Publications
Partners
A Personal Opinion
(In response to Fin24 article concerning the government's proposal to increase the legal age for alcohol to 21, see link below)
This will kill the clubs and social events for the especially the gay community, specifically as seeing that often these are the only places gay people can meet each other in a non-homophobic environment. The aim is not here at so called 'sex venues' (which is part of all spheres of society, not just the gay community), this is aimed at the normal standard social places one finds everywhere: A pub, a club, even a restaurant.
It will just strengthen things for social apps. Relationships are already becoming more and more online, and call me conservative, but I think this is hampering proper social development among human beings. It is one thing to chat to someone online, but another to be in physical touch with people. I will never forget how frustrating it was for me as a closet teen, to always sit in front of that PC, having to chat to people as far as the UK just to speak to someone of your 'own kind', but you never had the opportunity to physical meet and social with people in person, or have support for your issues. Your entire life 'gets delayed'.
I will add though that perhaps the gay community will have to come up with new creative methods to meet-at-socials, but 'alcohol' is so enshrined in human cultures all over the world (braai, social, meet, dates, parties, pub-culture etc) that I don't think it is going to be easy to come up with those 'creative ideas'.
The SA government is experimenting with laws. First they change the legal age from 21 to 18, then change the legal age for sex downward, and that of alcohol have been changed before. Now they want to 'go back'. They might as well change the legal age for everything back to 21 then. #SAGuineaPigs
http://www.fin24.com/Economy/States-proposal-to-increase-legal-drinking-age-to-21-restrict-advertising-20150524
