Over the last year, many powerful LGBT allies have stepped up to defend the rights of the LGBT community, but none have had such striking commentary on the issue of LGBT rights and acceptance as for South African archbishop Desmond Tutu, who recently claimed that he’d rather go to hell than got a homophobic heaven.
“I would not worship a God who is homophobic and that is how deeply I feel about this,” he during the United Nations’ launch of its gay-rights campaign in Cape Town, according to the Agence France-Presse via the Washington Times.
Tutu then took his commentary even further by saying, “I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven. No, I would say sorry, I mean I would much rather go to the other place.”
The iconic former archbishop then explained that the fight for equality and human rights for the LGBT community is the same as the fight for equality and rights for black people, something which brought him to worldwide prominence in the ‘80s as he fought against apartheid.
“I am as passionate about this campaign as I ever was about apartheid,” he said, AFP reported. “For me, it is at the same level.”
We certainly applaud Tutu for speaking so passionately in defense of the LGBT community, and for bringing about conversation about the concepts love, spirituality and freedom for all in relation to religion. That definitely took a lot of courage, but courage like that is what was needed to end apartheid and it is courage like that which will end homophobia and anti-LGBT laws.
Thankfully, he’s not alone. Check out some other influential world leaders and celebrities who are LGBT allies below. – nicholas robinson
