One of the problems I am still grappling with is the issue of sexuality.  I am so comfortable at home, in the safety of the Iona Community, with all that it stands for, that it came as a surprise – no, it came as a whacking great shock, to be told that part of the work in Gugulethu was towards those who are “sexually challenged.”  I thought I had misheard or misunderstood, so I asked for clarification.  “We work to support gay and lesbians, primarily to let them understand the bible, and to try to bring them back to the fold.  If they refuse to make this choice, then we try to support them.  They need to know about their choices so they know what difficulties they will face as a consequence of their life choices.  Also they will never be allowed to preach from the pulpit.”  Being Black, it was explained to me, is completely counter-cultural with being gay or lesbian.  It is non-Black!  Black lgbt people are targetted for abuse and attacks.

Because of my own personal circumstances, I was so afraid that I might be too emotionally connected with this issue,  so I did not pursue it any further. Neither did I ask any more questions. Undoubtedly it has made my time here a little more thought-provoking.  Most importantly though, it made me think about how on earth Black lgbt people are coping, what real support is there for them, what further Apartheid they are encountering, and what being “targeted” might mean in every day life for them - in an area already rife with crime.   Also, how can those of us who have an entirely different faith vision, help build bridges, help build community with a culture which endorces practices like male initiation and cirumcision in less than clinical environments, and a faith that is, seemingly at least, in opposition to our own.  And yet, there are SO many other daily struggles, and SO much good happening.   Too many complex questions……