23-Year-Old Man Decapitated After Winning Gay Beauty Pageant

Posted by Kevin Farrell on Jun 13, 2012 in Bad News | 14 comments

Thapelo Makutle

According to the group Legbo Northern Cape, Thapelo Makutle was attacked at his place of work in the John Taolo Gaetsewe district on Friday. The organisation said that there was an argument related to “his sexuality and homosexuality”.

His two attackers are believed to have followed him to the room where he lived and on Saturday cut his throat, decapitating him.

They left his body under a blanket as though he were sleeping.

Makutle, who identified as both gay and transgender, was a volunteer for Legbo Northern Cape. He recently participated in the Kimberley Out In Africa Gay and Lesbian Festival, was known as a beauty queen named Queen Bling and was recently crowned Miss Gay Kuruman.

I’ve read conflicting reports suggesting that Makutle identified as a gay man and as a trans woman. Maybe both. I don’t mean to insinuate or offend his memory by using masculine pronouns. It’s all just a bit unclear right now.

Makutle was one of us, and his senseless, violent death should be a lightning rod of outrage in his native South Africa, not ignored by police.

He said that no arrests have yet been made in connection with the murder. He expressed his frustration with the lack of support for LGBT people in the Northern Cape and noted that hate crimes are on the rise in the province.

“We recently had a lesbian stabbed three times in a bar because they said that she should be a woman and not a man. She chose not to press charges because she didn’t want her family involved,” Griqua said.

“The government is not interested in this problem,” he added.

Our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones Makutle left behind.

(via Cape Times)

RheinhardtSnyman

Where is the hate crimes governmental task force? Since it was established last year to combat gay hate crimes I have not heard a peep? Are they even on the case or stuck in a KFC door after eating to much?

This is the second murder of a gay man this month, what the hell is going on? And why is the only one condemning it an unrelated trade union?

The police will just fail again. They don’t even want to help straight people, why would they help gays.

http://www.jakestevensdesign.com Jake Stevens

Africa. This happened in Africa.

RheinhardtSnyman

In South Africa to be precise. Don’t confuse the third world with liberal South Africa.

p.s. I am South African that’s why I am so upset, because this level of violence against gay men is unusual.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1421329759 Jenn Nashoba

Agreed… senseless killing in the service of ignorance and phobia is abhorrent, NO MATTER the location.
http://profile.yahoo.com/DHKOT6QBMIXHNPC2ORCHKFALLI Swagg Swagg

Among blacks, it certainly isn’t. Look at Jamaica! Do you feel too guilty over apartheid to call the broader black community out on their indifference to bigotry and savagery?

RheinhardtSnyman

I don’t feel guilty at all over what my forefathers did, so no I don’t feel guilty over apartheid. Do you feel guilty over what Bush did? Or over all the dead African gays because of rich american pastors?

There are 11 official languages in South Africa alone all sub divided further by diffident cultures and clans. Some are more homophobic and others are not at all. Acceptance of diversity is common sentiment. You can’t generalise by race. A person could just as easily say Americans, French and Australians are backward homophobes because Russians are. If the community finds who did this, they will kill them before the police can interfere(it is not uncommon for criminals to die this way here). That might be savage, but is most certainly not indifference attitude from the community towards crime of any kind LGBT related or not.

http://www.facebook.com/M3xiTaLiaN.P3L0n Albert D’Orazio

What the hell?
http://www.facebook.com/M3xiTaLiaN.P3L0n Albert D’Orazio

My
God, people who murder other innocent people will have to answer to God
for the senseless and brutal murder(s) of His innocent LGBT people.
What the hell is wrong with people!?
Ars Moriendi

Thank you, Thapelo Makutle, for living your life so openly. You knew the risks and you still felt the need to be out. I am so sorry your time here was shortened and that awful people did these things to you. Your death will not be in vain, you have changed the world simply by being in it and being you. Rest well now where no one can ever hurt you again.
starshadow6666

OMG, this is horrible. My heart goes out to this person and the family and friends left behind. When will this senseless violence against all my brothers and sisters stop?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Mia-Danger-McMahon/562581333 Mia Danger McMahon

Just for future reference, it would probably be more appropriate to use gender neutral pronouns (xe/hir/hir, they/them/their or ey/em/eir, etc) until their preferred pronouns are established, although the fact that you pointed out that you didn’t know their pronoun preference and want to respect their identity is better than many news sources do.

Even if, by some chance, homosexuality was wrong, what makes murder better? How does this sense of morality even make sense to anyone? It says in the 10 Commandments “Thou shalt not kill,” but there is no commandment for “ harass a homosexual person, stalk them back to their home, and then decapitate them in their bed.” I don’t know how much more obvious God could have made it about what he expects of his followers. And even if this wasn’t religiously motivated, there is simply no reason for these atrocities. I sometimes wonder if there are more psychopaths among us than science acknowledges, because that’s the only way I could conceive of this kind of reaction against LGBTQ people.
http://www.facebook.com/amy.alton.75 Amy Alton

that is so wrong. i dont understand the big deal with people being who they are. others need to get over it already. LBGT people are just like anyone else they just love differently than what some beleive to be the right way. Love who you want when you want to, dont be who you think other will accept you as. Thapelo Makutle was brave for letting everyone know who Thapelo Makutle was. Not like everyone else just who he wanted to be. in my veiw when someone commites a hate crime they are just insicure and unhappy with themselves, but thats no reason to do something like this. I hope who ever did this will rot in hell for the rest of their life. Be proud of who you are and show the world your not affraid.
Charl Kroeger

What a really terrible thing to happen… feel so bad for Makutle and the whole family. The brutal animals that did this need to be brought under the full wrath of the law and the government in South Africa needs to live up to their Constitution and protect ALL South Africans. The moronic anti gay hypocrites should be removed from office and civilized people need to be elected!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Katrinna-Dagger-Alexandros/1089292574 Katrinna Dagger Alexandros

He was most likely a gay trans man

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