diff --git a/django/utils/functional.py b/django/utils/functional.py
index e12ef3b813..434b6b76c9 100644
--- a/django/utils/functional.py
+++ b/django/utils/functional.py
@@ -316,14 +316,35 @@ class SimpleLazyObject(LazyObject):
         if self._wrapped is None: self._setup()
         return str(self._wrapped)
 
+    def __unicode__(self):
+        if self._wrapped is None: self._setup()
+        return unicode(self._wrapped)
+
     def __deepcopy__(self, memo):
         if self._wrapped is None:
-            result = self.__class__(self._setupfunc)
+            # We have to use SimpleLazyObject, not self.__class__, because the
+            # latter is proxied.
+            result = SimpleLazyObject(self._setupfunc)
             memo[id(self)] = result
             return result
         else:
             import copy
             return copy.deepcopy(self._wrapped, memo)
 
+    # Need to pretend to be the wrapped class, for the sake of objects that care
+    # about this (especially in equality tests)
+    def __get_class(self):
+        if self._wrapped is None: self._setup()
+        return self._wrapped.__class__
+    __class__ = property(__get_class)
+
+    def __eq__(self, other):
+        if self._wrapped is None: self._setup()
+        return self._wrapped == other
+
+    def __hash__(self):
+        if self._wrapped is None: self._setup()
+        return hash(self._wrapped)
+
     def _setup(self):
         self._wrapped = self._setupfunc()
diff --git a/tests/regressiontests/context_processors/tests.py b/tests/regressiontests/context_processors/tests.py
index 31ecc83ab3..004f90eceb 100644
--- a/tests/regressiontests/context_processors/tests.py
+++ b/tests/regressiontests/context_processors/tests.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ Tests for Django's bundled context processors.
 """
 
 from django.conf import settings
-from django.contrib.auth.models import Group
+from django.contrib.auth import authenticate
 from django.db.models import Q
 from django.test import TestCase
 from django.template import Template
@@ -74,9 +74,13 @@ class AuthContextProcessorTests(TestCase):
 
     def test_user_attrs(self):
         """
-        Test that ContextLazyObject wraps objects properly
+        Test that the lazy objects returned behave just like the wrapped objects.
         """
+        # These are 'functional' level tests for common use cases.  Direct
+        # testing of the implementation (SimpleLazyObject) is in the 'utils'
+        # tests.
         self.client.login(username='super', password='secret')
+        user = authenticate(username='super', password='secret')
         response = self.client.get('/auth_processor_user/')
         self.assertContains(response, "unicode: super")
         self.assertContains(response, "id: 100")
@@ -100,3 +104,9 @@ class AuthContextProcessorTests(TestCase):
         #    calling a Python object' in <type 'exceptions.AttributeError'>
         #    ignored"
         query = Q(user=response.context['user']) & Q(someflag=True)
+
+        # Tests for user equality.  This is hard because User defines
+        # equality in a non-duck-typing way
+        # See bug #12060
+        self.assertEqual(response.context['user'], user)
+        self.assertEqual(user, response.context['user'])
diff --git a/tests/regressiontests/utils/tests.py b/tests/regressiontests/utils/tests.py
index 6d345d9afb..c34dc96f88 100644
--- a/tests/regressiontests/utils/tests.py
+++ b/tests/regressiontests/utils/tests.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ Tests for django.utils.
 from unittest import TestCase
 
 from django.utils import html, checksums
+from django.utils.functional import SimpleLazyObject
 
 import timesince
 import datastructures
@@ -161,6 +162,80 @@ class TestUtilsChecksums(TestCase):
         for value, output in items:
             self.check_output(f, value, output)
 
+class _ComplexObject(object):
+    def __init__(self, name):
+        self.name = name
+
+    def __eq__(self, other):
+        return self.name == other.name
+
+    def __hash__(self):
+        return hash(self.name)
+
+    def __str__(self):
+        return "I am _ComplexObject(%r)" % self.name
+
+    def __unicode__(self):
+        return unicode(self.name)
+
+    def __repr__(self):
+        return "_ComplexObject(%r)" % self.name
+
+complex_object = lambda: _ComplexObject("joe")
+
+class TestUtilsSimpleLazyObject(TestCase):
+    """
+    Tests for SimpleLazyObject
+    """
+    # Note that concrete use cases for SimpleLazyObject are also found in the
+    # auth context processor tests (unless the implementation of that function
+    # is changed).
+
+    def test_equality(self):
+        self.assertEqual(complex_object(), SimpleLazyObject(complex_object))
+        self.assertEqual(SimpleLazyObject(complex_object), complex_object())
+
+    def test_hash(self):
+        # hash() equality would not be true for many objects, but it should be
+        # for _ComplexObject
+        self.assertEqual(hash(complex_object()),
+                         hash(SimpleLazyObject(complex_object)))
+
+    def test_repr(self):
+        # For debugging, it will really confuse things if there is no clue that
+        # SimpleLazyObject is actually a proxy object. So we don't
+        # proxy __repr__
+        self.assert_("SimpleLazyObject" in repr(SimpleLazyObject(complex_object)))
+
+    def test_str(self):
+        self.assertEqual("I am _ComplexObject('joe')", str(SimpleLazyObject(complex_object)))
+
+    def test_unicode(self):
+        self.assertEqual(u"joe", unicode(SimpleLazyObject(complex_object)))
+
+    def test_class(self):
+        # This is important for classes that use __class__ in things like
+        # equality tests.
+        self.assertEqual(_ComplexObject, SimpleLazyObject(complex_object).__class__)
+
+    def test_deepcopy(self):
+        import copy
+        # Check that we *can* do deep copy, and that it returns the right
+        # objects.
+
+        # First, for an unevaluated SimpleLazyObject
+        s = SimpleLazyObject(complex_object)
+        assert s._wrapped is None
+        s2 = copy.deepcopy(s)
+        assert s._wrapped is None # something has gone wrong is s is evaluated
+        self.assertEqual(s2, complex_object())
+
+        # Second, for an evaluated SimpleLazyObject
+        name = s.name # evaluate
+        assert s._wrapped is not None
+        s3 = copy.deepcopy(s)
+        self.assertEqual(s3, complex_object())
+
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     import doctest
     doctest.testmod()