Justimore Musombi: "Being Gay is Just OK" (part 2)

Описание: Quaker Justimore Musombi talks about being a Gay Christian Pastor in Kenya, homosexuality in Africa, and what happened when he came out. Watch part one: http://fdsj.nl/gay-in-kenya-pt1

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Discussion Questions:
http://www.quakerspeak.com/justimore-...

Read Doug Bennett's Friends Journal article "Homosexuality: A Plea to Read the Bible Together."
http://www.friendsjournal.org/homosex...

Read Justimore's Blog post for Earlham School of Religion
http://esrquaker.blogspot.com/2014/04...

The Quaker process of a "clearness committee" helped Justimore on his journey of self-discovery and reconciliation. Learn more about clearness committees in this resource from Friends General Conference:
http://www.fgcquaker.org/resources/cl...

Find a Quaker Meeting Near You:
http://www.friendsjournal.org/meeting...
http://www.fgcquaker.org/connect/quak...

Transcript

Homosexual is an inborn thing. You can't get it out of you. If it is in you, it is in you. You can't change it. It is just like heterosexual.

My name is Justimore Musombi and I'm from Kenya. I come from Algon East Yearly Meeting of Friends Church. I was a pastor in Kenya after graduating from Friends Theological College in 2000.

Quakers are well known for peace work and in Kenya we have the tribal clashes and fighting among the people in Kenya so I thought I really wanted to work to unite my country together and I couldn't do that unless I have basic knowledge about peace.

So I joined the Quaker church simply because I wanted to know more about peace and work towards peace in Kenya, so that's one thing that attracted me to Quakerism.

"Rough Times"
Well I have been through rough times. I can't say that it has been easy for me to come out openly as a gay Quaker Christian. It has been a lot of challenges in my life. Because I was a pastor in Kenya, I preached and people consider me as a very spiritual person and charismatic. Yes I am a very powerful pastor, very charismatic. Sometimes I can even speak in tongues. But now, coming out as gay, it was a shock to many people.

My Monthly Meeting wrote me a letter that was a very bad letter telling me how I am evil, I baptized children there and I held them in my hands and I was preaching there, and all that I did -- now it is null and void, it is rubbish.

Asylum
And so I had a clearness committee to help me sort out my way out because I wasn't sure where to go with all of these threats and phone calls. I had to report it to the police. So talking to the clearness committee, they helped me to apply for political asylum, and I applied for political asylum, which I was granted last year.

Supporting Young People
My plan was to go back home and support the young Quakers. I've worked with the young Quakers for long and the young Quakers understand me so much and they love me so much in my country and I have a heart for them. These are people that we can rely on for the future generation of the Quakers and I think in Kenya it's the highest population of the young Quakers probably in the whole world. So my main focus of coming here was to get the studies and go home and support them. I have so many young Quakers who are gay and lesbian but people in Kenya lead a double life. I wanted to go there to start a different Quaker church that is welcoming and affirming to support the Quaker young people.

I have felt so good because, for example, Earlham School of Religion is the liberal college and is welcoming and affirming. I've seen so many transgender, gay and lesbian people. And I felt good because they are supportive. I have been going to West Richmond Friends Church, which is welcoming and affirming.

I am here to sacrifice my life and my gift that God has given me to bless my community.

There is none like you my God. There is none, there is none, there isn't one like you my God. Hankuna Hakuna Hakuna kama wewe. Hankuna Hakuna Hakuna Mungu kama wewe.