Stellenbosch University student newspaper Die Matie has
created an uproar by publishing a photo on its front page of two men kissing.
The photo was taken during the annual "Kiss in the
Avenue", which involves students trying to set a record for the most
couples kissing during a single event.
Apparently members of the university's Gay and Lesbian
Organisation usually feel too intimidated to take part in the event, but this
year decided to participate and managed to recruit friends from University of
Cape Town and the University of the Western Cape to support them.
Outgoing editor of Die Matie Annelize Kloppers
said the reaction to the picture was quite unexpected.
"The most interesting thing was to watch people's
reaction as they picked up the newspaper. Some of them asked me, 'What were you
thinking?'"
"Some people tore the picture out of the paper or
crossed it out with a marker," Kloppers told Rapport.
Stellenbosch students are also debating the issue on
Facebook.
'Biggest reaction'
The editor says she has been innudated by calls to either
congratulate or chastise her about using the picture.
"This is the biggest reaction that I've had to any
story ever," Kloppers said.
The Lesbigay organisation, which arranged transport to the
event for the two men in the photo, says it has gained 60 members due to the
publicity.
The photographer who took the photo, Vanessa Smeets, says
that the edition has been particularly popular.
"It's our best edition in four years," Smeets
told Rapport.
Rapport tracked down Bjorn
Czepan, one of the students in the photo, to Cape Town. Czepan is a German
student at the University of Cape Town who travelled to Stellenbosch
specifically for the "Kiss in the Avenue" event.
He says he had no idea why there was such an uproar.
"It was a nice kiss and worth travelling to
Stellenbosch for," Czepan said.