Because You Are, Therefore I Am: African leaders discuss sexuality, religion, and equality

Leaders from Botswana, Cameroon, Lesotho, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe gathered for a historic consultation. Rev. Dr. Kaypa Kaoma and I worked with leaders from the World Council of Churches and Dr. Gerald West, University of KwaZulu-Natal in organizing this consultation.

We are committed to changing the narrative in Africa from persecution of LGBTI persons and their families to acceptance. We are committed to making change happen in faith communities, theological schools, universities and in civil society.  

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Pro-gay ‘open mosque’ burnt by arsonists

A Cape Town mosque which preached acceptance of gay people has been damaged in an arson attack. The controversial Open Mosque opened its doors last month, causing outrage among hard-line Islamists, as it allows women to lead prayers, does not segregate based on gender, and accepts gay people.

However, the mosque, whose founder Taj Hargey said he hoped to counter radicalism by being more inclusive, was damaged in an arson attack last night. Dr Hargey told AFP that the attack – which caused substantial damage to the building – was caught on CCTV on the eve of the Muslim holy festival of Eid. Read More

South Africa’s First Gay-Friendly Mosque To Be Closed

South Africa’s first gay-friendly mosque could be shut down barely a week after it opened its doors to the public, a Cape Town local official has announced, saying that the Open Mosque had violated municipal by-laws by not having any parking spaces.

The mosque has come under heavy criticism from other Muslim believers who feel allowing gays into a place of worship was not ‘pure’. The mosque, which officially opened its doors last Friday, also allows women to lead prayers something that is uncommon in mosques across Africa.
“We have freedom of religion and expression in this country. No-one has the right to tell anyone what to believe in. This is a gender equal mosque, autonomous and independent and will remain so,” Open Mosque Founder Taj Hargey told BBC. Read More

Did Anti-Gay Evangelicals Skirt US Sanctions on Russia?

US sanctions may forbid the World Congress of Families' involvement in an upcoming family values conference in Moscow. The conference titled "Large Families: The Future of Humanity," will focus on defending "the way of life of large families" and includes workshops on topics such as the "natural family." Two of the WCF's key Russian allies have placed on a list of individuals sanctioned by the US Treasury Department, making the conference possibly forbidden. Read More 

Vicky Beeching, Christian rock star 'I'm gay. God loves me just the way I am'

Christian rock star Vicky Beeching reveals she tried exorcism to stop being gay. After a debilitating illness, she has decided to come out to her family and to her fans, hopes to help other struggling LGBT Christians struggling with faith. ‘God loves me just the way I am’ Read More

Iranian Muslim lesbians marry in religious ceremony in Sweden

Two Muslim women have done what would be unthinkable in their homeland by entering into a same-sex marriage, and the ceremony was performed by an openly gay Imam. ‘It’s very special because this is the first time that a couple of lesbians are getting married publicly in front of an imam,’ the Imam said. Read More

Israel allows Jews to immigrate with same-sex spouses

The Government says it will allow Jews to immigrate to Israel with their non-Jewish same-sex spouses.  Israel does not permit gay couples to marry in the country, but recognizes same-sex marriages if they were performed legally abroad. Read More

Interview With A Convicted Jihadist: 'As Soon As I Left Islam I Stopped Hating Women, Gays, And Jews'

Saif Rahman, founder of the Humanist and Cultural Muslim Association and Author of The Islamist Delusion interviewed a former convicted jihadist – a teenage convert to Islam and now an ex-Muslim – about his previous views on homosexuality and women. Read More 

Bishop of Buckingham speaks out in support of same-sex marriage

Equal marriage was praised by Bishop of Buckingham, the Rt Revd Dr Alan Wilson, in a debate on whether same-sex marriages should be allowed in church. Same-sex marriage passed into law in March, but gay weddings in the Church of England are still prohibited. A prominent supporter of gay marriage, he told worshipers that the Christian tradition holds “the root of marriage is not sex but companionship”. He said: “The idea that marriage is about friendship has become extremely powerful in England.” Read More

Anti-gay Inter-Religious Council fires all staff

The sudden withdrawal of a grant worth billions of shillings by USAID has paralyzed operations at the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda. The multi-denominational organization was forced to lay off all staff after USAID abruptly ended its financial support worth $34.5m (Shs 89.7bn). The Uganda organization says it is a victim of its anti-gay stance, although some sources claim it failed to meet some of USAID’s rigorous accountability procedures. Moments after USAID withdrew its funding, the Democratic Governance Facility of European Union, withdrew its Shs 1.9bn funding for a three-year project on governance and accountability. IRCU suspects DFG’s withdrawal was influenced by USAID. Read More

Do not harm homosexuals, Ugandan Archbishop Odama appeals

The Archbishop of Gulu Archdiocese, John Baptist Odama, has asked Ugandans to avoid harming homosexuals. Bishop Odama said homosexuals are also human beings created in the image of God who only deviated from the Godly way of life. “Let us learn to love God’s human creatures. It is not that I am advocating for homosexual practice in the country, but we should not take laws into our hands to harm and hate the homosexuals because we all have weaknesses,” the Archbishop said. Read More

New Front In Fight Against Same Sex Marriage? U.S. Evangelical Leaders Turn To Latin America

Losing the fight against same-sex marriage at home, leading US Evangelical Christians are joining the culture wars in Latin America as opponents of gay legal partnerships, abortion, and pornography.  Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, prominent Latino faith leader, and Mat Staver, who co-founded the Moral Majority, are working with evangelical pastors in Latin America to help strengthen their conservative message. Read More