Lived experiences of black lesbian congregants at the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Bethlehem, Free State

Abstract

The moral debate of lesbianism and Christianity has often been a controversial topic amongst Christians. The Bible has been a guide for the Christian civil society throughout the history of Christianity. These teachings guide people to live a life of purity and spiritual maturity. The Bible advocates for heterosexual relationships and views homosexuality as an immoral sexual orientation. On the other hand, in traditional black society, people are taught to practice the spirit of ‘ubuntu’ which involves displaying the qualities of humanity and compassion towards others regardless of their background or current state. As lesbians are not identified as being ‘typical’ traditional women, this creates a sense of wonder about how these unconventional women experience strict and traditionally oriented institutions in their societies such as the church. This study explored the lived experiences of black lesbians who attend the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church. This church is situated in the township of Bohlokong in the Free State, South Africa. The study was rooted in a qualitative paradigm and an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) design was used to explore the topic. Data was collected using a method of individual semi structured interviews where participants were given the opportunity to express themselves in their home language. Purposive sampling was used to select eight black lesbian participants who were all 18 years old and above. These participants are full members of the AME Church. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse participants’ responses. The results indicate that the participants go through unpleasant experiences in the hands of the church. Furthermore, the results revealed the impact and effect that these experiences have on the black lesbians within the church setting. The results of this study assisted in exposing and contextualizing the subjective experiences that black lesbians encounter at the AME church.