Homophobes are outraged over South Africa’s first TV ad to feature to gay men kissing.

We The Brave, a gay men’s sexual health campaign, has triggered a large amount of viewer complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority.

‘The aim of the advertisement is not to shock, but to attract our market through creating scenarios to which they relate,’ says the Anova Health Institute, who launched the campaign with the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

‘With 4.9 million South Africans – 10% of the population – identifying as homosexual, this is a matter of public interest and urgency, and we do not have the luxury of tiptoeing around the issues.’

The TV commercial shows a horrified dad as his son comes out to him at the dinner table with a kiss to his boyfriend.

According to Channel 24, the complaints have ranged from ‘this is offensive and disgusting, to a ‘step too far, ‘explain this to my daughter’ and ‘family time’ to ‘inappropriate’.

Several TV channels declined to broadcast the commercial and others in the series that’s been deemed too risque.

The Anova Health Institute said: ‘We have exercised our right to freedom of expression, contained in clause 16 of the Bill of Rights, which states “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, which includes freedom to receive or impart information or ideas”.’