Lesbians, Lesphobia and the Bible - Under the Udala Trees as Data

Homophobia and other forms of discrimination against members of the LGBTQ+ community have drawn what is sometimes characterised as a divisive “pink line”. This applies also to Nigeria and Uganda, two examples of countries with laws that target male homosexuals particularly harshly. Religious rhetoric, including use of the so-called biblical “clobber texts”, plays a significant part in maintaining the pink line. This article centres lesbianism, which, while violent lesphobia is certainly attested in African and other settings, is often on the periphery of discussion. This applies to both depiction in and interpretation of the Bible and to wider discourse. The article discusses reasons for the lack of mention of lesbian sex and attraction in biblical writings before interrogating notions of lesphobia in what is widely depicted as “homophobic Africa”. This interrogation applies the life-story of Dhalie, a Ugandan LGBTQ+ refugee, which was gathered during fieldwork in Kenya, alongside the fictional story of Ijeoma in Chinelo Okparanta’s novel Under the Udala Trees. The article’s conclusion is that both the texts of the Bible and representations from so-called “homophobic Africa” are more diversified and more nuanced than unmitigated claims of lesphobia permit.