Kenyan Bishop Calls Homosexuality "Un-African"

by Michael Jones · 2009-05-19 18:56:00 UTC
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Archbishop Okoth

Well this is a new one.  Catholic bishops certainly have a lengthy history of singling out the LGBT folks.  But a senior Catholic Bishop in Kenya has taken the rhetoric to even new levels.

Archbishop Zacchaeus Okoth (pictured above) channeled his inner Carrie Prejean this week, blasting homosexuality as un-African and contrary to the continent's culture.  Here's the Archbishop's rather mature commentary (sarcasm added):

For the African, gender is either male or female; other issues such as homosexuality should not arise. In this context, the belief of the African is consonant [with] the teaching of the Bible, namely God created only two sexes: male and female. God created Adam and Eve. God did not create Adam and Steve!

Nothing like a religious leader speaking for an entire continent.  The crazy part about all of this is that Archbishop Okoth is also the chairman of the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission.  How are his statements in line with peace and justice?

Thankfully, a bunch of Kenyan groups have come out and condemned the Archbishop's comments.  Groups including the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya criticized the Archbishop for using hateful language, especially after the world (and in particular, Kenya) marked the International Day Against Homophobia this past weekend.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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