Standing up for the rainbow
Members of the LGBTQIA+ community gathered at the rainbow pedestrian crossing on Somerset Road in Green Point, on Sunday, after Mehmet Vefa Dag, the leader of the Truth and Solidarity Movement Party, threatened, on Twitter, to paint over it.
In subsequent tweets, Mr Dag, who is originally from Turkey, backed down, saying most of those who responded to his Twitter poll opposed his plan.
Speaking to the media earlier at the pedestrian crossing, he said that instead of "wasting money on the colours of LGBTQI+", it should be spent on fighting fight crime, drugs and prostitution, poverty and homelessness.
He claimed the crossing was part of a "Zionist ideology" and that "Americans are trying to oppress us through this identity".
The pedestrian crossing was illegal and dangerous for drivers, he added, vowing to take his fight to court.
"The rainbow crossing has created division. I am not homophobic, but I don’t want the gay community to be the scapegoat of the Zionist system.“
However, mayoral committee for urban mobility Rob Quintas said the City had followed due process.
“The rainbow crossing is at a signalised pedestrian crossing and therefore does not overlap with any regulatory markings. It also complies with the SA Road Traffic Signs Manual standards," he said.
“It is unfortunate that this threat is receiving any attention, including from the media. This is nothing but a cheap attempt to draw attention for political gain at the expense of the LGBTQIA+ community who enjoys protection under our constitution.”
Timothy Bagg, of De Waterkant, was among those who came out in defence of the crossing and accused Mr Dag of ignoring basic freedoms guaranteed in the constitution.
“This is part of our cultural identity, and South Africa was one of the very first countries to legalise gay marriage in the world. We should be proud of that, and this man is shitting all over the progress this country has made for this community.”
Mr Bagg said the LGBTQIA+ community would not tolerate discrimination.
“It takes one person to chip away at all the progress we made, and if we don’t stand up to this person, then another one comes along and chips away, and, before ýou know it, the foundation is crumbled so we draw a hard line.
“When someone has a stupid comment like this then social media will mobilise. We cannot allow these lines to be blurred, and that is why we are here. We have to be strong about this and make our stance known.”
Zoey Fraser, of Woodstock, said Mr Dag had been unheard of prior to his tweets.
“We are here to show up, and it doesn't matter how small it (protest) is or how nonsensical it is what he said, we have to make sure that people know that there is a huge community of queer people and allies who are going to show face, get angry and stand up to this even if it’s ridiculous, otherwise this screams America.”
