South African Gay Flag at San Francisco Pride 2012

By Melanie Nathan, June 24, 2012.

Today the Gay Flag of South Africa passed   a million people lining the streets of San Francisco as the LGBTI community celebrated San Francisco Pride 2012.

San Francisco Pride parade is a world-renowned LGBT pride parade attracting tourists and Television crews from around the world.

Thousands of people participated, marching along the route which ran along San Francisco’s Market Street, from Beale Street to 8th Street.The parade consists of hundreds of contingents from various groups and organizations. The contingents encompass a wide variety of individuals, politicians, honorees and organizations and congregations.

It gave me great pleasure to wrap the South African Gay Flag around me as I walked next to Bishop Christopher Senyonjo of Uganda who was honored as Global Grand Marshall for 2012 in the theme which he and Rev. Canon Albert Ogle won for this year’s Pride, GLOBAL Equality.

South Africa is the only country in Africa that has an all inclusive constitution which bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and provides for full equality.  However this year the country has been rocked by controversy as the Traditional Leader M’s of  South Africa are engaged in parliamentary committee discussions attempting to remove equality from the South African Bill of Rights.

The theme of this year’s San Francisco Pride 2012  is particularly important to the Bishop and all of Africa  as the Bishop has been a vocal supporter of LGBTI  human rights in his country and for the rest of Africa, despite the risks of such advocacy.

The Bishop has been a vocal critic of the Anti-Homosexuality , otherwise known as The Kill The Gays Bill, in Uganda and has condemned the export of “hate” by American Evangelicals to Africa.

The Bishop delivered a speech at a  Eucharist to kick off the San Francisco Pride Parade, where he noted that we are “all one people” and that LGBTI people are entitled to their human rights.

Pictures include Rev. Canon Albert Ogle and Bishop Christopher Senyonjo with the South African Gay Flag.

READ MORE and Support the Bishop’s work here http://stpaulsfoundation.com/Center_For_Devel___Recon.php

Photos by Melanie Nathan© 2012.
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