THE BIBLE AND THE DIGNITY OF HUMAN SEXUALITY: COMPROMISED SEXUAL SELVES AND VIOLATED ORIENTATIONS

Abstract

The new South Africa is still haunted by its past, which was informed not only by racism, exploitation and political disenfranchisement, but also by legally regulated heteronormativity which led to-amongst others-the exclusion and demonisation of the homosexual other. Human dignity, it is argued, cannot be restored in piecemeal way but only when-amidst gender concerns-human sexuality is addressed. This paper revolves around two important considerations, namely the importance of biblical hermeneutics amidst interpretative ambiguity and, in particular, the need for an alternative vocabulary with which to address human sexuality in SA today, for which Queer theory proves helpful.