GAY PROTEST AT INDIA / SA MATCH
A one-man protest at the weekend’s cricket Test match between South Africa and India has highlighted the recently renewed ban on gay sex in India.
Nico Swart, owner of Johannesburg’s Factory Bar, decided to attend a number of match days at the Wanderers and express his feelings about the ban to cricket fans.
He held up placards that read “India make love legal” and “No gay sex no ball” during the match.
“Since I’m a cricket fan, it seemed like the perfect platform to get media exposure easily and let India know what I think,” Swart – who has been involved in LGBT and HIV activism – told Mambaonline.
He said that, “India is one of the largest nations in the world so a small gesture on my behalf potentially could reach a lot of people.”
Earlier this month, India’s Supreme Court restored the 153-year-old colonial-era law banning gay sex, which could jail offenders for up 10 years in jail.
Swart went on to say that people at the stadium reacted positively to his protest. “I plunked my poster down next to them and said ‘I’m protesting moffie issues in India’. They said ‘Oh, OK.’ I explained and they came back with ‘Ten years is a long time boet.’
“I think I had some success; I made it onto TV and people at the venue got educated,” said Swart, who added that he plans to stage similar protests at future international cricket matches featuring India.
The Indian Supreme Court ruled that a previous 2009 court decision striking down the anti-gay law was invalid and that the law could only be repealed by parliament.
The move was met with widespread condemnation both in India and internationally.
Last week, India’s government petitioned the Supreme Court to revisit its decision and to repeal the anti-gay law.
Nico, jy’s my hero!
Nico, you’re a self-serving prat. You need national attention, and your so-called activism is just rabble rousing and calling attention to yourself. The only thing your spreading in your sex club is unsafe sex; if anyone needs to get the message, it’s you.
we don’t see you doing anything to further the causes of homosexuality. attacking someone for standing up against oppression of any kind harks back to the old boring days of apartheid. get with the program, please
How convenient, labeling any dissent as ‘apartheid’. Nico’s quote: “I made it onto TV and the stadium got educated,” reveals a staggering level of solipsism and arrogance; this is business PR going as activism – look at his branded T shirt. This isn’t about him. I am entirely “with the program” when it comes to human rights, just not with Swart’s self-promoting, dishonest agenda. It’s just not cricket.
They say ” bad publicity is better than no publicity” if that’s true than how come the owner of GP’s most dodgy sex club had the sense to protest in spite his obvious marketing ploy. I’ve never been to the factory but I do hear some dodgy things about it… enough for me to stay away honestly. Bertie the guy is business owner I agree with the fact that he is spreading his brand that’s basic Marketing 101 Nico is no more different than if Tiger Brands or if SA GLAAD thought of the same thing. However I can’t refute if he doesn’t believe in the cause he is protesting against. To come down hard on him isn’t completely fair especially considering he was the only person with the forsight to protest. How about trying to contact Nico and educate him on safe sex for his club… it might make a bigger difference than u think (cause we all know that club isn’t going anywhere anytime soon)