Gay bikers spread their wings on macho turf

Members of the Unapologetic Bikers Club do what other riders do — they go on runs, have braais, compare the size of their armour and wear their leathers and club colours with pride.

Their only difference is the criteria to join the club: you must be gay, and unapologetically so.

"We are not sorry for who we are," club president James William Brown said this week.

Theirs is believed to be the only openly gay motorbike club in South Africa. The fledgling club has just five members at this stage, but they are making waves in the butch world of biking.

Brown founded the club in Randburg last year after the young draughtsman was kicked out of his former club, a motorcycle ministry that he would prefer not to name, when they learnt of his sexual orientation.

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If you think the Unapologetics conform to any gay stereotype, Brown has news for you.

"We are not fragile girls in pink dresses. I'm a simple oke. I love bikes. I'm a very technical guy and enjoy working with my hands. My boyfriend is more the arty-farty type. My mother loves him," said Brown.

The only way to identify them on their breakfast runs is by taking a close look at their club patch, a silhouette of a barefoot boy with oddly-shaped wings. At Pretoria Gay Pride last year, the club members flew this flag, and a rainbow banner, from their bikes as they marshalled the parade.

Brown, who rides a 250kg BMW R1200 GS Adventure, said: "The wings show that even if ours are different, we still are angels, we are not demons.

"I started the group to prove people wrong - to show that we're still 'normal' people, even though we're gay. When I came out, my father's response was 'But, my son, you work in the garage.'"

Biking is in Brown's blood. He got his first bike, a 250cc, when he was 16. His dad raced motocross and his mom also got hooked. Both of them still ride.

Club member Rudolph du Plessis has been riding for 12 years, and said the biker world was not always a friendly place.

"It's quite macho out there, and I am scared to say anything about being gay. If people at rallies or in the club ask me personal questions I kill the conversation," he said.

"You might be riding alongside a gay biker, but how would you know? I think the solution is to hang around with other gay people in clubs like the Unapologetics and share our stories," said Du Plessis.