Seeking Sanctuary

Seeking Sanctuary brings together life stories from LGBT migrants living in Johannesburg and their battle to reconcile faith with their sexual identity. The narratives reveal the complex interplay between homophobia and xenophobia; the fight for sexual and gender rights; and how faith-based organisations can direct social change.

A glimpse into the lives of LGBTQ migrants in Johannesburg, in their own words

Seeking Sanctuary brings together poignant life stories from fourteen lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) migrants, refugees and asylum seekers living in Johannesburg, South Africa. The stories, diverse in scope, chronicle each narrator’s arduous journey to South Africa, and their corresponding movement towards self-love and self-acceptance. The narrators reveal their personal battles to reconcile their faith with their sexuality and gender identity, often in the face of violent persecution, and how they have carved out spaces of hope and belonging in their new home country. In these intimate testimonies, the narrators’ resilience in the midst of uncertain futures reveal the myriad ways in which LGBT Africans push back against unjust and unequal systems.

Seeking Sanctuary makes a critical intervention by showing the complex interplay between homophobia and xenophobia in South Africa, and of the state of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) rights in Africa. By shedding light on the fraught connections between sexuality, faith and migration, this ground-breaking project also provides a model for religious communities who are working towards justice, diversity and inclusion.

Foreword by Rev. Canon Dr Kapya Kaoma
Introduction: Reframing sexuality, faith and migration
Chapter 1 Background and methodology: On making and sharing stories
Chapter 2 The politicisation of faith: Religious responses to sexual and gender diversity
Chapter 3 A life on hold: LGBT migration and the (false) promise of freedom
Chapter 4 Preaching love: A history of the LGBT Ministry
Chapter 5 The stories
1. We must preach love, not hate /Narrated by Dumisani (Zimbabwe)
2. We deserve freedom / Narrated by Mr D (Cameroon)
3. Only love can bring unity / Narrated by D.C. (Zimbabwe)
4. Still searching for safety / Narrated by Eeyban (Ethiopia)
5. A caged animal set free / Narrated by Thomars (Zimbabwe)
6. Sexuality is a beautiful gift from God / Narrated by Dancio (Zambia)
7. This is where God wants me to be / Narrated by Mike (Zimbabwe)
8. God knows the depth of my faith / Narrated by Zee (South Africa)
9. I can serve God, no matter who I love / Narrated by Sylvester (Nigeria)
10. Don’t let the hate get you down / Narrated by Tino (Zimbabwe)
11. I am not willing to live a lie / Narrated by Angel (Uganda)
12. Love is about hearts, not parts / Narrated by Toya (Zimbabwe)
13. Stop calling us sinners / Narrated by Nkady (Lesotho)
14. I pray for strength and guidance / Narrated by Tinashe (Zimbabwe)
Conclusion: Looking ahead: The case for affirming religious spaces
Glossary
Notes
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Index