We must never forget that while the countries outside of Europe and Northern America appear to be “behind” the rest of the world in LGBT equality, this is deceptive. It was the European missionaries and colonial authorities that introduced homophobia and criminal penalties for behaviour that is entirely natural and non–pathological. In recent times, it’s been some groups of Western evangelical Christians that have been inciting intolerance in Africa, and in Russia. But outside the three monotheistic religions, other world religions in their original forms were indifferent or supportive of sexual and gender diversity, and of the only eight countries that have never criminalized homosexuality, all are in Africa.
Related Offsite Links:
How White American Evangelicals Exploit African Homophobia – Rev. Irene Monroe (L.A. Progressive, March 1, 2014).
The Idea That African Homosexuality Was a Colonial Import is a Falsehood – Bernardine Evaristo (The Guardian, March 8, 2014).
Uganda, the World Bank, and LGBT Rights: Winners and Losers – A Paper Bird: Sex, Rights, and the World (March 10, 2014).
Why Africa is the Most Homophobic Continent – David Smith (The Guardian, February 22, 2014).
Quiet Diplomacy Faulted for Africa's Anti-Gay Laws – Robbie Corey-Boulet and Rodney Muhumuza (Associated Press via Yahoo! News, February 20, 2014).
Uganda’s Passage of Anti-Gay Law Should Compel Pope Francis to Speak Out – Bob Shine (Bondings 2.0, February 25, 2014).
How US Evangelicals Helped Create Russia's Anti-Gay Movement – Hannah Levintova (Mother Jones, February 21, 2014).
US Evangelicals: A Case Against Their "Innocence" – Darnell Moore (Religion Dispatches, March 10, 2014).
Christians Are a Cause of LGBT Oppression So We Have to Be Part of the Liberation – Paul Brandeis Raushenbush (HuffPost Religion, February 16, 2014).
Like It or Not, Organized Religion Still Has a Role to Play in LGBT Movements – Elizabeth Segran (Salon, March 11, 2014).
Catholics Must Act Against Anti-Gay Laws in Nigeria and Elsewhere – Bob Shine (Bondings 2.0, March 7, 2014).
See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
From Autoheart to Moscow, with Love
A Christmas Message of Hope from Uganda
Something to Think About – December 8, 2011
North America: Perhaps Once the "Queerest Continent on the Planet"
Quote of the Day – November 12, 2011
In Uganda, a “Fearless Voice” for Gay Rights is Brutally Silenced
The Scourge of Homophobia in Economically Impoverished Countries
To Be Gay in Iraq is to Be a “Defenseless Target”
A Prayer for International Day Against Homophobia
Image: Outside the Uganda High Commission in Nairobi on February 10, 2014, Kenyan gays and lesbians and others supporting their cause wear masks to preserve their anonymity as they stage a rare protest, against Uganda's increasingly hardline stance against homosexuality and in solidarity with their counterparts there. (Image: API)
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