WATCH: ROCKY HUNK GIVES HOPE TO GAY AFRIKAANS CHRISTIANS

Openly gay Rocky Horror star Shaun Smit has posted an inspiring video in a bid to reach out to young gay Afrikaans-speaking South Africans.

The Pretoria-born model and actor, who  is building a following as a vlogger, has been playing the role of Rocky in the hit production of the musical that’s been touring the country.

In the clip, titled A Christen Moffie (A Gay Christian), Smit explains that, “It’s so difficult to speak about this… The people closest to me are Afrikaans, and this is a bigger issue than what I thought it was.”

Smit goes on to say: “I’ve been through really crap times. If you’re in the closet at the moment… I’ve struggled for years, and didn’t tell anyone about it. I went to church every Sunday, crying, asking God to please change me, ‘I don’t want to be a bad person, I don’t want to be gay’ I begged Him. And obviously He didn’t change me, because there’s nothing wrong with me. Now I go to church and I’m very happy and I really enjoy it.”

He adds: “I wish someone made a video five years ago that I could watch, telling me it’s okay to be gay, and in my own language.”

In an interview with Mambaonline in August, Smit said that he only came out in December last year, and admitted that “things with my family are still quite complicated, yet I know everything will get better in time.”

He revealed that, “It wasn’t an easy journey for me as I was raised in a home and society where being gay is just completely wrong and unacceptable.”

Watch Smit’s video below.