Hate speech victory? Cape Town LGBTQ-hate pastor narrowly avoids jail
Cape Town hate pastor Oscar Bougardt has been sentenced to 30 days in jail, suspended for five years, for his vile attacks against the LGBTQ community. On Friday, Judge Lee Bozalek handed down his Equality Court judgment in the Western Cape High Court regarding charges by the SA Human Rights Commission that Bougardt had violated […]
Editorial | Take responsibility for your homophobia, Israel Folau
Aussie rugby star Israel Folau believes that stating that gay people are going to hell is not in the least bit homophobic. He’s dead wrong. The 29-year-old Wallabies star sparked controversy recently when he said on Instagram that gay people would go to hell, “unless they repent their sins and turn to God”. Unfortunately, Rugby […]
Namibia | JSE-listed company runs transphobic recruitment ad
It’s another case of, what the hell were they thinking? A large financial services company has managed to turn an attempted move towards diversity into a transphobic and sexist fiasco. The Namibian-based JSE-listed Trustco recently advertised a vacancy on its all-male board, with the aim of securing women candidates. While this might be seen as […]
Questions asked as Dali Mpofu defends Inxeba ban in court
EFF National Chairperson and advocate Dali Mpofu has argued that Inxeba (The Wound) should be banned from cinemas in South Africa. Questions have been asked why Mpofu, who represents a party that claims to support LGBTQ equality, has chosen to champion the homophobic campaign against the acclaimed gay love story. The producers of the film […]
Niza Jay – Beyond Inxeba (spoilers)
To say that Inxeba (The Wound) is a cultural phenomenon is something of an understatement. The film has simultaneously been hailed as a groundbreaking artistic achievement and also become the subject of protests, death threats and censorship. In the middle of this cultural, political and social maelstrom are the film’s actors, whose powerful performances have […]
Africa’s first openly LGBT cabinet minster resigns as MP
It seems that it’s the end of the political road for openly lesbian former Minister of Public Enterprises, Lynne Brown, who on Thursday resigned as an MP. Brown’s resignation comes after she was recently dropped from the Cabinet by President Cyril Ramaphosa. She also became personally embroiled in the state capture saga amid accusations of […]
Review: Call Me By Your Name
At first glance you might suspect that Call Me By Your Name, nominated for the best picture Oscar, is another one of those pretentious European art film releases. It has many of the warning signs: There’s the languid pace, the Italian countryside setting, academic discussions and a precocious teen who plays classical piano and speaks […]
Editorial | FPB Appeals Tribunal must resign over homophobic ‘Inxeba’ ban
The members of the Film & Publication Board (FPB) Appeals Tribunal must follow in the footsteps of Jacob Zuma and resign after abusing their power to ban Inxeba (The Wound). In a shock announcement this week, the board said it had changed the film’s earlier 16 LS rating to X18, one usually given to hardcore pornography. […]
New report reveals critical need for hate crimes law in SA
A new report, five years in the making, has exposed the devastating nature of hate crimes in South Africa, where LGBT people remain among the most vulnerable groups. On Thursday, the Hate Crimes Working Group (HCWG) launched its Hate & Bias Crimes Monitoring Form Project report at the Holocaust and Genocide Centre in Johannesburg. The research […]
Inxeba (The Wound): The Mamba Review
The most talked about South African film of the past year is finally here. More than 12 months after it premiered at the Sundance Film festival and went on to win 19 awards around the world, Inxeba (The Wound) is in local cinemas. And it’s about time. Apart from the controversy and hype, the isiXhosa-language […]