DURBAN- Christopher Pappas of the Democratic Alliance ( DA ) has dismissed homophobic remarks made about him while running for KwaZulu-Natal’s next premier.
Since the announcement of his candidacy, Pappas has endured a never-ending barrage of homophobic remarks.
The KwaZulu-Natal African National Congress Youth League ( ANCYL ) recently staged a demonstration against the premier candidate while chanting and making sexist remarks while carrying homophobic posters.
Graham McIntosh, a longtime member of his own party and former DA Member of Parliament ( MP), resigned in the meantime, saying he was disappointed that the party had chosen such an openly gay man to represent it in KwaZulu-Natal.
Enough is enough, says Premier hopeful Pappas, who wants to bring KZN back to its former glory.
Pappas ‘ sexual orientation, according to McIntosh’s resignation letter from the district attorney, would turn away black voters in rural KwaZulu-Natal.
McIntosh won the mayoralty in Umgeni, a town that is predominately black, so Pappas claimed that his remarks were insulting to the black electorate and untrue.
The candidate for prime minister expressed his party’s protection.
There are a lot of differences between people in KwaZulu-Natal, in my opinion. KwaZulu-Natal is much more accepting of individual differences, whether they are related to religion, complex cultural issues, or sexuality issues.
The DA decided to provide its members with sensitivity training on issues pertaining to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer ( LGBTQI+ ) community during its April Federal Congress meeting.