Brad Pitt and Archbishop Desmond Tutu Talk Gay Rights in Vanity Fair's Africa Issue

This month Vanity Fair dedicated its entire issue to stories relating to Africa. U2's Bono served as Guest Editor-in-Chief for the special issue, a first for the magazine. Annie Leibowitz shot 20 different covers for the issue, featuring Oprah Winfrey, Madonna, Barack Obama, Bono, Brad Pitt, Queen Rania of Jordan, Maya Angelou, and George Clooney, among others.

In the issue Brad Pitt interviews South Africa's Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, during which they discuss gay rights.

Brad Pitt: So certainly discrimination has no place in Christianity. There's a big argument going on in America right now, on gay rights and equality.

Desmond Tutu: For me, I couldn't ever keep quiet. I came from a situation where for a very long time people were discriminated against, made to suffer for something about which they could do nothing--their ethnicity. We were made to suffer because we were not white. Then, for a very long time in our church, we didn't ordain women, and we were penalizing a huge section of humanity for something about which they could do nothing--their gender. And I'm glad that now the church has changed all that. I'm glad that apartheid has ended. I could not for any part of me be able to keep quiet, because people were being penalized, ostracized, treated as if they were less than human, because of something they could do nothing to change--their sexual orientation. For me, I can't imagine the Lord that I worship, this Jesus Christ, actually concurring with the persecution of a minority that is already being persecuted. The Jesus who I worship is a Jesus who was forever on the side of those who were being clobbered, and he got into trouble precisely because of that. Our church, the Anglican Church, is experiencing a very, very serious crisis. It is all to do with human sexuality. I think God is weeping. He is weeping that we should be spending so much energy, time, resources on this subject at a time when the world is aching.

Brad Pitt: I couldn't agree with you more. Thank you for saying that.

[Vanity Fair, July 2007, p. 97-98]

Comments

[Ruben]

and to think I couldn't love Brad any more....I want to hug him for even asking the question. AND Desmond Tutu makes the very arguement I think we all try get across in our conversations with the religious.

YAY!!! thanks for posting

[Christian]

I had an opportunity to have a lunch with Archbishop Tutu, and I suppose it will surprise no-one that he is as courageous and inspired as he is kind and holy. I find it hard to believe that there are so few religious leaders in modern society that I think we can look to for a true example of Christ-like behavior. He is certainly one of the few.

[joey]

see, this just makes me love brad pitt evEn more.

[Steve]

He also said that he wouldn't marry Angelina Jolie until gay men and women are allowed to legally marry in the United States. I'll be even more impressed if he keeps the promise.

[jeremy]

Desmond Tutu is also featured in a documentary entitled, "For the Bible Tells Me So" about gays and God. He says almost the same thing in the doc, and there are some other great stories in it, too--check it out if comes your way.

[zeff]

great answer.

[Vance]

Seriously, I liked Brad Pitt before but that just puts him right back at the top (or on top?!). Desmond Tutu would get a boost too if he weren't already incredibly respected.

[MW Savant]

What an uplifting end to workday! Thanks for posting.

[gregory hugh]

I 'came over' from Towleroad to read more about Brad Pitt's views. This certainly puts Brad back into my 'tops list'. Had sort of lost sight of him.
Does anyone remenber the WONDERFUL photo editorial of Brad, sort of 'crossed dressed' in Rolling Stone Mag some years back?
GREAT work for equality Brad..THANKS.

[A.J.]

Desmond Tutu is the only person worthy of the position of Pope... too bad he's not catholic.
and Brad's too real to be an actor.

meanwhile, doesn't it strike odd how Vanity Fair attempted to champion African awareness through excessive consumption by production so very many wasteful and overexpensed covers.
perhaps a simple, direct, unique and modestly appropriate cover (just logo, Africa headline, and maybe a blowup foto of some multicolor african fabric) would've sold the issue (so to speak).
i ain't buying it.