SOWETAN HOMOPHOBIC SPREE

During Pride week the Sowetan newspaper chose to publish a series of offensive articles – including outlining the so called “tell-signs” of being gay.

The first piece, titled Are you gay? Here are the tell-signs… , written by Amanda Ngudle, was published on October 5 and proceeds to outline a number of stereotypical and sometimes absurd list of traits of gay men.

“According to fully-fledged gay guys, the signs are the opposite of what the lesbian types do,” writes Ngudle. In the article she quotes a gay student by the name of Kefiloe Tobagale:

“They like to sit with one bum on the couch and like to keep their hands together. Their jackets are festive and their necks are always elegantly projected.”

Ngudle’s other “expert” sources, including a hairdresser, also tell her that, “…most homosexual men are expressive, tend to touch themselves and others. The openly gay ones are said to have a deliberate feminine swing in their step and a few still carry the limp wrist trademark.”

She adds that, “Being groomed to death and having a thing for small accessories are also tell-tale signs, but the concern about lips and hair care are rated as top-fivers by those who know better.

“Homosexual men are romantic and have always been associated with hair care and they like to lead by example,” throws in Tobagale.

On the same day the newspaper carried another homophobia-tinged article, also written by Ngudle, titled, How I conquered the gay curse, in which former soap actor, Trevor Yamba, explains “how he reformed and got back to heterosexual life.”

“People often ask whether it is possible to put a homosexual lifestyle behind you. Because there are few stories of former gay people who have walked the thin ice back to a heterosexual life, some wonder if being gay is not a reformable trend,” writes Ngudle.

In the article, Yamba, who starred in the hit show Generations, says that his study of psychology has also helped him “become” hetrosexual.”