Steve Hofmeyr in hot water with SAHRC over LGBTQI+ remarks
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has sent a letter of demand to Afrikaans singer Steve Hofmeyr over comments made to the LGBTQI+ community.
Hofmeyr caused a stir on social media when he claimed Disney's agenda is to groom children to have sex with animals, adding that the channel's agenda promotes bestiality.
"Waar my generasie geleer het om met muise eende en honde te praat gaan ons kinders geleer word hoe om met muise, eende en honde seks te he…” [Where my generation learned to talk to mice ducks and dogs, our children are going to be taught how to have sex with mice, ducks and dogs]."
He has since apologised for the comments.
In a widely shared video, Hofmeyr can be seen in his car ranting about the pushback he received about his comments.
"I have no problem apologising to the gay community and I do. In fact, I have no fight with the and I never had. I can't find consensus though, even amongst them about who the '+' in the LGBTQI+ includes and excludes but I will take the word of my ga friends and colleagues that it does not include any illegal genders or preferences, but I know it did.
"No one is really inclusive here. Maybe it's time to remove the '+' and admit that you have become exactly like your oppressors.
"My problem and my video had nothing to do with any of that. I attacked Disney as the rest of the world is doing this week but here's what I did not do - unlike the LGBTQI+ community, I did not keep silence when Disney decided to sexualise our toddlers by sexualising their movie characters. I didn't force religious communities to turn against their scriptures. I did not force churches to marry anybody. I didn't force biological women to compete against sportsmen," Hofmeyr continued in the four-minute-long video.
The commission's Eastern Cape manager Eileen Carter doesn't believe the apology is enough.
"The commission has an express mandate to take steps to secure appropriate redress where human rights have been violated. In respect of its powers to act in its own name, as well as on behalf of a person and/or a group of persons, the Commission has therefore issued a letter of demand to Mr Hofmeyr to express its concerns relating to the utterances made and shared to his hundreds of thousands of followers and friends accordingly.
"We have requested more than just an apology. We have noted some form of response by Mr Hofmeyr on his social media pages, but we have requested, in our letter of demand, more than an apology."
The commission has threatened to haul the Afrikaans singer to the Equality Court if he fails to concede to their demands.
Relief sought for Hofmeyr's utterances may include damages, as well as an order to undergo community service at a centre in support of the promotion of the rights of vulnerable groups.
Listen to Carter below:
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