African Gays Showing Courage

Aside from South Africa writing support for gay marriage into its constitution, you don’t often hear positive LGBT news about Africa.

So it’s great to discover people who are standing up for themselves in the face of circumstances much more challenging than those faced by people in the United States.

Despite homosexuality being illegal in Malawi, Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza had a symbolic wedding on December 26, believed to be the first gay commitment ceremony in the nation’s history. A local account of the event reports that hundreds of people, including Monjeza’s parents, were in attendance.

As more people become aware of Uganda’s draconian antigay legislation, Ugandan gays are voicing their concerns on how the bill will affect them. In an interview with the BBC, Julien Pepe reports being concerned for her safety and that her straight friends are worried they will be targeted due to their friendship with gay people. You can see a brief video clip of the interview here

Making public statements while knowing that their lives could be at risk shows the lengths people are willing to go to in pursuit of a free life. This is real courage, and the black LGBT community in America would do well to demonstrate the same kind of determination.