Each week, Queerty picks one blowhard, hypocrite, airhead, sanctimonious prick or other enemy of all that is queer to be the Douche of the Week. Have a nominee for DOTW? E-mail it to us at [email protected].
This week’s honoree, Jon Qwelane, is South Africa’s High Commissioner to Uganda—and a tried-and-true douche. He’s been very open about his hatred for LGBTs for years. In 2008 he wrote the article “Call Me Names, but Gay is Not Okay.” It included these pearls of wisdom:
The real problem, as I see it, is the rapid degradation of values and traditions by the so-called liberal influences of nowadays; you regularly see men kissing other men in public, walking holding hands and shamelessly flaunting what are misleadingly termed their “lifestyle” and “sexual preferences”. There could be a few things I could take issue with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, but his unflinching and unapologetic stance over homosexuals is definitely not among those. Why, only this very month— you’d better believe this—a man, in a homosexual relationship with another man, gave birth to a child…
Homosexuals and their backers will call me names, printable and not, for stating as I have always done my serious reservations about their “lifestyle and sexual preferences”, but quite frankly I don’t give a damn: wrong is wrong! I do pray that some day a bunch of politicians with their heads affixed firmly to their necks will muster the balls to rewrite the constitution of this country, to excise those sections which give licence to men “marrying” other men, and ditto women. Otherwise, at this rate, how soon before some idiot demands to “marry” an animal, and argues that this constitution “allows” it?
Call you names? Okay:
Douche.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Douche bag.
Douche canoe.
Need we go on? They have strong hate-speech laws in South Africa, so the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) took Qwelane to court, where this summer he was convicted of hate speech, ordered to pay 100,000 rand (about $15,000) to the SAHRC and to apologize to the LGBT community.
But this week, the verdict was rescinded because Qwelane claims he wasn’t given the chance to defend himself. Turns out he never showed up to his trial—he was too busy on diplomatic business—and he’s requested a new hearing. Qwelane’s also demanded the SAHRC pays his legal fees and continues to defend his position.
“I remain uncompromising on my views and feel I’m entitled to freedom of expression.”
Should it be a criminal offense to spew anti-gay vitriol? For better or worse we do things a little different in America, so it’s hard to say. But you know what’ easy to say?
What a douche!
Andreusz
We have strong hate speech laws, but as a mameber of the ruling ANC party, Qwelane is above the law. Google ‘Zuma’.
Nick Thiwerspoon
“Tool” will do. As in, “what a tool”
And your first commenter is right. The ANC is above the law, as witness Zuma.
Look at this article:
http://www.wildeoats.com/Ridges-Rants-09-Hatred-by-Stan-Ridge.html
It’s infinitely depressing that the “God is love” camp should so sytematically purvey hatred.
merkin
Tool means penis, which is a nice thing. Whats wrong with douche?
Mike in Asheville
I don’t think the word “douche” is nearly strong enough to convey just how vile and nonhuman this “DOTW is. Unlike the DOTW, douches actually have an important health purpose. Perhaps “douche waste” is more appropriate.
Henry
@Mike in Asheville: I agree, but even douche waste isn’t the right way to express it. That makes it seem like these people are just petty jerks, or they made a dumb but insignificant mistake. They’re worse than that. They spread hate, and the word used to describe them should reflect that. Something like “hate-spewer of the week,” only more catchy.
Anyway, I notice he uses the word degradation, and that’s almost like the word degenerate. Which the Nazi applied to gay people, and many other minority groups, in an attempt to stigmatize them as inferior. Hmm.
just sayin
How about ‘Santorum of the Week’? Seriously….
Mike in Asheville
@Henry: Do check out @#6 @just sayin:
Yes, just saying, I second the use of “Santorum of the Week” — very droll. And, it will remind me to Google Santorum just to ensure that frothy-mix remains #1 on the list!