S. African Claims Rotary Club Expelled Him for Being Gay

A former Rotarian says that he was forced to resign from one South African Rotary Club and then denied membership in two others because he is gay. But the clubs say that Rhett Gardener had attempted to exert undue control over the club in an "autocratic fashion," and that was the reason for his rejection.

South Africa is the only nation in the world that specifically protects the rights and equality of its GLBT citizens in its constitution. This sets the nation apart from many other African countries, where gays are persecuted under color of the law.

Even so, Gardener claims that his sexuality was the motivating factor behind his having been "forced" to resign from the Rotary Club of Pretoria West (RCPW), reported IOL.com on Aug. 30.

According to Gardener, who is an attorney, anti-gay remarks were passed around in 2007 via email to Rotarians in the RCPW by a fellow member, who said that the reason other Rotarians had left the RCPW was due to Gardener and his "extramural activities." Gardener's claim is that the remarks made in the email related to his sexuality and were meant to "humiliate" him.

"As a result of the homophobic attitude of prominent RCPW members I was, after months of extreme awkwardness and tension, forced to resign my club membership," Gardener said.

Gardener claims that he was told that he could easily join up with another Rotary club, but when he tried he was rejected by two other clubs because members there threatened to quit if he were allowed to join. Said Gardener, "I was extremely distressed to be without membership of a Rotary club."

The Rotary clubs in question say that there was nothing anti-gay in their handling of Gardener; rather, they say, Gardener alienated Rotarians by acting as through the Rotary club were his "personal domain." Gardener was a Rotarian for 11 years, and was openly guy during that time. He also said that his membership in the Rotary club was the focus of much of his social life.

Rotary Clubs are individual clubs that belong collectively to Rotary International, a Wikipedia article says. The clubs offer a forum for business leaders and other professionals to meet, and offer an organizational framework for socially beneficial work. In addition to promoting service, the clubs also promote ethics in business and in professional life.

Gardener has taken the clubs to court and is seeking monetary damages and a public apology.