Imagining a Queer Africa: A Call to Faith, Resistance and Action

“Ours is to reimagine an Africa where freedom is not partial, where faith is not exclusionary, and where our diversity is not construed as a threat to morality but celebrated as a gift.” — Deputy Minister Mmapaseka Steve Letsike

From 26–30 May, a bold and necessary moment is taking place in Cape Town. Imagining a Queer Africa, a multi-day strategic convening, has drawn together queer activists, faith leaders, scholars, human rights defenders and civil society partners to confront a growing global threat: the anti-gender movement.

More than a conference, this is a prophetic gathering, one that dares to envision what is possible when African queer communities and faith movements unite in imagination and action. It is rooted in a deep urgency and a fierce love for justice, inclusion, and community.

Faith, Justice and Queerness in a Time of Rising Threats

“The time for going at things alone, that time’s over. We need to get organised,” said Prof Charlene van der Walt, Act Church of Sweden

This gathering is not just reactionary, though it comes at a time of rising violence, criminalisation, and erasure of queer bodies across the continent. It is, most importantly, visionary. It is a space to reclaim the power of collective imagination and to confront the myth seeded through colonialism and global conservatism that queerness is un-African.

Deputy Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Mmapaseka Steve Letsike, who attended the opening dinner, delivered a searing and soulful address.

“We gather in a time where queer bodies are still criminalised, erased, and made invisible. But we are occupying this and other spaces to reimagine what is possible… We are returning to our own African principles of equality, co-existence, and dignity for all.”

Reclaiming Religion as a Tool for Liberation, Not Oppression

For Letsike, this is also a deeply personal and spiritual journey. As a person of faith, she called on the power of belief systems — not to divide, but to heal and restore. “There is no religion that advocates for hate,” she said. “At the core, faith and religion are our human dignity,” she added.

That theme of reclaiming faith as a sacred tool of justice rather than a weapon of oppression runs through the heart of the gathering. The anti-gender movement, often cloaked in religious language, has exported a version of Christianity and “family values” that demonises queer lives and seeks to roll back decades of progress.

“Faith is being hijacked… The other side is highly organised, highly funded, and moving forward. We need to get organised,” said Van der Walt

The conference is a response to the global rise of anti-rights movements including Project 2025 and other campaigns funded and exported from the Global North. These networks are working to erode LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive justice, and gender equality through legal, political and cultural strategies.

In South Africa, the threats are already clear. Conservative organisations like FORSA and FPI have launched coordinated attacks on trans rights, sexual education, and religious freedom under the guise of protecting children and upholding morality. These efforts have sought to legitimise conversion practices, derail inclusive education, and embed religious exemptions into hate crimes legislation.

A Visionary Movement for a Just and Inclusive Queer Africa

But Imagining a Queer Africa refuses to accept this erosion of human dignity. Instead, it gathers those with the courage to dream differently.

“We need a movement. And that’s why we’re here,” added Van der Walt

“It is urgent… First they came for the churches, now they are coming for the queers. Next, they are going to come for your women. Then they are going to come for you as a person of colour,” said Rev Ecclesia de Lange, Director of Inclusive and Affirming Ministries (IAM). 

The program, co-hosted by IAM and Act Church of Sweden, builds on over a decade of queer theological work — from the first African dialogue on sexuality in the church in 2009 to the 2021 consultation on counter-communities of care.

What makes this convening particularly powerful is its intergenerational and intersectoral nature. As Letsike noted, “We’ve got a Deputy Minister, we’ve got a professor or two, we’ve got people doing the work — we need them in the room, together.”

And this is no ordinary room. It is a sacred space of reunion and revolution. A gathering of minds and hearts that recognises the divine in every person, including those whose gender and sexuality challenge colonial norms and religious distortions.

“Many people’s rejection doesn’t come from the Lord — it comes from the group. Synagogues, mosques, churches. But faith, in its truest form, builds bridges, not walls,” said Letsike.

The gathering calls on each of us — activists, scholars, artists, politicians, clergy — to bring our energy, discernment, and creative imagination. To join in reclaiming the African roots of gender diversity and love. And to stand boldly against the wave of hate that threatens to drown future generations.

Because as Rev. de Lange reminded us: “The water we are swimming in is violent and destructive. Generations to come will swim in this same water — unless we do something. Something profound. Something organised. Something new.”