In The Life: Justin Woods

Justin Woods, Program Coordinator, Black AIDS Institute

Following a reading of Mandela's "I'm Prepared to Die" speech, in which he declares he is willing to lay down his life to achieve racial equality in South Africa, I ask my Rwandan students, "What issue is important enough to you that you would be willing to die to see it achieved?"

I scan the room not sure if they understood Mandela's speech or my question. Slowly the hand of one of my brightest students rises into the air, and I'm excited to hear his answer as I call on him. "To destroy the homosexuals," he confidently and calmly replies. The warm discomfort of shame starts bubbling within me as I desperately hope for another student to speak out and object to the blatant homophobia. I know their silence is indicative of their implicit approval.

Like so many similar moments during my service when I encountered homophobia, I had to silently reflect on the life experiences of my students. Homosexuality was seen as a Western export, the latest battle in the fight against neocolonialism. They live in a country where the prevailing thought on LGBTI people is: "We don't have them here." While I had the choice to respond to every incident of homophobia with self-righteous indignation, I humbled myself in my own ignorance. The ignorance that I quickly became aware of as an American, Western, young, idealistic Peace Corps Volunteer thinking he could parachute into a foreign land, with a complex history, and unique culture and have more than a cursory impact. Our opinions, beliefs, and values are limited by our individual experience and exposure. As I learned in Rwanda, our goal must be to always rush to empathy and not judgment. We must allow our collective desire to be understood, validated, and loved, to propel us to address our inherent ignorance.

IN THE LIFE: A story series for #30DaysOfHIV. Life experiences of Black, gay/bisexual/NGC men/trans men, told in their words. Visit www.blackaids.org to submit your story from May 27-June 27. #IntheLife #BlackBoyJoy #BlackHealth#Storytelling #GayisGood #Blackisbeautiful#nhtd