An official complaint has been lodged at the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) against a YouTuber who calls himself "Boerieman" for allegedly making appalling transphobic statements on his public platform.
The Organisation OUT LGBT says a distressed transgender woman informed them about the video on the 24th of April.
Posted on 22 April, the speaker in the video warns of “the satanic plans that are in place to destroy us.” He praises images of stereotypically masculine men who he claims “tamed this world… and civilised it” before comparing these to a photograph of male transgender model Casil McArthur, whom he characterises as “sh*t like this.”
A spokesperson Sibonelo Ncanana says the individual paints transgender people as a threat to humanity and society and describes them as less than human.
"These are dangerous and harmful hate speech narratives that have historically been used to persecute and justify violence against individuals and minorities. Free speech cannot be an excuse to strip people of their humanity and advocate for their removal from society simply for being themselves."
In its complaint, OUT is calling for the YouTuber, who has yet to be identified, to be compelled to issue a written and video apology for his comments, to undergo sensitisation training, and to pay a sum of R250,000 to OUT's hate crimes programme.
Boerieman
The YouTuber, who has just over 16 thousand followers posted a video on the 22nd of April where he condemns racial integration in schools, attacks feminism, and repeatedly calls transgender individuals "monsters", "creatures", and "things".
The SAHRC indicated to OUT that an investigation will be launched into the YouTube channel called "Skidmarks aka Briekmerke."
