Bishop Tutu speaks up for LGBTI rights.Comparing the importance of speaking up for human rights to the basic act of breathing, Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa gave an historic speech to the lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and intersex intersex /in·ter·sex/ (in´ter-seks) 1. hermaphrodite. 2. pseudohermaphrodite. 3. intersexuality. female intersex a female pseudohermaphrodite. (LGBTI LGBTI Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Intersex ) community at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco Grace Cathedral is an Episcopal cathedral located on Nob Hill in San Francisco, California. It is the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of California, once state-wide in area, now comprising parts of the San Francisco Bay Area. in April. A crowd of 500 people heard the Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish and Norwegian: Nobels fredspris) is the name of one of five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel. recipient condemn the persecution of LGBTI people, apologise on behalf of his Church for ostracising gay people, and challenge China to improve its human rights record - all in the first ever direct address by the Archbishop to a large gathering of the LGBTI community in the United States. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Archbishop Tutu's speech was the highlight of A Celebration of Courage, the annual gala awards ceremony of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) is an international organisation addressing human rights violations against lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and people with HIV/AIDS. (IGLHRC IGLHRC International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (since 1991; San Francisco) ), where Tutu was presented with an OUTSPOKEN Award recognising his leadership as a global ally of the LGBTI community whose voice has contributed substantially to advancing the rights and understanding of LGBTI people everywhere. In his 30-minute address, Archbishop Tutu said that for his part it was impossible to keep quiet "when people were frequently hounded...vilified, molested and even killed as targets of homophobia... for something they did not choose - their sexual orientation." In the face of this ongoing persecution, Tutu praised LGBTI people for being "compassionate, caring, self-sacrificing and refusing to be embittered em·bit·ter tr.v. em·bit·tered, em·bit·ter·ing, em·bit·ters 1. To make bitter in flavor. 2. To arouse bitter feelings in: was embittered by years of unrewarded labor. ." He spoke critically of his Church, apologising for the way it has ostracised LGBTI people, and for making them feel as if God had made a mistake by creating them to be who they are. "How sad it is," he said, "That the Church should be so obsessed with this particular issue of human sexuality when God's children are facing massive problems - poverty, disease, corruption, conflict..." IGLHRC director Paula Ettelbrick described Archbishop Tutu as "a rare and special individual who embodies human rights and morality. He recognises that all human beings are valuable, that we are all interdependent, and that our struggles are shared. We are so honoured that he has chosen to attend our event and accept the OUTSPOKEN Award." Source: http://www.iglhrc.org |
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