Boesak supports gay marriages

2004-11-01 10:15

Willemien Brümmer

Cape Town - Former anti-apartheid activist and church leader Dr Allan Boesak has come out in favour of gay marriages.

At a debate on gay marriages at the annual Sex and Culture festival in Cape Town at the weekend he said: "How can a Christian declare that he loves God and at the same time judge his neighbour on his sexual preferences?"

Representatives of different political parties, as well as church leaders, legal experts and academics took part in the debate.

The issue of same-sex marriages has been in the spotlight since the Lesbian and Gay Equality Project filed an application with the High Court to have the common law definition of marriage declared unconstitutional, thus enabling lesbians and gays to marry.

According to this definition, two people of the same sex cannot enter into a legal marriage. The issue is also receiving a lot of attention internationally with President George W Bush wanting to declare gay marriages unconstitutional.

Tracey Sandilands of the gay lobby Triangle Project, said Boesak's statement surprised many at the debate, as he had been expected to condemn gay marriages.

She said according to Boesak the Bible condemned homosexuality as a sin. But he believed the Bible should be read within the context of modern society.

He said although he would not necessarily like to marry gay couples himself, the law should afford same-sex couples the right to marry.

The political delegates taking part in the debate were in favour of legalising gay marriages.

Democratic Alliance MP Gareth Morgan said his party was led by the constitution that clearly supported equality and human dignity.

"We expect that the law review commission will eventually recommend that gay marriages be legalised."

Independent Democrat MP Lance Greyling said his party would support the legalisation of gay marriages if gay and lesbian organisations led the way in fighting for it.

He reacted to a challenge of Triangle Project director Dawn Betteridge, who said it was politicians' responsibility to identify and fight discrimination.

The African Christian Democratic Party's representative failed to turn up for the debate.

Gay lobby group Equality Project's legal representative Wendy Isaacs wanted to know why she, after a 10-year relationship with a woman, didn't have the same rights as her heterosexual sister, who had been married for only two months.

She said poor gays and lesbians were most severely affected by the legal status.

Dr Yvette Abrahams, a University of the Western Cape historian, said as a black, female activist she knew who the enemy was during the struggle against apartheid.

"Yet after being part of the struggle for so many years, I still don't enjoy equal rights. I find it painful and confusing," she said.

- Die Burger