On Thursday, a gay couple in Malawi was sentenced to the maximum 14 years in prison with hard labor, after being convicted of sodomy for holding the first same-sex wedding in a country where homosexuality is illegal. Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza were married in a traditional but symbolic ceremony in southern Malawi last month, attracting hundreds of curious onlookers. The couple were promptly arrested and are now facing more than a decade behind bars. Now pop legend and gay icon Madonna is using her considerable influence in the African nation to urge the citizens of Malawi to back an appeal to free the imprisoned men.
Maddona, who adopted two of her children, David and Mercy, from the country, is fuming over the court’s decision.
“I am shocked and saddened by the decision made today by the Malawian court, which sentenced two innocent men to prison. As a matter of principle, I believe in equal rights for all people, no matter what their gender, race, color, religion, or sexual orientation,” she says in a statement released after yesterday’s controversial ruling. “Today, Malawi took a giant step backward. The world is filled with pain and suffering; therefore, we must support our basic human right to love and be loved. I call upon the progressive men and women of Malawi – and around the world – to challenge this decision in the name of human dignity and equal rights for all.”
Amnesty International and The White House are also calling the sentence a miscarriage of justice.
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