Desmond Tutu, LGBTQ ally, dies aged 90
Tutu famously said he would never worship a "homophobic god" and would rather go to hell
Words: Jamie Tabberer; picture: Wiki
Desmond Tutu has died in at the age of 90, according to a spokesperson.
They said that the Nobel Peace Prize laureate passed away “peacefully” this morning on Boxing Day [26 December 2021] at a care centre in Capetown. The cause of death was cancer, according to the NYT.
The anti-apartheid and human rights activist was the Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996. He was also known as an avid LGBTQ rights campaigner.
“Another chapter of bereavement”
Dr Mamphela Ramphele, acting chairperson of the Archbishop Desmond Tutu IP Trust said today in a statement on behalf of the Tutu family: “Ultimately, at the age of 90, he died peacefully at the Oasis Frail Care Centre in Cape Town this morning.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa responded to the news saying it marked “another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans.”
Ramaphosa furthermore called Tutu “an iconic spiritual leader, anti-apartheid activist and global human rights campaigner.”
Tutu, who is credited with helping end apartheid in South Africa, battled prostate cancer in the late 90s. He has been repeatedly hospitalised over the last two years due to infections associated with his treatment.
The religious leader famously said in 2013 he would would rather go to hell than worship a “homophobic god.”
In a video for the Free & Equal campaign the same year, Tutu called for an end to penalisation based on “sexual orientation”, saying: “I oppose such injustice with the same passion that I opposed apartheid.”
Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.