Members of the LGBTIQ+ community have taken offence with YouTube creator and DJ MacGyver “MacG” Mukwevho after the Podcast and Chill host and his co-host, Sol Phenduka, reportedly made transphobic comments on their show.
The comments were first brought to people’s attention when MacG tweeted a teaser clip of the episode, along with the caption: “This part killed me @Solphendukaa. Man United fans are coming for you.”
In the clip, MacG reveals that former Manchester United footballer Wayne Rooney once had a romantic encounter with a trans woman, to which Phenduka replies “that’s where he gets his ball control from” and the two burst into laughter.
“He’s laying on a man’s chest, Manchester,” adds Phenduka.
This part killed me ???????? @Solphendukaa Man United fans are coming for you
????https://t.co/AzalZ8HOzL
????https://t.co/tt0Wx2S3uZ
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????Follow : @podcastwithmacg
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????Tag a friend
????????Save to Look at Later
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????PODCAST AND CHILL WITH MACG pic.twitter.com/jQVuACBeS6— MacG ???????? (@MacGUnleashed) January 25, 2021
Cultural curator, DJ and writer Lelo Meslani was among the first to take MacG to task over the comments.
idk y’all. is any of this funny??? pic.twitter.com/MXPUmZYBrI
— Lelo (@lelowhatsgood) January 25, 2021
please DISLIKE and REPORT the video: https://t.co/uJ2BnVf5ZP
— Lelo (@lelowhatsgood) January 25, 2021
This was quickly followed by an influx of tweets from trans people and other members of the LGBTIQ+ community.
Wena @Solphendukaa you need to deal with your internal HOMOPHOBIA. First U went on about Vusi Nova & said he was Gay & even if he was BI he is Gay, that’s a problem! DO NOT discuss things U know nothing about! Unless we know something we don’t & U just looking for attention.
— Yaya Mavundla (@YayaRSA) January 25, 2021
.@Solphendukaa and it’s not that you don’t know the right terminology. You DO as seen on the video. You KNOW they are Trans / Transgender people, but because you are creating filthy content to please other hateful people like you – you INSIST on being transphobic. Disgusting!!! https://t.co/CvH2DEZRNG
— mzwakhe (@leloe_m) January 25, 2021
YouTube Black Voices
MacG was recently announced as part of a list of creators from across the African continent who were chosen as part of YouTube’s inaugural class of African content creators who were set to receive a grant for the development of their channels from the global YouTube Black Voices Fund.
The creators are also scheduled to take part in an intensive three-week incubator programme followed by bespoke training, workshops and networking programmes.
Additionally, MacG has recently worked with Old Mutual to create sponsored content for one of the campaigns the insurer was running,
As such, there were calls for MacG to be deplatformed and many have distributed the details of companies MacG is linked to, along with a request for these companies to cut ties with the content creator.
Please report this video on YouTube, and report this content to the sponsor sponsorships@oldmutual.com https://t.co/8vgwtk50TB
— Oshun of Evangelista (@__MJDr) January 25, 2021
Good day @youtube @YouTubeCreators @AngelaCourtin @DanielleTiedt , one your S.A recipients of the #YoutubeBlackVoices @MacGUnleashed uses his platform to enable & spew homophobic , transphobic & regressive comments
Is this the kind of person you want to align your brand with? https://t.co/UDDmZWz7PI
— ???????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????????? (@SamJuniorMbatha) January 25, 2021
I was wondering if you guys support Transphobia @OldMutualSA?
This clip for @MacGUnleashed’s YouTube channel @podcastwithmacg has them referring to trans women as ‘shemales’ and laughing about it. One of them go on to say explicitly that “she was a woman with a dick” https://t.co/kWtneg3bBY
— obie (@so_obie) January 25, 2021
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