Faith leaders
including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the UK’s Bishop of Liverpool have
demanded governments make gay sex legal and ban ‘conversion therapy’.
The demands
from over 400 faith leaders from 35 countries come alongside an admission that
religious teachings have failed LGBT+ people.
At the moment
at least 69 nations still criminalize homosexuality – some with the death
penalty. Meanwhile just five countries have banned ‘conversion therapy’ – the
dangerous and futile attempts to ‘cure’ LGBT+ people.
The joint
statement, launched today, says: ‘We recognize with sadness that certain
religious teachings have often, throughout the ages, caused and continue to
cause deep pain and offense to those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, queer and intersex.
‘We
acknowledge, with profound regret, that some of our teachings have created, and
continue to create, oppressive systems that fuel intolerance, perpetuate
injustice and result in violence.
‘This has led,
and continues to lead, to the rejection and alienation of many by their
families, their religious groups and cultural communities.
‘We ask for
forgiveness from those whose live.’
‘The Muslim
community is ready for this conversation’
The statement
stops short of actually specifically backing full equality on issues such as
same-sex marriage – which many religions consider contentious.
However, it
does demand ‘justice’ and an end to criminalization:
‘We call on
all nations to put an end to criminalisation on the grounds of sexual
orientation or gender identity, for violence against LGBT+ people to be
condemned and for justice to be done on their behalf.
‘We call for
all attempts to change, suppress or erase a person’s sexual orientation, gender
identity or gender expression – commonly known as “conversion therapy” – to
end, and for these harmful practices to be banned.’
The joint
statement goes on to demand ‘an end to the perpetuation of prejudice and
stigma’
Signatories
include former Irish president former Irish President Mary McAleese, a
prominent Roman Catholic, anti-apartheid hero Archbishop Desmond Tutu from
South Africa, Archbishop of Canada Linda Nicholls and the UK’s Bishop of
Liverpool Paul Bayes.
In total,
organizers say nine Archbishops, 51 Bishops and 16 Deans from across the
Anglican Communion, 65 rabbis and various religious leaders from the Sikh,
Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu religions have signed.
One of them,
Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, former senior rabbi to Reform Judaism, admitted to
Thomson Reuters Foundation that ‘our religions … still have a lot that we are
culpable for’.
Meanwhile Imam
Muhsin Hendricks, founder of the Masjidul Ghurbaah Mosque in Cape Town, South
Africa, one of the world’s few LGBT-inclusive mosques, said: ‘I think the
Muslim community is ready for this conversation.’
The Ozanne
Foundation charity organized the initiative to mark the launch of the Global
Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives today.
The UK
government is sponsoring the virtual conference accompanying the launch,
despite the fact the country has still not banned ‘conversion therapy’, having
promised to do so for several years.
SOURCE: GAY STAR NEWS
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