By Chris Muhizi for MCN.
On Thursday, a large number of churches and religious organizations protested against same-sex marriages in many places throughout Malawi in advance of a hearing at the constitutional court the following week.
The court is scheduled to meet for two days starting on July 17 to evaluate a case made by transgender plaintiff Jana Gonani, who was accused of acting in a “unnatural” way.
The Mangochi Senior Magistrate Court found Gonani guilty of violating Section 153(c) of the Penal Code in December 2021. She has made an appeal to the special court asking them to deem the laws illegal on the grounds that they violate the rights of citizens to privacy and dignity. The demonstrators saw the case as a step toward legalizing relationships between LGBTQ+ people.
The Rev. Alemekezeke Chikondi Phiri, general secretary of the Malawi Council of Churches (MCC), who assisted in organizing the marches on Thursday in Lilongwe, Blantyre, Mzuzu, and Zomba, declared that while Christian churches do not have anything against specific people, they do believe that homosexual behavior is wrong.
“The church will treat gay men and lesbians with the same concern and desire for repentance as it does for other sinners. The religious community would fight against any attempt to justify sinful behavior, Phiri said.
“We will always speak out if there is an attempt to legitimize prostitution, witchcraft, bestiality, or corruption, among other things. To take to the streets does not necessarily mean that we are encouraging violence against those who engage in these sinful behaviors.” he said
He said that the council was taking steps to uphold the value of marriage.
“Section 22 of the Constitution of Malawi is very clear that it is the duty of society and the government to protect marriage and the same section talks about man and woman,” he said. “Section 22 also talks about man and woman.”
According to Allie Mwachande, who spoke on behalf of the Malawi Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV and Aids (Manerela+), the march simply helped to exacerbate severe prejudice and violence against LGBTQ+ individuals in Malawi.
LGBTQ+ individuals, according to Mwachande, already face difficulties, such as restricted access to health care. “Because the church does not respect the rights of the minority in Malawi, what it has done is completely discriminatory and horrible.