BREAKING NEWS: QWELANE GUILTY!
South Africa’s LGBT community is celebrating after homophobic journalist Jon Qwelane was found guilty of hate speech and ordered to pay a large fine.
On Tuesday, the Johannesburg Equality Court handed down its judgement on Qwelane’s controversial July 2008 anti-gay article and accompanying cartoon.
It ruled that the cartoon amounted to hate speech and that both the article and the cartoon propagated hatred and harm.
Qwelane, who did not attend the hearing, was ordered to make an unconditional apology to the gay and lesbian community.
He was also instructed to pay R 100,000 to the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).
The SAHRC has previously said that it would give any money awarded to it in the case to LGBT community groups.
“At long last. Justice is served; late but nevertheless! Today is a brighter day for the pink community, if only symbolically,” commented Cobus Fourie from SA GLAAD.
‘Recall Qwelane from Uganda’
LGBT activist Steve Letsike welcomed the news, but demanded that the government also recall Qwelane from Uganda, where he is currently serving in the post of High Commissioner.
“The R 100,000 isn’t enough. Hate speech is against the principles of South Africa’s constitution. The ruling is a clear message that he must be recalled. Bring him back to South Africa,” said Letsike.
The SAHRC received around 350 complaints after the Sunday Sun published Qwelane’s article, titled Call me names, but gay is NOT okay… in 2008.
In it, Qwelane equated homosexuality with bestiality, praised Robert Mugabe’s oppression of gays and lesbians and encouraged the removal of the sexual-orientation protection clause from the constitution. The accompanying cartoon depicted a man marrying a goat in church, which Qwelane suggested was equivalent to same-sex marriage.
Following demonstrations by the LGBT community and numerous complaints, the Press Ombudsman ordered the Sunday Sun to apologise for the article but fell short of declaring the piece hate speech and refused to recommend any sanctions against Qwelane himself.
An unrepentant Qwelane was fired from the Sunday Sun and was last year appointed high commissioner for South Africa in Uganda, a country which has been considering legislation that could impose the death penalty against gays and lesbians.
His posting was seen as grossly inappropriate, insensitive and a “slap in the face” to the LGBT community.
Qwelane quilty of hate speech a – look back.
We are happy that Ambassador Jon Qwelane was found guilty of hate speech and fined R100 000, to be given to LGBTI organisations by the SAHRC.
When Qwelane equated gay relationships to bestiality, we stood together as a community as never before. The servers of the SAHRC crashed, thousands of e-mails were sent and over 350 formal complaints were received at the SAHRC. Never before was there such an organised protest run by the community itself – and not by the more well-known NGOs, funded by overseas donors, who were very slow in reacting.
It had a galvanising effect on the community – and some very positive repercussions, such as the formation of SA GLAAD soon afterwards – a voluntary organisation spearheaded by Cobus Fourie and Christina Engela. A Facebook group formed by Louise Reardon, who also became a founding member of SA GLAAD, quickly grew to more than 3000 members and from this group relentless pressure was put on the SAHRC who at the time admitted that it was the most complaints ever received regarding one matter. Gayspeak took an active role in this and was quoted in several newspapers.
If it was not for more pressure later on through groups like SA GLAAD, the SAHRC would have abandoned the case as it was well-known that Qwelane was a vocal supporter of Pres. Zuma – then the fired ex-deputy president – thus Qwelane’s appointment as ambassador to Uganda, of all places, where a Death to Gays Bill is pending. It was regarded as a slap in the face to the gay community by Pres. Zuma, himself known for his homophobic utterances.
We have to mention here that unlike most other LGBTI NGOs in South Africa, SA GLAAD is NOT funded by overseas donors or by anybody else – Cobus and Christina specifically use their own resources. We sincerely hope that the SAHRC remembers them when – and if – the fine is paid by Qwelane.
We will be watching.
GAYSPEAK SA
LGBTI Social News Source
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