Is Thabo Mbeki a homophobe?

[Some Moran]

Yes, I know it's odd to see a South African bigot who isn't a Boer (though their bigotry is quite ironic, given the progressivism of their more sophisticated Dutch and Flemish cousins), but why else would be not believe that HIV causes AIDS?

[QC]

1. AIDS denialists are not necessarily phobes.

There are some gay activists in this country who believe that "AID$" is a conspiracy of the drug companies.

But homophobia is quite mainstream in Africa. Robert Mugabe has called for the deaths of homosexuals, whom he describes as being "lower than dogs and pigs." Some Africans insist that homosexuality never existed in Africa until it was imported by Europeans.

And get a load of the responses of some African bishops to Gene Robinon's consecration:

"We totally reject and renounce this obnoxious attitude and behavior," the church said in a statement last month. "It is devilish and satanic. It comes directly from the pit of hell. It is an idea sponsored by Satan himself and being executed by his followers and adherents who have infiltrated the church...."

"The Devil has clearly entered our church," said Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi of Kenya, who has announced his church will have nothing to do with the Episcopal Church.

http://www.datalounge.com/datalounge/news/record.html?record=21067

[Some Moran]

2. I've posted about this shit...

I'm surprised to see this level of ignorance liberal South Africa though: South Africa is to Africa as Taiwan is to Asia.

What a surprise that Mugabe said that. There hasn't been a prominent Mao-Stalinist who doesn't believe that killing homosexuals is the appropriate socialist.

[Rowdyboy]

3. This is so unbelieveably sad

I want to cry

[QC]

5. What's particularly sad

is the reluctance of anyone to condemn--or even discuss--such hatemongering as we have seen from the archbishops of Nigeria, Uganda, Sydney, and other provinces of the "Global South."

[Paschall]

4. If Mbeki ever denied HIV causes AIDS he's changed his position

I think you're confusing him with the man who was--I believe--head of the South African medical establishment.

Here is the complete text of South Africa President Thabo Mbeki's letter to world leaders on AIDS in Africa. April 3, 2000

<snip> We have now also established a National AIDS Council, again chaired by the Deputy President and bringing together the government and civil society. An important part of the campaign that we are conducting seeks to encourage safe sex and the use of condoms.

At the same time, as an essential part of our campaign against HIV - AIDS, we are working to ensure that we focus properly and urgently on the elimination of poverty among the millions of our people.

Similarly, we are doing everything we can, within our very limited possibilities, to provide the necessary medicaments and care to deal with what are described as 'opportunistic diseases' that attach to acquired immune deficiency.

As a government and a people, we are trying to organize ourselves to ensure that we take care of the children affected and orphaned to AIDS. We work also to ensure that no section of our society, whether public or private discriminates against people suffering from HIV-AIDS.

In our current budget, we have included a dedicated fund to finance our activities against HIV-AIDS. This is in addition to funds that the central government departments as well as the provincial and local administrations will spend on this campaign.

We have also contributed to our Medical Research Council such funds as we can, for the development of an AIDS vaccine.

Demands are being made within the country for the public health system to provide anti-retroviral drugs for various indications, including mother-to-child transmission.

We are discussing this matter, among others with our statutory licensing authority for medicines and drugs, the Medicines Control Council (MCC). </snip>

Much more here http://www.blancmange.net/tmh/articles/mbeki.shtml