Most South Africans “Uncomfortable” With Gay or Lesbian Child

A new multinational study of middle-income countries, including South Africa, has found that most people would not feel comfortable if they had a gay or lesbian child.

The recently released results come from a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center between January and May 2024. More than 18,000 adults across 15 middle-income countries took part.

These countries were: Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, and Türkiye.

Respondents were asked how they would feel in a hypothetical scenario in which their child came out as gay or lesbian. The options were: comfortable, neither comfortable nor uncomfortable, uncomfortable, or don’t know.

Argentina Stands Apart

Of the 15 countries, Argentina was the only one where more people said they would feel comfortable rather than uncomfortable if their child came out as gay or lesbian.

In South Africa, 56% of respondents said they would feel uncomfortable, 31% said they would be comfortable, 10% felt neither, and 3% did not know.

Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria, Türkiye, and Kenya recorded the highest levels of discomfort, with more than 87% of respondents in each country saying they would be uncomfortable with having a queer child.

The researchers noted that they did not ask people why they would feel comfortable or uncomfortable. They explained:

“…their responses are not necessarily a measure of acceptance or unacceptance of homosexuality. People could be comfortable or uncomfortable with their child coming out for other reasons, such as concerns about their safety.”

Context Matters

The survey found a link between people’s comfort levels and the legal status of queer people in their countries.

On average, comfort levels were higher in countries where same-sex marriage is legal, while discomfort was greater in countries where homosexuality is explicitly criminalised.

The data also showed that people with less education and those who are more religious were more likely to express discomfort with the idea of having a gay or lesbian child.