President Robert Mugabe outburst at the UN general assembly: 'We are not gays!'

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe tells UN general assembly: 'We are not gays!'

Robert Mugabe used the United Nations podium on Monday evening to attack homosexuality in front of the general assembly.

Deviating from his prepared remarks, the 91-year-old leader of Zimbabwe reportedly barked: "We are not gays!"

Mugabe made the comment as he criticized western nations' "double standards" and attempts to "prescribe 'new rights' that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions and beliefs."

Zimbabwe has one of the worst LGBT rights records on the African continent, with the country's leader frequently demonising homosexuality. In 2013 he described homosexuals as "worse than pigs, goats and birds."

In the same speech Zimbabwe's leader — who has been in power since 1987 — claimed the UN human rights charter did not give states "the right to some to sit in judgement over others".

"In that regard, we reject the politicization of this important issue and the application of double standards to victimize those who dare think and act independently of the self-anointed prefects of our time."

"We equally reject attempts to prescribe "new rights" that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions, and beliefs. We are not gays! Cooperation and respect for each other will advance the cause of human rights worldwide. Confrontation, vilification, and double-standards will not."

Mugabe's remarks follow decades of state-sanction persecution against homosexuality, with male same-sex sexual activity remaining illegal within Zimbabwe.

A Pew survey in 2013 found the African continent — with the notable exception of South Africans — overwhelmingly intolerant of gay men and women.


Currently chairman of the African Union, Mugabe urged nations to invest in economic development on the African continent, saying a stronger Africa would be beneficial to the world.

"Africa is not looking for handouts. Rather it is looking for partners in massive infrastructure development. In creating and exploiting the value chains from the God given natural resources and in improving the quality of life of the continents citizens. The entire world stands to benefit from an economically empowered African continent than from one emasculated by deprivation and with an over dependence on others," Mugabe said.

Mugabe also called for UN reform and has long criticized that there is no African country with a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

"While the world has drastically changed since 1945, the United Nations and indeed the global governance architecture remains mired in a long bygone era. This archaic hierarchy among nations threatens to erode the confidence and support that the United Nations commands among the majority, but disadvantaged of its membership. We are disappointed that we have lost the opportunity of this anniversary to address this burning issue of the reform of the United Nations Security Council in a manner that satisfies the just demands and expectations among us. I wish to reiterate our strong attachment to Africa's common position of the reform of the Security Council."



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