NEW YORK CITY, NY  --  The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) announced Tuesday that it will present its 2008 OUTSPOKEN Award to Nobel Peace Prize recipient Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

The award will be presented to the Archbishop as part of IGLHRC's A Celebration of Courage human rights ceremony on Tuesday, April 8, 2008 at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, with the exclusive film of Tutu's address to be aired at the group's event in New York on April 28.

"There is really only one name in the world that immediately conjures up moral leadership in pursuit of dignity for all people on earth, and that is Desmond Tutu," said Paula Ettelbrick, IGLHRC's Executive Director. "Archbishop Tutu's vision of a world in which human rights are respected has always explicitly included LGBT people, despite the fierce opposition he has faced from his peers and colleagues. He has challenged political apartheid in South Africa and continues to challenge spiritual apartheid within his religious community."

Archbishop Tutu became a leading moral voice in the crusade for justice and racial conciliation in South Africa.  In 1984, he received a Nobel Peace Prize to recognize his extraordinary contributions to the struggle against apartheid. He was elected Bishop of Johannesburg in 1985, and promoted to Archbishop of Cape Town the following year. As Archbishop, he became a principal mediator and conciliator in the transition to democracy in South Africa.  In 1995, President Nelson Mandela appointed him Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a body set up to probe gross human rights violations that occurred under apartheid.

Archbishop Tutu has vocally challenged discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.  In a 2004 article in The Times (London), he condemned persecution on the basis of sexual orientation, comparing it to apartheid. "We struggled against apartheid in South Africa, supported by people the world over, because black people were being blamed and made to suffer for something we could do nothing about—our very skins," he wrote.  "It is the same with sexual orientation. It is a given. I could not have fought against the discrimination of apartheid and not also fight against the discrimination that homosexuals endure, even in our churches and faith groups."

"Archbishop Tutu's decision to address our community while in the United States signals the rise in status that LGBT communities around the world are achieving. This is a historic opportunity for LGBT people in the US to connect with a leader who plays a monumental role in world events," said Ettelbrick.  "And, our community can play a key role in pushing our US leaders to take more responsible and ethical positions on the when it comes to human rights violations within our own country and around the world."

IGLHRC is an international human rights organizations dedicated to documenting and fighting against the range of human rights abuses faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people and groups around the world.

Last update: 03-12-2008 15:44