Posted by Melanie Nathan  -    African Anti-Gay Hate is spreading rapidly-  When South Africa – “the new South Africa” starts spewing at its own all inclusive Constitution – purporting return to Africanism – and whose head is on the chopping block Mr. and Mr. Gay and Mrs. and Mrs. Lesbian – not to forget the rest -BTQI -!

Read this Press release below and then my prior piece about the SA appointee to UGANDA of an openly gay-Hating Ambassador - by President Zuma of South Africa. 

So while South Africa is touting an all inclusive constitution – they are barely behaving accordingly.  South Africa is a sports crazy country and this 2010 World Cup means everything to ALL of the people and politicians there.

“I am calling all my fellow Bloggers and Mainstream Press to Publish a Call for a BOYCOTT of the World Cup in SA until such time as Zuma withdraws his appointment of Ambassador Jon Qwelane; and rebukes comments made by PAC Youth League.  Stand up for the Gays Mr. Zuma or we will boycott South Africa for the World Cup……… Melanie Nathan.

Press release: SA GLAAD Condemns PAC Youth League and Leader for Homophobic hate speech and attack on the SA Constitution

SA GLAAD condemns in the strongest terms possible the statements made by Pan Africanist Youth Congress of Azania (Payco) leader Pitso Mphasha, in which the league said the SABC1 soapie Generations has “declared war with African cultures and practices” and that “Africa is not the home of gays and lesbians”.

We take very seriously the accusation that South African people have no right to call the land of their birth “home” simply because of the intolerance of a few malcontented individuals.

Mphasha’s statement implies that being gay or lesbian is “unnatural” and somehow alien to Africa and African people, which we believe is intended to isolate and target the pink community and incite hatred against us.

We take issue with the reference to people’s natural inborn characteristics and behavior as “practices”, which implies that gays and lesbians have any choice in being gays and lesbians, that there is anything wrong or unnatural in being gay or lesbian – and that these statements reduce our dignity and worthiness as people to nothing more than “promoting evil”.

This statement by Mphasha is a vicious attack on the SA Constitution which also grants these homophobic individuals equal rights to those of gays and lesbians.

This sort of blatant hate speech incites hatred and encourages violent acts against the pink community, particularly in the townships of South Africa, where victimization, murder and so-called “corrective rape” are daily features of the lives of Black gays and lesbians living there.

This sort of publicly expressed hatred is reckless and irresponsible and endangers the lives of innocent people for no reason other than the poorly thought out bigotry and prejudice of the sort which was responsible for Apartheid.

SA GLAAD would like to point out to Mr Mphasha and the PAC Youth the hypocrisy in wanting to have freedoms and rights for themselves, while wanting to deny the same equalities to others.

SA GLAAD expresses the sincere hope that the pink community will answer the call by SA Human Rights Commission spokesperson Vincent Moagato to lodge complaints against this group and its leader in order to facilitate action.

We thank the SA Human Rights Commission for their defence of the Constitution and urge them to take this matter further and to pursue justice for this outrage to the full extent of the law.

UPDATE ; SOUTH AFRICAN PRESS PICK UP LEZGETREAL CALL FOR BOYCOTT OF 2010 WORLD CUP SOCCER IN USA.
Well Known South African Journalist, Michael Trapido of the widely read  Richmark Sentinel reported that he had been approached by us to Announce the Boycott of the 2010 Games.      Here is his report: I especially like his opening line – that here in theUSA we are watching South Africa’s failure to take a leadership role in the HATE GAY KILL BILL debacle.

The South African governments previous and ongoing insensitivity in matters of foreign policy reaches audiences far wider than they believe or perhaps anticipate.

As a result acts such as supporting President Robert Mugabe, suggesting Jon Qwelane for the post of Ugandan ambassador and refusing the Dalai Lama entry until after the World Cup occasion a backlash against this country and calls to boycott the World Cup.

The Richmark Sentinel was approached by gay activists who are calling for a boycott of the football tournament pursuant to a renowned homophobe being suggested as our representative to Uganda.

The fact that it is a crime to be gay or lesbian in 38 African countries does not sit well with the international community but giving tacit endorsement to Uganda’s lethal policies by sending them Qwelane is proving to be a step too far .

Upon further investigation it soon emerged that this is by no means the only area in respect of which our policies are attracting resentment.

The government’s decision to bar the Dalai Lama from entering South Africa in order to attend a peace conference, with further confirmation that he would not be allowed to visit until the 2010 World Cup was over drew no less criticizm than that of David Wallechinsky of the Huffington Post.

“I would never call for an athletes’ boycott of the World Cup; but for spectators, that’s another story.

If the president of South Africa, Kgalema Motlanthe, wants to grovel at the feet of Hu Jintao and the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party, that’s his choice. But if the Dalai Lama has to wait until the World Cup is over before he visits South Africa, I guess I can wait until then too.”

There are even some like Australian journalist Peter Roebuck who go a step further and suggest that South Africa has no right to host the World Cup as a result of their policies on Zimbabwe.

“South Africa has forfeited the right to stage the 2010 football World Cup. By supporting and sustaining the holocaust unfolding in Zimbabwe, the Government has aligned itself with the ranks of evil. It is one thing to refuse to intervene when cruelty is rife in a neighbouring country, quite another to fuel it with sympathetic words, pathetic policies and required resources.”

The Richmark Sentinel is proudly South African and stands 100% behind our bid to host the world’s biggest sporting event.

It would however serve the government well to factor in the resentment and bitterness they are causing when they make these sometimes startling decisions.

South African foreign policy occasions calls for World Cup boycott

Saturday, January 23, 2010 [ Reads:528 / Comments:10 / 3741 ] 

Melanie Nathan LGBT ADvocate /Activist

By Melanie Nathan,    Wits Alumni (B.A. LLB)  - Activist and Personal Advocate , USA.
Inactive Member of  Gauteng Bar. (TVL)

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• http://www.richmarksentinel.com/rs_headlines.asp?recid=3741&pcurr=1