The danger of Steve Hofmeyr’s misinformed and problematic comments

Though life for queer people in South Africa today is safer than, say, the 1960s and 1970s, the harmful views that people held at those times can still be found in some pockets of our country.

The history behind most of the discrimination people face today stems from years of misinformation and false justification as to why people of certain identities don’t deserve something.

The “something” that was considered undeserved has taken many forms: from not being allowed access to the same types of education, to not being allowed to vote, marry, or even have the right to dignity.

Many of these ideas have resulted in overt violence and inequality, including outright legal oppression, such as apartheid, and prison time for being gay.

However, these views have also contributed to the development of a culture in which individuals are taught unjustified hatred for people of certain identities.

Even though there are no legal restrictions on queer people in our country today, many people still perpetuate this toxic culture of discrimination that was built on hate and prejudice.

A recent example

As an example, early this year, the Afrikaans artist Steve Hofmeyr released a video on Facebook expressing his disappointment with Disney’s statement that its characters will become more diverse.

“While my generation learned to speak to mice, ducks and dogs, our children will be taught how to have sex with mice, ducks and dogs,” he said to the camera.

He continued to say that “those relationships with animals are part of that ‘+’ at the end of the LGBTQ; that includes those kinds of relationships with animals.”

Hofmeyr’s remarks are not only offensive to the LGBQT+ community, but they are also inaccurate and uninformed.

Why is this information wrong?

LGBTQ+ is an acronym that groups together people of diverse sexualities and genders. It refers to the entire queer community and acts to create an understanding of language between queer people and non-queer people.

LGBTQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer, with the ‘+’ representing the ever-expanding language around identity that is being discovered and recognised.

Claiming that beastiality falls under the banner of LGBTQ+ is just incorrect. The LGBTQ+ acronym refers solely to people who don’t identify as straight or cisgender.

Lumping beastiality in with the queer community is reminiscent of another old-fashioned, misinformed homophobic idea: that gay men and paedophiles share the same identity.

Why is this information harmful?

The spreading of this kind of misinformation has no good or constructive intentions. It does not aim to educate. It doesn’t do anything but support the idea that being gay should be associated with disgust and abnormality.

The idea that sexual engagement with animals falls in the same realm as people who are attracted to others of the same gender is based on nothing factual or scientific and is incredibly demeaning.

It also reduces queer people to their bodies and takes away from their inner feelings of identity. Queer identities do not only have to do with who people want to sleep with.

In any case, the sexual aspect of identity is never something that would be portrayed in kids’ shows. When Disney talks about “broadening the identities of their characters,” they are referring to the respectful representation of the LGBQT+ community through characters in their films.

It is a devastating reality that words and sentiments such as these contribute to the violence queer people often face in South Africa. Words matter.

The consequences

Under the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 2000, the South African Human Rights Commission is taking Hofmeyr to court.