When we were in Uganda we often heard the refrain that it is “un-African” to be gay, and that homosexuality was an import from a Western world that had broken its covenant with God. These are the central arguments that religious and political leaders in Uganda are using to push through legislation that would make homosexuality illegal — presumably more illegal than it is under the long-existing legislation that already forbids it. But in Friday’s Washington Post, one of Africa’s leading religious leaders, Bishop Desmond Tutu, takes on both questions and what he says is “a wave of hate is spreading across my beloved continent.” “Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people are part of so many families. They are part of the human family. They are part of God's family. And of course they are part of the African family.” There are many, including members of Tutu’s own denomination who we met in Uganda, who would take issue with him. But while arguing that it is un-Christian to persecute gays in his op-ed, Tutu raises an important point: Uganda is far from the only African country where it is dangerous to be openly gay or for that matter, where homosexuality is illegal. In fact, 40 of the 53 nations in Africa have laws on the books making homosexuality illegal. Tutu's home country of South Africa is the only one to allow any form of same-sex marriage. So while much talk has centered on the proposed “Anti-Homosexuality Bill” in Uganda, the entire continent of Africa is engrossed in the debate. And, as we see in examples like the Prop 8 controversy in my adopted home state of California, so are we. Read Tutu's full op-ed here, and learn more about the new gay rights battle ground in this piece from Foreign Policy. Follow my travels on Twitter and the full Vanguard team here. added by: MarianaVanZeller
