Lebogang Ramalepe is a PhD student at the University of Johannesburg, her PhD thesis focuses on substance use patterns among sexual and gender minority groups. Lebogang researches and writes on LGBTI identities, mental wellbeing and substance use. She has been the recipient of several scholarships and research grants, including the Universitas 21, where she studied Sexuality, Culture and Society at the University of Amsterdam. She has worked at the Human Science Research Council; United Nations Development Programme and the University of Johannesburg on various research roles.