Mozambique: Movement for Gay Rights to Be Announced Soon.

Last week in Maputo there was a seminar on gay rights that was organized by the Human Rights League (LDH). It concluded on Friday and I found out about it through an article that I read at AllAfrica.com. It is an interesting development particularly in light of the entry I wrote on October 5^th entitled “Being gay in southern Africa”. I will be interested to find out what talk there is in Mozambique around this and get reactions from friends, colleagues, etc. when I go to Moz over the holidays. I will let you know what I find out.

The following is a taste of what you can find by reading the article:

“The standard attack on gay rights is the claim that homosexuality is "against African culture". Mabota noted that the League had been obliged to deal with supposed "cultural" issues before.

"When we raised the question of domestic violence, we were told to drop the issue because it was part of African culture", she recalled. "We were told that men display their love for their wives by beating them".

The defenders of battered women paid no attention to such arguments, "and now everybody rejects domestic violence", Mabota said. "So in some years we will overcome discrimination against homosexuals too".”

http://allafrica.com/stories/200610130912.html