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Carleigh Hazlett Troy AP English 03/19/14 Homosexuality: The Extremes Within Africa & Discord Between Nations Of Africas 57 independent nations, only 15 do not explicitly restrict homosexual activity. LGBT communities across the world have struggled to gain equality and have had the most difficulty within diverse countries in Africa. Widespread homophobia is evident within countries like Uganda which has increased criminal penalties to include the imprisonment of people who aid and abet homosexuals as well as homosexuals themselves (Kretz 207). Homophobia is even seen in countries like South Africa which illegalized sexual orientation discrimination in 1996 in their Constitution and legalized same-sex marriage in 2006 with the Civil Unions Bill (Mwaba 801). As foreign leaders within Europe and North America speak out for inclusive human rights progression, African Nations push back with equal force. I aim to explore the origin of homophobia in Africa, and explain how and why countries are putting into place more or less restrictions on LGBT activity, education and support. In October of 2011 the United Kingdom released a statement that included plans to cut aid to all countries criminalizing homosexuality (Thornbury 60). By doing this the West is disregarding African morality, and they assume the role as the worlds moral arbiter (Thornbury 60). President Barak Obama, in a conference with the president of Senegal, also expressed his views on the equality of all people, disregarding sexuality (Bohon). In response to Obamas pressure towards the acceptance of homosexuality in

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Africa, people representing the countries of Senegal, Kenya, Nairobi and Tanzania voiced their opinions as well (Bohon). Senegal, a 95% Muslim country justifies the criminalization of homosexual acts for religious reasons as well as the Christian country of Kenya (Bohon). The Anglican Bishop Michael Hafidh of Tanzania even went as far as suggesting that Obama keep his opinions on homosexuality to himself and focus on economic issues facing the continent (Bohon). In South Africa, although homosexuality is legal and accepted on the micro-political level, the effects are not translating into the macro-societal landscape (Van Zyl 336). For example, all that the law states is that people of the non-hetero-normative sexual orientation are able to exist in society, but it does not decide their existence in the social world. In a nutshell, that is all that laws can do to protect the human rights of LGBT persons. So where did the homophobia in Africa originate if laws have no effect on views of homosexuality in social settings? It came from the clash of indigenous African beliefs, as well colonial and postcolonial beliefs. This is because before the colonization of South Africa and proximal countries there were social regulations of sexual acts through marriage, but sexuality as an expression including non-reproductive desire was widely not regulated (Van Zyl 338). This was included within the southern African sociocommuna philosophy called Ubuntu that communities withhold mainly through relationship and kinship (Van Zyl 337). Because homosexual acts do not continue a genial line, there was no regulation of it, and therefore it was accepted in many African communities. This means that precolonial African social norms included homosexual acts that predate the beliefs of the Christian colonists. Because homosexual acts were not intended for procreation, the act was not considered sexual and therefore not disputed within the indigenous African communities and culture (Van Zyl 338). Although homosexuality was accepted, same-sex marriages still relied on highly patriarchal gender roles (Van Zyl 338). One of the female partners in a relationship would assume the

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male role, and would consequently have more power within the domestic partnership as well as in the community as a whole. The same patriarchal principal was also evident within homosexual male marriages, where one male would assume the inferior female role (Van Zyl 338). When the Christian colonists came to the South African region and saw this, they viewed homosexuality as a threat to the normal gender roles within families as men were acting more feminine and woman more masculine within their partnership (Van Zyl 339). Therefore, with the prevalent Christian ideals of the time, and the threat to the precious pride of men, the colonists condemned all elements of homosexuality. In 38 countries in Africa, the majority of the population identify with either Islam or a branch of Christianity. Neither of these religions had a significant foothold in African countries before colonization (Bohon). Therefore, the prevalence of heterosexual-based patriarchal African families was not the result of thousand-year-old cultural norms in the South African region, but instead was initiated by the integration of the colonial and African beliefs together (Van Zyl 338). This is one source of the widespread homophobia in Africa and it shows to what extent how torn on the subject the continent is. Although parts of Africa did at one time accepted homosexuality, the times have changed and history has run its course. Now in current postcolonial Africa, countries are feeling pressure from the same Western forces that just a few decades ago supported and implemented the criminalization of homosexuality and now want to accept it. Laws put in place by the colonial regimes like in the country of Uganda, are being supported with more force than ever before, gaining more restrictions in each election. On the contrary, in South Africa the colonial laws have been amended to decriminalize homosexuality. Unfortunately the few countries that have LGBT support communities that are mostly indigenous do not represent the majority of the population, and there for cannot lobby for significant legislation that will produce effects

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immediately (Van Zyl 340). Extremism polarizes countries and continents and it is makes everyday life for LGBT people difficult and sometimes life threatening. South Africa, the African country that has, legally speaking, done the most to protect the rights of LGBT persons, still has not seen full social inclusion of such persons. After the passage of the Civil Unions Act in 2006 there was a significant amount of negative feedback from the population that suggested that the legislation passed did not in fact represent the majority opinion of the South African people (Van Zyl 335). In general, leaders of countries do not accurately represent the majority of the populations average wealth, socio-status, demographics or education levels. Given this, it makes perfect sense that the majority of the South African LGBT people and supporters are Black, poor and marginalized, and the people representing them on the legal level are predominantly White males (Van Zyl 341). With the power in the hands of few, it is easy to see how and why the people of South Africa are angry that their beliefs are misrepresented in their government. The South African people, in opposition to the legalization of same-sex marriage, see these white men as the representatives for their countrys views on homosexuality. If Black African people were to be the faces of the equality movement in South Africa, there would be more acceptances. This is because race does, no matter how difficult it is to accept, play a role in politics. The majority of the South African population is Black, and although difficult to address without controversy, Black activist would connect better with the people because they are seen as one of their own, so to speak. African countries are not the only ones that are challenging the equality of homosexuals. Before the 2014 Winter Olympics hosted in Sochi, Russia, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin signed an anti-gay propaganda law. This prohibits parents and all adults from educating children about equal rights for homosexuals. Putin also put into place an adoption decree, restricting same-sex couples from adopting children from Russia. This

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also includes restrictions on single people adopting Russian children who live in countries that allow same-sex marriage, for fear that the parent will engage in a homosexual relationship post-adoption. These measures being taken by countries like Russia and Uganda will probably not be the last. Countries will express their equality or attack on human rights with more extreme stances on both sides. South Africa is the African country that is most likely and most able to improve the social and political lives of LGBT people at this point in time. Kelvin Mwaba, a physiology professor at the University of the Western Cape, suggests that it may be some time before the promises of equality contained in the South African constitution are embraced by all citizens (804) South Africa has come a long way in promoting equal human rights but while all of this time is being spent adjusting to the change peoples lives are being affected. As it becomes more difficult in places like Uganda to even support LGBT people, much less be open about their own sexuality themselves, it looks as if time itself is not enough. There is no justification for the negligence of human rights, whether it is through religious views, preexisting laws or ignorance. Time is infinite, but peoples lives are not. There is simply not enough time to wait around for change to come because the status quo might be easier.

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Work Cited Bohon, Dave. African Leaders Set Obama Straight on Homosexuality The New American. 2013 Print. Kretz, Adam. From Kill the Gays to Kill the Gay Rights Movement: The Future of Homosexuality Legislation in Africa. Northwestern Journal of International Human Right. 2013 207-244. Print. Mwaba, Kelvin. Attitudes and Beliefs About Homosexuality and Same-Sex Marriage Among a Sample of South African Students. Society for Personality Research 2009 801-804. Print Thornbury, Bonnie. Creating Closets or Communities? Homosexuality, Homophobia, and Processes of Change. Undercurrent Journal Volume 2012 60-69. Print. Van Zyl, Mikki. Are Same-Sex Marriages UnAfrican? Same-Sex Relationships and Belonging in Post-Apartheid South Africa Journal of Social Issues. 2011 335-357. Print

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Mwaba, Kelvin. Attitudes and Beliefs About Homosexuality and Same-Sex Marriage Among a Sample of South African Students. Society for Personality Research 2009 801804. Print Dr. Kelvin Mwaba is a professor at the University of Western Cape in South Africa. Mwaba analyzes a group of South African students most of which are around 18 years of age. He collected data to find out students opinion of homosexuality by having them answer different questions. He found that 71% of his subjects thought that it was strange for same-sex couples to get married. This, along with other statistics found builds a strong case that although South Africa has legalized same-sex marriage, and discrimination against such people is unconstitutional, it is still not accepted socially. Two thirds of students (66%) believed that marriage was a religious contract, with 55% attributing their attitudes towards homosexuals to their religious background. As many as 69% indicated support for religious groups in South Africa that were opposed to same-sex marriages (803) This quotation is astounding because with this much consensus against same-sex marriage, it seems impossible for legislation to have passed legalizing same-sex marriage. Students in this study are young and they have time to learn to be more aware and accepting. But these are the students that are in college and striving for a higher education and it makes me wonder about the population that is not college educated, since higher education promotes open-mindedness.

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In general, increased levels of education tend to be predictive of relatively positive attitudes toward homosexuality (802) This quotation makes perfect sense because people who are not educated have fewer points of view on things. The more people learn and understand things outside their normal life experiences, the more they accept that there is more than one side of things. Another attributor to views towards homosexuality is where someone grows up, and the way that community views homosexuality. A child growing up in Uganda will have profoundly different views than someone growing up in New York City. South Africa became the fifth country in the world, and first in Africa, to legalize same-sex marriage (801) South Africa is seemingly more proactive than the US when it comes to passing equality legislation. Obama spoke to other African Presidents about the acceptance of homosexuality, yet he speaks for a nation still divided itself. It should be the South African people promoting equality to other African countries instead of an outsider like the US doing so.

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Van Zyl, Mikki. Are Same-Sex Marriages UnAfrican? Same-Sex Relationships and Belonging in Post- Apartheid South Africa Journal of Social Issues. 2011 335-357. Print Mikki van Zyl is an activist for equality in South Africa and is the founder of the organization Simply Said & Done that does such. She teaches at the University of Stellenbosch in Cape Town. She is also the author of the book Performing Queer about social identities in South Africa. Van Zyl argues that although South Africa has legalized same-sex marriage, the LGBT community is not fully accepted on the social scale. She also disputes the belief that homosexuality is un-African, and in fact it was the colonizers that brought this belief into Africa. She explores the African social regulations, Ubuntu, and how it affects LGBT people in their decision to come out to their families. Despite living in the first country that constitutionally guaranteed equality for citizens on the basis of sexual orientation, LGBT people in South Africa belong differently to the national polity than heterosexuals (335) Belonging incorporates many aspects of community, not just legal. So many different things effect belonging that it is sad that some people of the LGBT communities have to worry about fitting in just because of who they are. People are so focused on what sets them apart rather that their similarities. This quotation reveals that laws cant change people. Although precolonial African Societies practiced widespread regulation of kinship through marriage, sexuality as an expression of (nonreproductive) desire often had no name, or was not considered sexual and consequently not policed (338) This is quite interesting because in the US sex is definitely policed through all aspects of life, but that is a whole topic that would require another research paper. My question is,

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how does this concept apply when a heterosexual male and female have sex for pure desire, but happen to conceive a child? Although this quotation makes sense for homosexuals it does not make a lot of sense in regards to heterosexuals. In two Black lesbian couples, certain family members of one partner condemned their relationship. Both partners who feel excluded by their partners families recognize the importance of kinship relations, putting then above their own relationship and showing that their freedom to claim rights is contingent on acceptance by kin (352) This goes back to the nature of African people to value relationships with people and family over things that dont mean as much. In this case a lesbian womans family is more important to her than going and getting married and exercising her right to marry. The women compromise for the ones who they love despite losing human rights. Not all couples would do such a thing but it does say a lot about African custom and culture and how it affects people on an individual level.

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Bohon, Dave. African Leaders Set Obama Straight on Homosexuality The New American. 2013 Print. Bohon lives in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and is a reporter for The New American. Responding to Obamas comments, Senegals President Sall quickly made it clear that he and his nation do not see eye-to-eye with Americas chief executive. We are not ready to decriminalize homosexuality, Sall emphasized If the Senegalese people are not ready to decriminalize homosexuality now, this implies that they will be in the future. This could be error of translation but why not decriminalize it now and improve a persons quality of life now? It is difficult to fathom what is going to change in the Senegalese peoples minds that suddenly or gradually make them want to recognize human rights. Its almost like having a perfect spread of cards but holding out too long, so that another player steels the game. Senegal is 95 percent Muslim, Gueye added. As a Muslim country, we will not permit laws that allow gays to marry. The guiding books that outline religion were written thousands of years ago, in a different time. Although having sex for procreation was the social norm because of many reasons including the need to grow cities and increase armies that is not the case today. Religion teaches people how to treat people and how to live a life in service to God, and that it its extent. When it overreaches its bounds and interferes with the human right to equality, then it must be adapted to fit modern life.

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In Tanzania, Anglican Bishop Michael Halfidh said most African leaders would have preferred that Obama keep his opinions on homosexuality to himself and focus on economic issues facing the continent. It is aw striking that such negligence could be put on the lives of people in African countries. Economic, agricultural and technological issues are important but they are all secondary in respect to the direct rights of people. The only way that Halfidhs comment could be taken seriously is if there are no LGBT people in Tanzania. Obviously this is not the case, and his comment lacks basic empathy for mankind.