# Traditional Zula Wedding for Gay Couple

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-zula-wedding-for-gay-couple/667981>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [September 4, 2013, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-zula-wedding-for-gay-couple/667981 "2013-09-04T10:02:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-zula-wedding-for-gay-couple/667981/1 "2013-09-04T10:02:12Z")

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A few months ago, Thoba Sithole and Tsepho “Cam” Modisane were joined as husband and husband in a[traditional Zulu wedding](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZLB9Y7lPw8)in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. As far as anyone seems to know, theirs is the first traditional wedding ceremony ever held for a gay couple. The ceremony involved a ritual slaughtering of a bull; dancing and celebrating; and gift-exchanging between their families. As Cam says, “[The wedding] is against this idea that being gay is un-African. Being gay is as African as being black.”

Cam and Thoba, both 27, have known one another for 3 years. Cam proposed to Thoba using an [engagement ring he crafted himself from a Checkers bag](http://www.citypress.co.za/news/dont-follow-me-im-married/). They plan to start a family.

Mazel tov!

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**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-zula-wedding-for-gay-couple/667981/2 "2013-09-04T13:19:19Z")

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Good on them and their families. I’d recommend Thoba take Cam’s last name if they ever decide to move to the U.S., though, because I totally inserted an extra ‘h’ when first reading it.

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**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-zula-wedding-for-gay-couple/667981/3 "2013-09-04T15:21:53Z")

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[This guy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ndabaningi_Sithole) coped. I remember him reasonably well from the 1970s when Zimbabwe had just ceased being Rhodesia, and there used to be a fair bit on the British news about the political situation over there.

As to the other, I had no idea before opening the thread that gay marriage was at all traditional for Zulus, but now I see what you mean.