Biography

Jesse Baronne Le Roux is a master’s candidate in History at Stellenbosch University, with a BA (Hons) in History (Cum Laude). As a research fellow at AVReQ, his focus lies in exploring history, identity, and sexuality, particularly within marginalized groups. Jesse’s passion for understanding and amplifying voices often silenced by mainstream narratives drives his academic pursuits. He aims to foster inclusive dialogues and challenge existing frameworks, using history as a tool for social change.

Current Research

Les-Be-Queer: A Historical Exploration of Queerness at Stellenbosch University,
c. 1987 – 2024

Stellenbosch University, officially renamed as such in 1918, has a reputation for being a historically conservative institution. Despite this, there have been moments of outward student non-conformity as seen in the sub-cultural Voelvry movement during the 1980s (Albert Grundlingh). Outside of this, there are indicators of people who did not conform in terms of other factors, such as sexuality, the focus of this study. The culmination of this is seen with the establishment of an LGBTQ+ society, Lesbigay (now QueerUs) in the late 1990s. The society has served as a meeting place for queer individuals, allies of the queer community, and as a community for those who felt like they did not belong on campus. Through different social events, as well as different educational offerings it has endeavoured to bring more awareness to queer issues and other sociopolitical struggles that the queer community has aligned itself with. This society, its subsequent twenty-five years of existence, and the history of queerness at Stellenbosch University more generally have been largely under-researched, especially through a historical lens. This study aims to discover what the histories of institutionalised queerness and lived experiences tell us about the evolution of queerness at Stellenbosch University.

Supervisors: Dr Anell Stacey Daries & Dr Chet Fransch

Email: 23868775@sun.ac.za | Tel: +27 (21) 808 4047