Date: Tue, 30 Jul 1996 22:20:41 -0700 From: skolander@bahnhof.se (Bjoern Skolander) Subject: Zimbabawe Crisis (#2) Message from: National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality (NCGLE) Zimbabwe Task Force HELP STOP THE SHOCKING ANTI-GAY CAMPAIGN OF THE CHURCH IN ZIMBABWE The following article is quoted from The Sunday Mail, Zimbabwe's biggest Sunday paper, 20 August 1995: "Churches in Zimbabwe have come out in full support of President Mugabe's stance against homosexuality even as he received hundreds of letters in support from people of all races in both Zimbabwe and South Africa. They said if homosexuality was allowed to manifest itself in Zimbabwe it wouuld destroy the country's moral fabric... Some of the leaders of the Christian community interviewed said they would call for their followers to stage a march against homosexuals in Harare next month. The president of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, Bishop Jonathan Siyachitema, said the church community wholly supported Cde Mugabe on his uncompromising stand against homosexuals and lesbians. The social communications secretary of the Cathlic Bishop's Conference, Father Oskar Wermter, said...`Men and women are meant to be united in marriage, to be fruitful and multiply, and form a family, which is the basic unit of society. When I'm saying the family is the basic unit of society I'm actually quoting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights'. A pastor with the Hatfield Baptist Church, the Rev Noah Pahapa said a march condemning homosexuals in general and Galz in particular, would be held by youths from most churches in the country in October. An 11 year old Harare girl wrote that whe wanted to thank the President and was proud of Cde Mugabe for standing up for righteousness and against homosexuals in the country. `Well done, I think you are a wonderful man and may God bless you and our country.' The Rev Griffiths Malaba of the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe said he supported unequivocally Cde Mugabe's stance because `that shatnd is congruous with Christianity and the African culture.' Central Baptist pastor Rev Phineas Dube challenged the so-called gays in the country to an open public debate in any media `and I will show them that their ugly practice is totally unacceptable in our society.' Meanwhile the Catholic Commisioner for Justice and Peace, Mr Mike Auret...pointe out that homosexuality was abhorrent to the predominant cultures of this country. Mr Auret said the incidents of homosexual prostitution between tourists and street children was on the increase, `therefore the Government would not consider a change in the law at this stage.'" [It remains a mystery where Mr Auret gets his evidence from!] ************** A YEAR LATER ZIMBABWEAN CHURCHES REMAIN RECALCITRANT IN THEIR HOMOPHOBIA "The ZCC (Zimbabwe Council of Churches) condemns homosexuality" - The Sunday Mail, 16 June, 1996 "The Christian community yesterday vehemently hailed the Government for swiftly barring the Gays and Lesbians Association of Zimbabwe from participating at this year's Book Fair and any future exhibitions in Zimbabwe. The Chairman of the CCAZ (the Christian Communicator's Association of Zimbabwe), Mr Msekiwa Mungate, said...`We fully support the stance taken by our President, when he said `let they be gay in America, but they would be sad here.'" - The Herald, Zimbabwe's biggest daily paper (also visciously homophobic) - 25 July, 1996 VICTIM OF RELIGIOUS FANATICISM IN ZIMBABWE SPEAKS OUT "I was born in 1969 into a large very religious family. ...[When they discovered I was a lesbian] they told me I would be locked in my room, guarded by a security guard if necessary and they said that I would be chained up. They threatened to kill me if I tried to escape. ... They were calling me `satan' (devil) and said that I had turned to evil." - Farah, quoted in _Sahwira Being Gay and Lesbian in Zimbabwe_, 1995 ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU SPEAKS OUT AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA "Homophobia is extensive all over the world and it is bery dangerous to the human body. So many people have come to me as victims of incredible assaults because of their acknowledged homosexual nature and their public identification as being either gay or lesbian. That is abhorrrent. Many people use the bible to do lots of strange things and to justify almost anything. I mean, the Apartheid government used the bible as its rationale behind discrimination on the grounds of skin colour." ACTION! 1. STOP THE WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES (WCC) FROM HOLDING ITS 1998 ASSEMBLY IN ZIMBABWE "GALZ has written to the WCC asking them to withdraw Zimbabwe from hosting this conference." - GALZ Pressurize church leaders in your country to appeal for a 1998 boycott of Zimbabwe! *********** 2. Register your own protest to the protestant churches which comprise the ZCC, the ZCC itself, and the Catholic Church in Zimbabwe for their shocking and shameful campaign of intolerance and their continued castigation of gay Zimbabweans: SPEAK OUT BY FAXING, PHONING OR MAILING THE FOLLOWING: Rev Enos Chomutiri Tel. (263)(4)791208/790100 Zimbabwe Council of Churches 128 Mbuya Nehanda St Fax. (263)(4)573073 Harare, Zimbabwe Mr Mike Auret Catholic Commisioner for Justice Tel. (263)(4)792380 31 Selous Ave Harare, Zimbabwe Fax. " " " Fr Oskar Wermter Catholic Church Archbishop and Secretary PO Box CY330 Causeway, Harare Tel. (263)(4)727386 Zimbabwe Fax. " " 721598 Methodist Church in Zimbabwe Tel. (263)(4)724069/ Connexional Office 723709 7 Central Ave 721154 Box CY71 Causeway, Harare Zimbabwe Baptist Mission in Zimbabwe Tel. (263)(4)664405 Mission Offices, Baptist House Waterfalls, Box W197 Harare, Zimbabwe Bishop Jonathan Siyachetema Tel. (263)(4)702254/ Anglican Bishop of Harare 725919 Diocesan Office Box UA7, Harare Zimbabwe *********** FOR THEIR APPALLING STANDARD OF JOURNALISM AND THEIR ROLE IN FANNING THE HATRED AND INTOLERANCE OF GAY ZIMBABWEANS (AS SEEN IN THE ABOVE ARTICLES), REGISTER YOUR OUTRAGE TO _THE HERALD_ AND _THE SUNDAY MAIL_ : The Editor Tel. (263)(4) 795771 The Herald PO Box 396 Fax. (263)(4) 791311 Harare, Zimbabwe The Editor Tel. As above The Sunday Mail Fax. As above PO Box 396 Harare, Zimbabwe ************* Gay Zimbabweans are fed up with being persecuted by the church, misrepresented by the media, and silenced by the government. Stonewall is about to happen again in Harare! But we need the support of the international community. Please forward this message to anyone who might help us. - National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality (NCGLE) Zimbabwe Task Force