South Africa: LGBT community mourns Desmond Tutu and remembers his support
Passers-by mourn the death of Desmond Tutu outside his historic home in Soweto, Johannesburg, December 27, 2021. AP - Shiraaz Mohamed
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
In South Africa, the LGBTQI + community also regrets the death of Desmond Tutu, Sunday December 26 at the age of 90 years.
Because among his many fights against all forms of injustice, the Archbishop had repeatedly raised his voice to defend this community.
He even assured him that he "
would refuse to go to heaven
" if the place was "
homophobic
" and he had also given his blessing to his daughter, who had renounced the priesthood to marry another woman.
Advertising
Read more
With our correspondent in Johannesburg,
Claire Bargelès
Desmond Tutu considered that
the defense of LGBTQI + rights
was the logical continuation of his fight for the oppressed and marginalized people.
In 2013, during the launch of a United Nations campaign focused on the subject, he gave a speech that has become famous:
“
I am as passionate about this campaign as I was about the fight against apartheid.
We must become a society, where everyone is free to be whoever God has led them to be.
"With the shocking sentence which marked the spirits:"
I will not worship a homophobic God
(...) I will refuse to go to a homophobic paradise.
No, I would say "sorry, I would much rather go to the other side".
"
Keval Harie, director of the Gala Queer Archive organization,
today regrets the disappearance of this free speech
: “
The Archbishop was truly an ally of the community.
And I think it was very important that as a member of the clergy, wearing his religious robe, he could show that there is a place, within the church, for LGBTQI + people.
"
Phumi Mtetwa, longtime activist for the homosexual cause in the country, also salutes the courage of the Archbishop, who did not mince his words: “
He did not hesitate sometimes to oppose religious leaders, never doubting and upholding his conviction that the dignity of many of us was more important.
"
These positions taken by Desmond Tutu will in any case not have left South Africa indifferent, but also the continent, where homosexuality is still repressed in many countries.
Desmond Tutu was the voice of the voiceless. He sat at tables where the LGBT community was not invited. So he spoke on our behalf. His speech in 2013 really touched us, because when he said he would not pray to a homophobic God, it calls into question all Christians who are against the LGBT community. So, we felt understood, loved, especially since after his speech there were a lot of changes, including the decriminalization of same-sex relationships. As they did recently in Botswana, after two years of fighting with the government. The same thing happened in Angola and also in Mozambique. So you see, a lot of countries have decriminalized homosexuality. Desmond Tutu has always supported us. His death is a blow, because he is irreplaceable. But I'would like to believe that as a community, we will be able to continue the fight for gay rights
Nate Brown, Executive Director of the Pan Africa ILGA Association
Christina okello
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
South Africa
LGBT +
Social issues
Human rights