Gay teacher in Zimbabwe faces angry demands to resign after coming out to students

A parents’ meeting at a Zimbabwe elite school descended into chaos on Monday, after a teacher came out as gay.

Videos from the event shared on social media showed several heated confrontations, with reports that “fist fights” nearly broke out between groups of parents.

Dr Neal Hovelmeier, Deputy Head for the Sixth Form at the private school St John’s College in the capital Harare, has faced a wave of anger after he led a school assembly on Friday (September 21) seeking to tackle homophobic bullying. During the assembly, he spoke about his own sexuality.

Parents’ meeting at St John’s College nearly broke in2 a fist fight during a discusion about measures 2 be taken against the college deputy head Neal Hovelmeier who called special assembly 2 announce his sexual orientation as Gay infront of kids@StarFMNews @HMetro_ @TheBMetro pic.twitter.com/FEpeTp1Mv3

— Tapatapa Maxwell B. (@MaxTapatapa) September 24, 2018

A letter was also sent home to parents informing them that the teacher had come out.

Gay sex is illegal in Zimbabwe, and the teacher’s announcement has ignited fury from homophobic parents, while the issue has also been seized upon by much of the country’s media.

The angry parents have demanded the resignations of Hovelmeier alongside the school’s headmaster Cav Trinci and deputy head A Sakala, who both supported his decision to come out.

In an initial statement, Hovelmeier explained that he has “always been an intensely private individual” but that former students had told him they had experienced “an environment of intolerance, intimidation and homophobia while they were at school.”

Dr Neal Hovelmeier is Deputy Head for the Sixth Form at the private school St John’s College (Neal Hovelmeier/Facebook)

He added: “I have felt increasingly troubled by the fact that we as an institution have never openly dealt with trying to curb homophobic behaviour and, equally, failed to provide a safe learning experience for students who may identify as being gay or bisexual to truly flourish and fed accepted.

“I simply feel and believe that as an educator I will be able to better address and advance this issue if I am prepared to be fully and open and transparent about it myself.

“I also believe that it is integral to my own sense of personal integrity and professionalism that I deal with all students and stakeholders in an open and transparent manner. My only regret is that I did not make this disclosure earlier.