Thato Mphuthi is one of SisterLove, Inc. South Africa's key personnel and acts as a lead organizer for the upcoming WomenNOW! Global Summit in Durban, South Africa on December 3-5th, 2021.
Thato recently sat down with Eve's Apple, a South African online magazine, to discuss how her work to end the stigma of living with a physical disability and achieving Reproductive Justice for women and girls in South Africa, and across the diaspora, empowers and inspires her.
Read the interview below: Originally published by Eve's Apple on October 25th 2021
Who Was Your Biggest Influence Growing Up?
"My biggest influence has to be my mother. She has played a significant role in me being this fierce, powerful, young black woman that I am today. As a parent who had to adapt to the changes, I went through as a child with a disability, how she managed to show up for me and still show up for herself fully, amazes me. There are so many lessons I learned from her. She has contributed greatly to who Thato Mphuthi is today."
On identity...
"Each of us needs to be authentically who we believe ourselves to be. Often you find that because you are a male or a female, you are boxed according to what society believes you should be. Meanwhile, you have that right to decide that this is who I identify as. So as much as I am a woman, I believe I can still be a masculine woman."
I have found my voice...
"I believe I have found my voice as a young black woman with a disability. Throughout the years, I have experienced life and how these boxes or identities have come to be a stumbling block when it comes to what I can and cannot do. But today, I can say, it is through those many different lived experiences, that I have learned to find my voice and be comfortable with
who I am. I have experienced life and how these boxes or identities have come to be a stumbling block when it comes to what I can and cannot do."
My Life's Work...
"is to make people uncomfortable, to change the narrative and to show that there is more to disability than what meets the eye."
How Does Your Work Tie in with Who You Are?
"A lot of my work is shaped by my lived experiences. I think this person or this container that I come in already comes with certain limitations. It becomes more intense if there are add-ons; being disabled, identifying as a queer body. As a result of these labels, I have experienced a lot of injustices. This is how I manage to formulate programs that address issues such as discrimination, sexism, or ableism. These are the very issues I have faced myself, so I can easily tie them into the work I do."
What is Your Experience as a Queer Person with a Disability?
"I am a woman who is boxed in so many ways. Firstly, I am a woman, I identify as queer, and I have a disability. It's very common for many people to feel like they have a voice over my body. So they make comments on what I wear and how I look. It has become so problematic to the point that even walking in the streets gives me anxiety. Especially around men, I feel uncomfortable, and I feel the need to constantly watch over my shoulder because I don't know when a person will attack. So, it's really hard navigating life as a young black woman, with a disability, who identifies as a queer body. Those intersections are still not being met in society."
Purpose...
"I believe that I am walking in purpose. A lot of the work that I do is really centered around getting justice for my eight-year-old self, who could not really speak when she was being bullied and who had to experience a whole lot of injustices. And it is through that, that I actually get to see other young people or other people in society actually changing how they then operate, or how they do life'. Changing lives and impacting communities, I think there is no greater purpose than that."
Love is...
"Love for me is simply an act of kindness. It has the element of being soft and gentle. It speaks to being authentic, as in, showing up as the best version of yourself, whatever best means to you, or how you would define it. And love is really patient. That's what love is for me."
Your Mantra:
"I have this mantra that I recite to myself every morning when I wake up. With gratitude, I usually say out loud, "I am waking up grateful and welcoming the new day", and that just eases me and sets the tone for the rest of the day."
What Do You Want to Be Remembered For?
"Instead, I would respond to it by saying, I don't want to be remembered as a young Black woman with a disability, because I live beyond the boxes and I am a revolutionary."
What Do You Think the World Needs Now?
"Gender equality for women and girls, and for all the marginalized groups to be seen for the phenomenal people they are. Patriarchy continues to minimize the experiences of women and marginalized groups in society. With gender equality, everyone will be viewed for who they are and it's not really about them having a penis or a vagina for them to have a decent quality of life."
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