lifeonq.com

Archbishop Desmond Tutu to Give First U.S. Speech to the LGBT Community

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) announced today that Archbishop Desmond Tutu will give an historic 30-minute address to the LGBTI community in San Francisco on April 8, 2008. It’s the first time that he has directly addressed such a large LGBTI gathering in the United States. He will speak to a crowd of approximately 400 people at A Celebration of Courage, the IGLHRC’s annual gala awards ceremony, where he will also be honored for his leadership on human rights. Archbishop Tutu, a Nobel Prize winner for his work against apartheid in South Africa, has persistently challenged discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. He has publicly condemned persecution on the basis of sexual orientation, comparing it to apartheid. In article published in The Times of London in 2004, he wrote:

“We struggled against apartheid in South Africa, supported by people the world over, because black people were being blamed and made to suffer for something we could do nothing about-our very skins. “It is the same with sexual orientation. It is a given. I could not have fought against the discrimination of apartheid and not also fight against the discrimination that homosexuals endure, even in our churches and faith groups.”

Archbishop Tutu has also vigorously criticized the Catholic church for its homophobia. Last year, he told BBC radio, “If God, as they say, is homophobic, I wouldn’t worship that God.” He has even challenged the church for “being almost obsessed with questions of human sexuality” when other issues such as poverty, HIV/AIDS and war are more deserving of attention and action. He told Union Theological Seminary students in 2006 that “All belong–white, black, red, yellow, Arab, Jew, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, young old, male, female, rich poor, gay, lesbian and so-called straight–all belong.”

I find his use of the term “so-called straight” to be an interesting choice.

At the April 8 event, IGLHRC will present Archbishop Tutu with its OUTSPOKEN Award, which recognizes his leadership as a global ally to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community. The award is given to those whose outspokenness has contributed substantially to advancing the rights and understanding of LGBTI people everywhere.

“Archbishop Tutu is a true human rights activist, someone who acknowledges that all human beings are inherently valuable and deserve to be treated with respect,” said Paula Ettelbrick, IGLHRC’s executive director. “He has consistently stood up for justice and inclusion and for all those subject to human rights abuses-including members of the LGBTI community. His work has paved the way for a better world.”

Archbishop Tutu became a leading voice in the crusade for justice and racial conciliation in South Africa. In 1984, he received a Nobel Peace Prize to recognize his extraordinary contributions to the struggle against apartheid. He was elected Bishop of Johannesburg in 1985, and promoted to Archbishop of Cape Town the following year. As Archbishop, he became a principal mediator and conciliator in the transition to democracy in South Africa. In 1995, President Nelson Mandela appointed him Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a body set up to probe gross human rights violations that occurred under apartheid. In 1996, shortly after his retirement from office as Archbishop of Cape Town, Tutu was granted the honorary title of Archbishop Emeritus.

For more information about IGLHRC’s A Celebration of Courage event, visit: www.iglhrc.org