UPDATE: Social media reaction to HRC and Wiid ‘settlement’

A settlement between the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and public speaker Gretha Wiid was met with both support and criticism on social media.

On Wednesday the Christian writer and lay preacher Wiid signed the settlement, agreeing not to talk about homosexuality in public.

This comes after the SAHRC received 77 complaints about one of her books in May last year.

Wiid made controversial statements about homosexuality in her book, Lyfslim vir Seuns.

In this book she wrote, among other things, that boys “became” gay because of a lack of fatherly love, abuse or being bullied at school.

She has been ordered by the SAHRC to edit the contentious part in her book referring to homosexuality.

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Author Wiid rapped on the knuckles over homosexuality claims

One of the 77 people whom lodged a complaint against Wiid with the SAHRC, said she expected “more” from the commission than just “lightly rapping Wiid on the knuckles” for her controversial statements.

The complainant wrote on Facebook that she was unhappy that she and the other complainants were not represented during the signing of the agreement.

She also complained that Wiid continued to talk to young children about sexual development at schools.

“She (Wiid) should not be allowed to preach to impressionable children in schools,” she wrote.

“She is not a sexologist, biologist or sociologist.”

Between 1996 and 2011, Wiid gave extensive presentations and workshops at schools across Gauteng on the subject of sexual development and sex education.

A number of complaints made to the SAHRC, challenged the tone and content of the workshops, complaining that Wiid engaged in speech that violated the equality and dignity rights of people’s sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.

No comment was received from Wiid at the time of going to press.