News24.com | LGBTQI+ group seeks clarity from Helen Zille over 'queerphobic' tweet

• DA federal chairperson Helen Zille has received backlash for a post on Twitter.
• LGBTQI+ organisation OUT LGBT Well-being wants her to clarify her tweet.
• It says the tweet may incite queerphobic hate speech on social media platforms.

Chairperson of the DA's federal council Helen Zille is in the limelight over a tweet again - this time for a post an organisation has described as "queerphobic".

She was responding to a tweet by John James in which he alleged that American transgender actress and social media personality Dylan Mulvaney was a "gay man pretending to be trans for cash and fame".

James said the reason for making the claim was because Mulvaney had not changed their name and announced that they would neither have hormone therapy, nor undergo surgical procedures to change their gender. 

The recently re-elected federal chairperson tweeted on Sunday: "Is it now considered insufficiently "woke" to be merely gay? Must you be transgender to gain access to the inner sanctum of the "tribe"?

"And must you, in the process, trash and stereotype all women, eradicating the progress they have made to achieve equality over half a century?"

OUT LGBT Well-being wants Zille to clarify what she meant.

"Comments like Zille's oversimplify and misrepresent the lived experiences of LGBTQI+ individuals and contribute to a climate of stigma, marginalisation, and discrimination. Her remarks perpetuate harmful stereotypes and may incite queerphobic hate speech on social media platforms like Twitter."

READ | War of words between Zille, British anti-vax doctor over claims she supports Covid-19 vaccine suspension

In a statement on Tuesday, its spokesperson, Luiz de Barros, said the DA should slam the "hateful" comment if Zille failed to clarify what she meant. 

"We are particularly troubled by the fact that these comments were made by a senior leader in the official opposition party, which has positioned itself as an ally to the LGBTQI+ community."

DA national spokesperson Solly Malatsi and Zille were not available for comment at the time of publication.

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