The dynamics of sexual repression, deceit, and coming out in African homosexual narratives

Abstract Homophobic attitudes continue to militate against the coming out of homosexuals in African societies. In this study, I examine the agentic difference between forced outing and self-outing among male homosexual characters in selected African fictional narratives. The texts employed are Jude Dibia’s Walking with Shadows and Tendai Huchu’s The Hairdresser of Harare. I argue that in forced outing, male homosexual characters undergo sexual oppression, are subjected to psychological oppression, and are denied their individual agency. In order to survive homophobia, these characters become liars, deceivers, and cheats. In their quest for social acceptance, they knowingly suppress their homosexual identity and pretend to perform societally normative heterosexuality. What is obvious in these novels is that queer visibility still represents a major challenge for members of minoritized sexual communities who consequently have to explore non-conventional measures in order to survive.