Nobel Laurate Archbishop Desmond Tutu: "gay hate the same as racism"

[Ian David]

January 20, 2007
Archbishop Desmond Tutu: "gay hate the same as racism"

Legendary anti-apartheid campaigner Archbishop Desmond Tutu has urged his fellow Anglicans to focus on the problems facing Africa and stop obsessing over gay issues. Dr Tutu told a conference in Nairobi that the God he worships does not consider the position of homosexual clergy to be more important that AIDS. The former Archbishop of Cape Town is attending the World Social Forum in Kenya.

After decades of eloquent resistance to the apartheid system in South Africa, Tutu led the newly democratic nation's Peace and Reconciliation Commission. "I am deeply disturbed that in the face of some of the most horrendous problems facing Africa, we concentrate on 'what do I do in bed with whom,'" he told a news conference in Nairobi. The Anglican church in South Africa is the only one on the continent that has a liberal attitude towards women priests. Most African churches are implacably opposed to gay or lesbian clergy and regard homosexuality as biblically forbidden.

Dr Tutu, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, told journalists that gay hate was the same as racism. "For one to penalise someone for their sexual orientation is the same as penalising someone for something they can do nothing about, like ethnicity or race. "I cannot imagine persecuting a minority group which is already being persecuted."

More:
http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2007/01/archbishop-desmond-tutu-gay-hate-same.html

[BayCityProgressive]

1. Tutu is

a great human being.

[Boojatta]

2. My two cents

The Anglican church in South Africa is the only one on the continent that has a liberal attitude towards women priests.

It would seem that gender discrimination is also an issue.

Most African churches (...) regard homosexuality as biblically forbidden.

On the bright side, African churches include people who know how to read. What will we learn next? Perhaps we will learn that most mosques regard pork consumption as koranically forbidden?

Of course, that's just the opinion of mosques. Nobody really knows for sure what it says in the koran. (Insert sarcasm smilie here)

"For one to penalise someone for their sexual orientation is the same as penalising someone for something they can do nothing about, like ethnicity or race."

I suspect that it's not just "the same as" (in the sense of "analogous to"), but in fact an example of that.

[eppur_se_muova]

3. What's he trying to do, introduce some PERSPECTIVE ? That's not fighting fair!

(At least not "fair and balanced®")

[Recursion]

4. Wow

Tutu's been quiet on this schism, I'm glad he came down on God's side here. Maybe this will take some wind out of the Freep(er)iscopalians' sails.

[Wrinkle_In_Time]

5. I generally hold worshippers of invisible sky beings in contempt...

... but I love that man. He is one of the few religious people that I truly admire. He's a righteous dude.

[fightthegoodfightnow]

6. Desmond Tutu

Desmond Tuto understands what so many do not: Racism, homophobia, and sexism are just other words for wrong.

[TechBear_Seattle]

7. Very well put n/t

[nofurylike]

8. thank you for posting this. eom