Gay marriages against the wishes of God

Gay marriages against the wishes of God - Mnangagwa

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By Staff Reporter

GAY and lesbian marriages are against the wishes of God, a Zimbabwean minister said Wednesday.

Emerson Mnangagwa, the Rural Housing Minister and acting Leader of the House told parliament that Zimbabwe would not follow South Africa's example of legalising same-sex marriages.

“In Zimbabwe we prohibit marriages of similar sex. It’s in accordance with the wishes of God," Mnangagwa told MP's during a debate.

"If it has happened in other countries, it is no consent for us.”

Mnangagwa -- one of the front-runners in the race to succeed President Mugabe -- was responding to a question by one of Zimbabwe's two white legislators, Harare North MP Trudy Stevenson, who wanted to know what the government's position was on the issue.

Mnangagwa said: “I have no doubt that the Honourable Member understands biology. In this country we are very clear -- men marry women…If she (Stevenson) is in doubt she should go to the library (for a biology research)."

Zimbabwe, like many other African countries, has shut the door on any possibility of relaxing laws on same sex relationships which are illegal under the country's sodomy laws.

President Robert Mugabe has been targeted by British gays after branding gays and lesbians as "worse than pigs and dogs".

Despite the intense opposition to the practise, one of the few points on which Mugabe enjoys widespread support around the country, Zimbabwe has not interfered with the Gays and Lesbians Association of Zimbabwe (GALZ).

South African lawmakers passed legislation recognising gay marriages last month despite criticism from both traditionalists and gay activists.

The bill, unprecedented on a continent where homosexuality is taboo, was decried by gay activists for not going far enough and by opponents who warned it "was provoking God's anger."

Denmark in 1989 became the first country to legislate for same-sex partnerships and several other European Union members have followed suit. In the United States, only Massachusetts allows gay marriage. Vermont and Connecticut permit civil unions, California grants similar status through a domestic-partner registration law, and more than a dozen states give gay couples some legal rights.
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