'Just lose those wokus-pokus pronouns': Zille's tweet angers LGBTQIA+ community

DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille has come under fire for her tweet shaming a social media user for including her pronouns on her profile.

This week Zille suggested the concept of gender pronouns was “wokus-pokus”, telling the user, Alexandra Hayes, to 'lose' it.

Hayes posted about striving through her personal challenges, and getting to a place where she was “happy, healthy and grateful to be alive and independent again”.

“Good for you. Wonderful story when people go to the depths of the abyss and find their way out again. Just lose those wokus-pokus pronouns,” Zille tweeted.

Pronouns or gender pronouns explain how a people would like to be referred to, despite their appearances or assigned gender at birth. She/her, him/he or they/them are commonly used pronouns.

Zille's comment drew mixed reactions from LGBTQIA+ members and allies.

Some said they were surprised by the comment given that Zille recently attended Cape Town Pride with DA leader John Steenhuisen. 

The party was marching with LGBTQIA+ members to raise awareness on issues affecting the community and campaign for freedoms that allow everybody to live their lives on an equal footing.

Hayes responded to Zille, saying “I’ll lose my pronouns when we have equal rights for all genders and orientations and we, as a society, feel so comfortable with one another that those things don’t matter. Until then I will announce my pronouns.”

Attempts to get additional comment from Hayes were unsuccessful at the time of publishing this story. Any update will be included once received.

Here is a snapshot of what many had to say: