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The "Secrets in the Gay Hive" Facebook page: A tool to fill gaps left by inadequate school sexuality education for gay youth in South Africa

Anthony Brown

School of Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Studies, College of Graduate Studies. University of South Africa, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5803-5634

Rauna Haitembu

Department of Applied Educational Sciences, Faculty of Education and Human Sciences, University of Namibia, Rundu Campus, Rundu, Kavango East, Namibia

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3071-7235

Abstract

This study explores the use of the "Secrets in the Gay Hive" Facebook page by South African gay youth as a resource to fill the gaps left by inadequate school-based sexuality education. Using a queer theoretical approach, we examined 51 anonymous user-generated posts to analyse how these digital interactions challenge heteronormative and cisgendered educational frameworks while fostering new avenues of queer knowledge and community building. The research identifies significant deficiencies in formal sexual health education for gay youth in South Africa, such as the lack of practical identity-specific sexual health information, harmful misconceptions about STI and HIV transmission in same-sex relationships, and prevalent shame associated with sexual health. The study highlights the pressing need for comprehensive, LGBTQ+ inclusive sexuality education within South African schools and advocates for a multifaceted strategy that integrates enhanced formal education with the strategic use of online resources.

Keywords: LGBTQ+ youth; sexuality education; social media; Curriculum studies; educational crisis; decolonial education

How to cite this article: Brown, A., & Haitembu, R. (2025). The "Secrets in the Gay Hive" Facebook page: A tool to fill gaps left by inadequate school sexuality education for gay youth in South Africa. African Perspectives of Research in Teaching and Learning, 9(5), 627-642.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.70875/v9i5article11