Religious Leaders as Agents of Lgbtiq Inclusion in East Africa
本文探讨东非（肯尼亚和乌干达）的LGBTIQ组织如何与宗教领袖合作，将其转变为包容性变革的推动者，挑战宗教领袖常被视为反LGBTIQ势力的普遍看法。
When Ugandan parliamentarians passed a new Anti-Homosexuality Bill in March 2023, they reportedly did so under pressure from, and with the enthusiastic support of, religious leaders.1 In other African countries, too, recent legal and political struggles around LGBTIQ rights often feature religious leaders as key actors in campaigns that incite hate speech against, and contribute to the marginalization of, LGBTIQ communities and actively support or promote anti-LGBTIQ legislation and policies.2 Given this situation, it is easy to view religious leaders as drivers of what has been described as the ‘homophobia spectacle’ that can be witnessed across the continent.3 Even in countries that recently decriminalized same-sex relationships, such as Botswana, church pastors continue to argue that homosexuality is ‘against Christianity’ and therefore ‘should not be allowed in this country’.4 Within international Christian bodies, such as the worldwide Anglican Communion, African church leaders are often associated with anti-LGBTIQ stances.5 For instance, early in 2023, the Anglican churches in Uganda and Kenya strongly rebuked the Church of England for its decision to allow for the blessing of same-sex unions.6 Much can be, and has been, said about the reasons why religious leaders have become so deeply involved in anti-LGBTIQ politics in Africa over the past 20 years or so and what this tells us about the complex intersections of religion, sexuality, politics, and law at local, national, continental, and—given the transnational dimensions—global scales.7 Yet, it would be incorrect to characterize the role of the Church in Africa only in terms of international networks and national policy influence concerned with anti-LGBTIQ activity. More nuanced analyses are needed, especially at the local level. In this briefing, we focus on the flip side of these dynamics, which hitherto has received far less attention in the media and scholarly research: The possibility that local religious leaders can be, and in fact already are emerging as, the ‘unlikely allies’ of LGBTIQ activists and communities on the continent.8 The most illustrious example is the late Archbishop of Cape Town, Desmond Tutu, who, after the end of apartheid in 1994, declared the fight against homophobia to be the next priority in the quest for justice in South Africa and who became one of the most outspoken religious leaders globally advocating for the dignity and rights of same-sex-loving persons.9 Less prominent, and working in a country far less conducive to LGBTIQ rights, is another (retired) Anglican bishop, Christopher Senyonjo, who lost his position in the Church of Uganda as a result of his advocacy for LGBTIQ people.10 These and other examples demonstrate the significant contribution that progressive religious leaders make to change the public narratives of religion and sexual diversity in contemporary Africa.11 Yet, the focus of our discussion here is not on these relatively high-profile figures but on the recent efforts of LGBTIQ community–based organizations in East Africa to engage with religious leaders as potential allies and advocates at grass-roots levels, enlisting them as agents of change for LGBTIQ inclusion.12 East Africa, specifically Kenya and Uganda, is one region where issues of sexual and gender diversity have become deeply politicized in recent years, often with the active support of conservative religious actors, and also where there is a network of relatively well-organized LGBTIQ activists and groups campaigning for social, political, and legal changes.13 This briefing is informed by the collaborative work we, as authors, have recently undertaken as part of the research project, ‘Sexuality and Religion in East Africa’ (SERENE) in the period 2020–2023, in collaboration with a group of local community-based organizations in Kenya and Uganda.14 Representatives of six local organizations participated in a workshop on ‘Religious Leaders as Agents of Change: Promoting LGBTIQ Equality and Inclusion in East Africa’, held at Egerton University, Kenya, in February 2022. Each of these organizations engages with religious leaders on issues of LGBTIQ equality and inclusion. The aim of the project and workshop was to map these efforts and analyse their strategies in order to understand the role of religious leaders as crucial actors in achieving social change, promoting equality, and building inclusive societies, specifically in relation to sexuality. Given their influence on communities’ beliefs and social behaviours and the trust placed in them, religious leaders are increasingly recognized as critical gatekeepers with regard to addressing developmental and societal challenges, including matters of gender and sexuality.15 Their ability to affect change with regard to values, social norms, and attitudes towards non-conforming groups in contexts of high religiosity is crucial and is increasingly recognized by the international development community.16 This is particularly true in Uganda and Kenya where levels of religiosity are extremely high, with more than 90 percent of the population claiming some religious affiliation.17 When asked about the rationale for their efforts to engage with religious leaders, representatives of the community-based organizations participating in our project all referred, in various ways, to the important role religious leaders play in local communities and in society at large. As Ishmael Bahati, Executive Director of PEMA Kenya,18 put it: Faith plays a big role in terms of decision-making in this country be it political, social, economic, or health. We thought that working with religious leaders would be a better approach for inclusivity towards the LGBTQ community. Discrimination and stigmatization are majorly based on faith. So, we figured that the best way to deal with such a challenge is to involve faith leaders so that they can educate people on the matter of sexuality and gender in relation to faith.19 The point here is that religious beliefs and the interpretation of sacred scriptures, such as the Bible and the Quran, shape many people’s views of, and attitudes towards, issues of LGBTIQ rights. Given that such beliefs and interpretations often come from religious leaders, the latter can also play a critical role in the process of reinterpreting sacred texts and religious beliefs. As a young Anglican priest stated: I have come to appreciate that there are multiple expressions of faith and Christianity. The one I grew up in is one that I call conservative, but I have come to identify with what I call, not a liberal but an affirming Christian expression of faith — basically where everybody belongs. Where everybody is called before God, where our bodily selves are not demonized but celebrated.20 This respondent makes a subtle yet significant distinction between a ‘liberal’ and an ‘affirming’ theological outlook, anticipating and addressing the insinuation that being inclusive towards sexually- and gender-diverse people automatically means that one has bought into a liberal (supposedly Western) agenda. His indirect claim is that one can be LGBTIQ-affirming while remaining doctrinally orthodox because questions of sexuality are not part of the key tenets of the Christian faith. At the same time, his narrative does suggest a transformation in his theological thinking about sexuality, which he captures as moving from ‘conservative’ to ‘affirming’. Other religious allies do not necessarily adopt new theological interpretations, and they may still consider non-conforming sexualities as a sin and morally wrong. Nevertheless, as a result of exposure and sensitization, they have come to recognize and advocate for the human dignity, rights, and well-being of LGBTIQ people. For example, a Catholic lay preacher who had attended PEMA Kenya training workshops began to undertake important advocacy work for the LGBTIQ community in the Kenyan coastal region, despite continuing to view homosexuality as a personal choice and a sin. He said: ‘You have your choice; they have their choice. What matters to me is sharing Christ. Do you really have to speak about sin and condemn every single time? Where is the gospel of hope, of love?’21 Similarly, a Muslim leader from coastal Kenya said that thanks to the PEMA training, ‘I got to see that we are all human beings. And if they are human, who am I to judge? I should add that I am not promoting these people, what I am trying to do is to emphasize that they are human beings, and we should not subject them to judgements or deny them their rights.’22 These religious leaders still subscribe to some aspects of prevalent homophobic discourse. Nevertheless, they explicitly recognize the intrinsic value of LGBTIQ people as human beings, and they forego widespread attitudes of demonization and condemnation. In the context of countries such as Kenya and Uganda, this is a significant step, which can make a difference in local communities as it may help to foster cultures of tolerance and, gradually, acceptance. Religious leaders in this region not only are influential within a narrow religious domain but also have influence in the community and in society at large. As another participant explained, ‘religious leaders in Africa hold power; they are like opinion leaders, what they speak is unquestionable’.23 Thus, the rationale for engaging with religious leaders on LGBTIQ equality and inclusion reflects many of the reasons offered by the United Nations Development Programme for engaging religious leaders in development practice more broadly, such as their legitimacy in the eyes of communities and their subsequent roles as gatekeepers and opinion shapers, with the related potential for community impact, policy influence, and fostering inclusive social values and best practices.24 Furthermore, many LGBTIQ individuals in Africa are religious themselves, and even in religiously led homophobic contexts, many do not abandon their faith. Thus, engaging with inclusive leaders and spaces to profess their faith and reconcile with religious scriptures and teaching is crucial in the reconstruction of their own well-being. Such a pastoral approach is expressed by a Ugandan Pentecostal bishop, who said: ‘I do advise LGBTQ+ people to forgive like Joseph25 because forgiveness is the best medicine. However, they should not continue going to churches that hurt them. They should instead identify those churches that regard them as human beings. They should go to churches that treat them as children of God.’26 A critical point here is that LGBTIQ people and religious leaders are not necessarily distinct or dichotomous groups. In fact, several LGBTIQ-identifying individuals in countries such as Uganda and Kenya are religious leaders themselves, and several religious leaders identify as part of LGBTIQ communities. As a Kenyan gay–identifying clergyman narrated his own journey of reconciling his faith and sexuality: Being a religious leader who is openly gay and is promoting the cause of LGBT inclusion has been a difficult and painful, but also a beautiful and engaging journey. Difficult and painful because recanting those statements that I used to use on myself — like, I am a sinner, I need to die, I am not worthy, I will go to hell – recanting those statements took me time. Also accepting the fact that it is OK to be gay and Christian took a painful journey. There were moments I was confused, there were moments I wanted to die. There were moments I was depressed. There were moments I tried a lot of things just to heal.27 This pastor is now focusing his ministry on fellow LGBTIQ people still struggling to reconcile their faith and sexuality, drawing on his personal quest as a pastoral resource to encourage others. Both in Kenya and Uganda, there are several religious communities established and led by, and often catering primarily for, LGBTIQ people of faith, such as the Cosmopolitan Affirming Church (CAC) in Nairobi and the Fellowship of Affirming Ministries (TFAM) in Kampala. Talking about mainstream religious leaders who are not openly LGBTIQ-affirming, participants broadly distinguished between the two groups. On the one hand, there is a very vocal group of religious leaders actively involved in fuelling anti-LGBTIQ attitudes and politics. This group might be less prone to change, although there are some stories of explicitly homophobic religious leaders who have changed their views and attitudes. One example of the latter is a Ugandan Muslim youth leader, who also works as a nurse in a clinic. He publicly condemned gay people in the past but changed his attitudes after encountering LGBTIQ people during a training workshop at a local reproductive health organization. He explains: At first, I did not like them for religious reasons, or what I thought was the right religious teaching. But when I started to investigate more, I was particularly struck by one of the Surahs in the Quran that says: ‘You cannot say, “I am fearing God” when you have not been tested’28 So, with that verse in mind I decided to go ahead. I now recognize the humanity of LGBTQ+ individuals.29 On the other hand, there is a perhaps larger group of religious leaders who are less vocal on these issues, and who have a broader faith-inspired commitment to supporting marginalized communities, but who may not have the knowledge and understanding of LGBTIQ issues. This group is the main target of the efforts of recent initiatives to engage with religious leaders. These various efforts have a range of objectives, but broadly speaking, they aim at the following: Enhancing religious leaders’ understanding of LGBTIQ issues in order to correct popular societal misconceptions regarding sexual and gender diversity. Promoting pastoral sensitivity among faith leaders towards LGBTIQ persons in their communities so that the latter no longer face ostracization and exclusion. theological that from conservative interpretations of the Bible or the Quran regarding sexual and gender religious leaders to inclusive and affirming faith the of religious leaders regarding social advocacy and public in order to as allies to the LGBTIQ communities. organizations involved in this work are LGBTIQ organizations who do not have a religious but who recognize the of societal Other such as the of Affirming Uganda were by Ugandan faith of identify as LGBTIQ themselves, and who are the aim of for the of the human rights of LGBTIQ communities change and by and of The too, is an inclusive faith community of and for LGBTIQ persons of faith. As part of its it engages faith leaders and faith communities and theological of these organizations in a Christian yet PEMA Kenya is based in which has a and their to Muslim and Christian leaders. Their work a example of the for LGBTIQ inclusion can into an of around the issues of sexual and gender diversity. The Ugandan has workshops for of the of Uganda with a view to educate and them on LGBTIQ issues in the that this might help to social, political, and religious homophobia in the These examples the and the with religious leaders, the being the that religious leaders are important in local communities and potential agents of societal of religious leaders as key actors, several LGBTIQ organizations in Uganda and Kenya in the began to strategies and to this group of LGBTIQ advocacy religion in Uganda and Kenya of these organizations are with their national or are with and they are by Kenyan or Ugandan support and advocacy for local in many is a process in which the and of the organizations need to be in such a way as to make the focus on work less if not As other and they on Religious leaders involved in by those organizations are part of the local community. and the to an international network of affirming churches with in the is an based in they are local part of their are and their and leaders to the local community. This is an important in of and from the with regard to LGBTIQ advocacy and In such are in of that anti-LGBTIQ campaigns in the countries under discussion Christian PEMA and and Kenya have for use in their training for religious leaders. our A training on tolerance and in was in in collaboration with religious leaders, Christian and was and in The main of the training is educate religious leaders on and and gender and sexual and to their roles in the human rights of all The is for its with Christian and and its and on the Bible and the Quran in the quest of affirming religious by the of the PEMA training, also its own which is training on religious inclusion for at the and was in has been for and in collaboration with and Pentecostal Christian leaders. to the PEMA the less on a sexual health approach and more on a theological across these and other organizations are by the that most conservative religious leaders have with LGBTIQ individuals and are therefore to recognize their and their exposure and the workshops LGBTIQ persons to religious leaders to and challenge misconceptions and Thus, PEMA Kenya a to the of people who have and in its training workshops for religious leaders, with the latter being with to consider their and to and A of personal is by the which to not explicitly affirming for and These around and have been to help building and and PEMA has over religious leaders. to the Executive Ishmael Bahati, the has homophobic on the LGBTIQ community in especially during religious of the leaders to have changed their after the workshops and became allies of the LGBTIQ where affirming religious leaders to conservative fellow religious leaders, with they are also to be a means of individuals by LGBTIQ The and of this work has recently been by a of they significant in attitudes towards LGBTIQ people, especially among religious leaders and those with more and are also spaces for against religiously led and in the For example, the East Africa many expressions stories which change and the of affirming religious in social and other they aim and of affirming faith leaders who have to no to mainstream Similarly, is to the between religion and sexuality. For example, the to LGBTIQ religious persons and LGBTIQ religious leaders and In its in which LGBTIQ some of religious leaders themselves, their on with the being on and social working with religious leaders in order to about more of and attitudes towards sexual and gender diversity is a and with change and all participants in the workshop on the popular view that homosexuality and other expressions of sexuality and gender are which they to be deeply in the of many religious leaders. The organizations struggles to for this among other reasons, because many from religiously based At the same and they that the efforts of engaging religious leaders are by the among the public that organizations use in order to faith leaders into supporting LGBTIQ participants also the for religious leaders who in these For instance, an pastor who took part in one of training workshops lost his position after he tried to educate fellow pastors of his Similarly, a Muslim leader from the Kenyan said: to this work I have been very many all the social justice issues I have this one has been the most to the of me in I have been of but the is Anglican who participated in training offered by were by their with a significant on their their in the and their and to the of various in order to for participating in Yet, it is not only fellow or the church who may but also and society more in the of a Uganda among religious leaders being or when participating in As the national of you call for a workshop and people will not for of being in a They have that of a and other that come with engaging with In a this participant the example of the which had publicly expressed about the of homosexuality and the LGBTQ and the it has on the of children and even after efforts to engage with the The years, been in building with these religious leaders, them on LGBTIQ issues. But now the has become you to call them and they One being that even for those who are our it is to their is at they might their There is for them to by and a lot to The point is that even for religious leaders who may be towards, and of, LGBTIQ communities and their there are for with LGBTIQ them the This is particularly in contemporary Kenya and Uganda, which in the of witnessed anti-LGBTIQ the of often and in many of Africa, this briefing has a significant development in which religious leaders are increasingly as potential agents of LGBTIQ inclusion in local communities and society at large. on East Africa, we have several initiatives in this key actors and and efforts that have been for this of this work has been by organizations from such as and Affirming Ministries from South Africa, the and the of and in Africa there is a transnational to in the Yet, many of the initiatives have a high of local with efforts being led from the does not necessarily a of local The of these efforts is that narratives in which religion is to sexual and gender diversity are increasingly and The approach for the building of networks in local communities, with new emerging between religious leaders and LGBTIQ communities to promote a understanding of LGBTIQ issues and to foster a of and inclusion towards sexual and gender The can only be with the being that they may political, and other of change in society at large. there are such as the of the new Anti-Homosexuality Bill in organizations are that they need to more grass-roots support if the change is to at a national level. Religious leaders will not be a for societal yet they can play roles in the process of building that are by for human dignity and rights and by of equality, and diversity. This is particularly true in contexts with high levels of where religious and leaders are held in high political influence, and are