A pink world
2002-01-25 16:52
Cape Town - The Film and Publication Board is likely to announce on Tuesday
whether a book alleged to be homophobic and discriminatory will be
banned.
The book The Pink Agenda: The Ruin of the Family was
co-authored by Christine McCafferty and Peter Hammond.
The board confirmed that a decision would probably be made on
Tuesday following a hearing on Friday in which the publisher,
Christian Liberty Books, defended the book.
This follows a formal complaint by the Lesbian and Gay Equality
Project (LGEP), which described the book on its website as "the worst
example of homophobic hate speech ever published in South Africa".
McCafferty on Friday said the bid to ban the book was
based on emotive hype and not on an objective and honest reading of
the book.
"The [LGEP] article is full of untruths and emotive language.
This attempt to censor the book however is typical of homosexual
activism world-wide," she said.
The LGEP believes the book "vilifies homosexual people, damns us
all to hell, and further makes out that we are inevitable carriers
of disease with the potential for spreading such throughout
society".
"We are opposed to censorship in general. We do not believe,
however, that this book makes suitable reading for young minds that
are still being formed. We believe it instils hatred and
prejudice," it was quoted as saying.
- SAPA