Councillor caught in homophobic crossfire ahead of Gay Pride weekend

AN ANC councillor who hurled homophobic slurs during a council meeting this week has come under attack.

This occurred on Wednesday, 25 June when the DA’s Martin Meyer allegedly wanted to make an announcement on congratulating and commemorating the gay community on this weekend’s gay pride celebrations.

“I wish I could say I was getting used to this kind of behaviour from the councillor in question. But I have laid a complaint with the speaker of council, Logie Naidoo, like I have done previously before when she made a homophobic comment,” Meyer, the Ward 27 councillor (Morningside and Greyville), said.

Meyer said in previous years council allowed him to make the announcement, but said when he got up to make his speech this year, an ANC councillor started laughing, sparking widespread laughter throughout the council chambers.

“With South Africa celebrating Youth Day this month, as well as Durban Gay Pride this weekend, I feel it’s completely insensitive behaviour from this councillor,” he said.

Meyer said when councillor Logie Naidoo asked him to stop his announcement he was shocked: “Cllr Naidoo has always been very supportive of my announcements and gay pride in general, so it made me think that he stopped me because he is being tied down by his party. Or maybe he thought it would be in the meeting’s best interest to stop me, as to not make a spectacle during the council meeting.”

Meyer said he has refrained from naming the councillor, as he is now looking at legal steps to take against this councillor, which may include going to the Human Rights Commission.

“It worries me that our community leaders react like this. If they are openly homophobic, what are they telling their communities to be? It’s already so hard for the gay and lesbian community to be openly homosexual, we don’t need these councillors to promote homophobia,” Meyer added.

Gay community outraged

THE gay and lesbian community has expressed its shock and outrage at the behaviour of this councillor.

Jason Fiddler, the director for the Durban Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and chief marshall at tomorrow’s Durban Gay Pride march, said in previous years they’ve had the ANC’s support.

“The fact that this councillor involved the gay and lesbian community in her political rows with the DA shows how petty they are,” Fiddler added.

He said he was aware that this same councillor has made previous homophobic slurs in council meetings and said it is beyond him why no action has been taken against her.

Meyer concurred, adding that he acknowledges that the ANC has done a lot for the homosexual community, but said this incident has set the party back in its fight for equal rights for all South Africans.

“If it had been a racist remark, it would have been slammed. This is complete hypocrisy. It is a direct violation of the party’s policy. It’s like homophobia is a lesser evil than racism or sexism,” Fiddler said.

He also added that he personally knows councillor Logie Naidoo and said he doesn’t know him as an unprofessional person: “I think it was an oversight on his part.”

“I don’t think council knows this, but they gave us enough fuel for a huge fire. We were going into our gay pride march tomorrow with a happy and proud vibe, but we will now be marching angrily,” Fiddler said.

He urged friends and family, as well as other residents who support the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender individuals, to join in the march on Saturday, 28 June at the Growthpoint Kings Park Stadium from 10am.

eThekwini Municipality could not provide a comment at the time of publishing this article.

Updates to follow.