy, feelings of rejection from family, friends, and the gay and lesbian community, and fear of sexual assault and “corrective rape.”  Additionally, in misdirected efforts to prove their masculinity, problems of misogyny and homophobia, domestic abuse and violent behavior, and negligence of personal health have developed within this group. 

Currently, most LGBT organizations in South Africa are not holding themselves accountable for providing resources and information for the “T” in the acronym that has become a simple “catch phrase” in the modern queer rights movement. Many offer services for lesbian women that are utilized by masculine and male-identified lesbians, but as Sebastian Matroos of OUT alluded to, “masculine identified women are very difficult to reach …  they often seem aloof, nonconformist, they don’t want to associate with issues.”  In other words, masculine and male-identified women may be present at workshops and discussions about lesbian health, sexuality, and other issues, but they often do not seem fully engaged. From my conversations and interactions with masculine/male-identified women, I believe that rather than a reflection on the personal character of these individuals, it may be that in fact, they need a space of their own, where they can talk about butch/masculine identity and what their specific needs and concerns are. 

There is a clear lack of medical and legal resources for people who self-identify as transgender, with just one state-run hospital that performs only six Gender Reassignment Surgeries per year. One man decides which six people are granted what, for many of them, has been a lifelong wish to look in the mirror and see a body that matches their heart and mind. There is only one NGO in Africa that specifically focuses on the needs of transgender people, and it has only one full-time volunteer staff member and very little funding. The membership of GenderDynamix’s website alone indicates that the number of transgender identified people in South Africa is far greater than these resources can effectively accommodate. 

Despite the challenges they face and the hardships they have already encountered, all of the transgender men and butch/masculine identified women that I spoke with remain intensely proud of who they are. In their interactions with each other, they often refer to each other as “brothers.” Indeed, they are connected - their eyes all possess a kind of wisdom unique to the lives they have led, with a consciousness that most people will never have, and reflect the immense strength and courage that it often takes for them to live their lives exactly as they are.

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