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african gay activists refuse british influence |
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Last Updated: February 2, 2007 |
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By Musa Ngubane and Mashilo Mnisi (BTM )
February 2, 2007: After a statement of warning by African gay activists against Peter Tatchell and his organisation OutRage not to intervene with African gay affairs, Tatchell backfired saying it was only a few activists who were against his campaigns.
This followed after Tatchell warned the Nigerian government when it was preparing to make a decision on Same Sex Prohibition Bill. He warned that he would embark on a campaign to stop the Bill – while the majority of the African gay activists believe that it would encourage the Nigerian government to crackdown on homosexuals in that country.
Responding to the minority of the African lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) activists who signed the petition against Tatchell, director of Behind The Mask (BTM) Thuli Madi said; “The quantity is not the point here. However, the critical point is that he is putting lives of LGBTIs in danger.”
However, according to Victor Mukasa – chairperson of Sexual Minorities Uganda and Wendy Landau of (BTM), there had been countless signatures accompanying the petition that reflected the wrath of African LGBTI activists.
“I think Peter Tatchell is ducking away from what is being dealt with here. The struggle today is different from the struggle as he knows it, we are now working together as LGBTI people in Africa and signatures keep coming in even after the release of the petition”, Mukasa reprimanded.
Drawn during the World Social Forum (WSF) took place in Kenya, the petition was circulated by the African LGBTI activists through emails but the first signatures were from core delegates at the WSF such as Dorothy Aken’Ova of Nigeria, Mukasa, Kasha Jacqueline, Samuel Ganata all of Uganda, Fadzai Muparutsa of Zimbabwe, Damilo da Silva of Mozambique, Emmanuel Kamau of Kenya, Wendy Landau and Fikile Vilakazi both of South Africa.
Landau pointed out that most of what Tatchell advocates or disseminates are not that true and doesn’t seem to understand the movement in Africa as such. She continued that Tatchell once attacked and incensed Robert Mugabe which prompted a crackdown on Zimbabwean gays.
One of the voices that was raised was that of neocolonialism. African LGBTI activists are somehow skeptical about the western ideologies when dealing with homosexual issues in Africa.
Mukasa voiced out that it’s “not only Peter Tatchell but other Western people have been tarnishing the good name of the struggle here, but that won’t keep us down.”
On the other hand, Tatchell seeks an amicable way of mending the schism between the African LGBTI activists and OutRage. “We're hoping to resolve this animosity as there's no place for petty sectarianism in the human rights movement. We need to be working together”, he expressed.
But some African LGBTI activists are loath to work with him as they say it is not the first time Tatchell blundered. “He was warned before and issued with ultimatum but he disregarded it and went on and did things as he pleased. He has destroyed our trust in him”, Mukasa concluded.
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Matthea Little Smith - Smith is an African American and a lesbian and the daughter of Minnesota civil rights pioneer Matthew Little.
