Yahya Jammeh, the president of Gambia, denounced gays and lesbians at the United Nations today.
He used his address to the United Nations General Assembly to attack gay people, calling homosexuality one of the three “biggest threats to human existence”.
Jammeh said homosexuality, greed and obsession with world domination, "are more deadly than all natural disasters put together".
Gambian president is notoriously antigay. In 2008 he gave an ultimatum to the gay and lesbian residents of Gambia, telling them to either leave the country or face execution by beheading.
In the last decade, homophobic attacks and harassment are becoming more visible specially in sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, homosexuality is punished in 36 African countries.
Seeing is believing! Intolerable!
By Marla Caldwell:
ReplyDeleteThe man is deluded, dangerous, and probably attracted to men.
By Cobalt Sieg:
ReplyDeleteWhat? Being gay in Africa and into the Middle East is a death sentence? Who'd have thunk it.
90% of Gambia's population is Sunni Muslem. Islam for the most part does not tolerate homosexuality. There are other African nations including South Africa (one of the first places for marriage equality), Congo,Gabon, and Mozambique where homosexuality is legal. Homosexuality is tolerated in Africa where Muslims do not make up a majority of the population. I think it is wrong to assume that all of Africa is a death sentence for LGBT people
ReplyDeleteOne thing is the legal situation of LGBT people and other the real one. Of course, without legal protection the second one is impossible. But, the laws are not enough if society and governments are no tolerants. In any case, we still have a long way to go.
ReplyDeleteBy Cris Wagemans:
ReplyDeleteThis sorta hatered is getting worse, i fear it may cost many lives in the near future! Or am I being paranoid?
The part of Africa that is Muslim -- north of the Equator, and on the Eastern Coast, is a very dangerous place for LBGT people. There is not one open gay bar north of the equator, and homosexuality itself is illegal. The Islam practiced there is a radical Wahabi kind, and Saudi Arabia funds many educational institutions. Of your 36 nations, all (I think) are on in Northern Africa and on the Eastern coasts. And all are predominantly Islamic.
ReplyDeleteIn countries that are on the periphery of Islamic controlled Africa - Sudan , Nigeria, and other places - in where Islam is expanding (it is growing in Africa), it is also dangerous to be a Christian. And being a female condemns you to a second class life. Also, defacto slavery still exists in many of these places.
Southern Africa, except for a strip on the Eastern Coast, is predominately Christian or Animist (many people have a combined synthesis or beliefs). The largest country in Africa, South Africa, is fully supportive of gay rights, has had marriage equality for years, This was part of Nelson Mandela's vision.
There are non-islamic countries in Africa such as Zimbabwe and Uganda which are very anti-gay. In addition, the Christian Churches outside of South Africa are very conservative and will not allow gay marriage -- the Anglican churches being the best example. In fact, the worldwide Church of England is close to splitting over this issue -- and it has followers in parts of Africa that were part of the British Empire. However, most of these countries (23) specifically allow gay relations. Although you cant get married in these nations, and probably should not walk around The Congo, for example, kissing your mate, you will not be hung for being gay either. Homosexuality, especially in in non-urban places remains a cultural taboo -- but it is not legislated against, and you will not be arrested for it by the police.
Africa is gigantic, and does not appear to be as big as it is due to Mercator projection. It has 1 billion people in it. I think that it is wrong to say Sub-Saharan Africa is anti-gay. It is simply not the case. The part of Africa that is islamic controlled, particularly on its periphery where it is expanding, is. And it is becoming more dangerous for gay people there.
But, you cannot simply say "Africa is bad for gay people". Not all of it is. And much of it is religiously based.
By Marla Caldwell:
ReplyDeleteIt's costing lives now. You're not paranoid, +Cris Wagemans
By Paul Reedy JR:
ReplyDeleteI read that and I totally disagree with that type of attitude towed gays or any one els. For Gays andLissybonns have been around way before Criste was born in the flesh. So that president must not have read any books relating to Crises or before hand.