Obama promises to be 'blunt' with African leaders over gay rights

Barack Obama has promised not to shy away from the issue of gay rights as he prepares to embark on a four-day tour of the continent.

Speaking to the BBC, the US President said he had been “blunt” with leaders in the past about his belief in equality – and that he would continue to be so in the future.

Asked whether he should be engaging with the governments of countries like Kenya, which have a poor record on human rights and democracy, the 53-year-old replied: “Well, they’re not ideal institutions. But what we found is, is that when we combined blunt talk with engagement, that gives us the best opportunity to influence and open up space for civil society.”

Asked about the Kenyan deputy prime minister’s recent comments that the United States have “have allowed gay relations and other dirty things”, President Obama said: “Yeah. Well, I disagree with him on that, don’t I?

“And I’ve had this experience before when we’ve visited Senegal in my last trip to Africa. I think that the president there, President Sall, is doing a wonderful job in moving the country forward – a strong democrat,” he said.

“But in a press conference, I was very blunt about my belief that everybody deserves fair treatment, equal treatment in the eyes of the law and the state.

“And that includes gays, lesbians, transgender persons. I am not a fan of discrimination and bullying of anybody on the basis of race, on the basis of religion, on the basis of sexual orientation or gender.”

A planned naked demonstration by a Kenyan right-wing party to protest against Mr Obama’s visit and support for gay rights was called off at the last minute yesterday (July 23). Attitude recently spoke to the man who behind it, Vincent Kidaha, in an uncomfortable and illuminating encounter – click here to read it in full.

The US Commander-in-Chief – who last month hailed LGBT rights as one of the great successes of his administration (July 24), added that he believed his own personal connection to Kenya will aid him in his efforts to convince them to change their stance on homosexuality.

“And as somebody who has family in Kenya and knows the history of how the country so often is held back because women and girls are not treated fairly, I think those same values apply when it comes to different sexual orientations.”

Obama promises to be ‘blunt’ with African leaders over gay rights

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