When Channing September Mc Helm, 32, started writing his debut book called “They Called Me Moffie”, it started a healing process of overcoming adversity and trauma and finding his liberation.
The Cape Town-based author and business owner is set to release his book in July and wants his story to be an inspiration to others of the LGBTQIA+ community who struggle through hardships of abuse due to society’s expectations.
Mc Helm dives into the challenges of growing up on the Cape Flats in a single-parent household where daily hardships and challenges to overcome circumstances was a constant battle.
He said: “I’ve dedicated this book to my younger self and to those who have stared in the face of adversity.
“This book is a reminder that you can overcome, regardless of all the obstacles and challenges thrown your way.
“Writing this book, I had to be honest with myself and accept who I truly am.
“Growing up, I found it hard to place myself within this world, with the phrase ‘Who I am’ and ‘What am I’ often clouding my thoughts in my darkest times.
Mc Helm explained the title of his book.
"In a world where kindness is a choice that we all have, why do so many suffer under the weight of unkindness, words, outward behaviour and violations where the intentions are not to build but rather to degrade, humiliate and to disempower.
“A global pandemic against humanity from within humanity itself.
“I have faced several layers of unkindness in my lifetime and this book is my release from the shackles that the derogatory label placed on my mind, heart and overall well-being, inspired by my mother’s tenacity and a desire to leave a legacy of positive impact.
“I am removing the muzzle left by my experiences with being fatherless, enduring community dysfunctions and various levels of abuse. I have found my voice and pride, and my acquired self-acceptance no longer seeks validation.”
Mc Helm describes his autobiography as a testimony of his life challenges, overcoming obstacles in the LGBTQIA+ community and how he overcame societal responses and various levels of abuse.
He added: “They used the word to serve their ego, to hurt, degrade and bully others to make themselves superior to the victim, but at the same time, creating a monster of themselves.
“I decided to use this word ‘Moffie’ in the title of my book as a term of endearment and self-acceptance.”
“They Called Me Moffie” will be launched at Exclusive Books in the V&A Waterfront on July 22. It will be available at retailers and online, nationwide.