John Marnell has documented the diverse faith-based experiences of LGBT migrants in South Africa Moral panics over sexual and gender rights are often shaped by religious beliefs.
In many countries, political, cultural and faith leaders use religious rhetoric to justify exclusionary practices and constrict the space available to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists. The politicisation of religion in Africa is now well documented.
It is a strategy used to maintain the idea that heterosexuality is the only natural and normal expression of human desire. What is less often spoken about is the positive role that religion plays in the lives of LGBT Africans, including refugees.