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Mail & Guardian
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Mail & Guardian
How US conservatives use religious outreach to shape African policy
The underlying message being pushed is a narrow, conservative ideology: Be, heterosexual, traditional. Reject feminism. Reject LGBTQ rights. Photo: Antonio Bronic/Reuters On 26 and 27 June, the Bintumani International Conference Centre in Freetown On the surface, it was a celebration of unity. Beneath it, though, lay a strategic campaign by a US-based religious organisation to embed a specific brand of conservative American theology into African cultural narratives. The soft language of empowerment masked an ideological demand. This isn't new. In 2024, LDS held Preaching power through local mouthpieces What made the Freetown event especially effective was its reliance on local voices to legitimise its message. From the opening to to the closing prayer, the conference amplified a Mormon worldview through African public figures On day 1, LDS Elder Kenneth Pambu opened with inclusive-sounding language: 'Every child deserves to grow up in a safe and caring home.' But his definition of the ideal family quickly narrowed: a heterosexual, nuclear unit rooted in divine order, guided by strict gender roles. Later, a speaker warned, 'The digital world is teaching our children values we do not agree with.' The message was clear. Modernity equals danger. Tradition, as defined by the Mormons, equals safety. Catholic Archbishop Edward Tamba Charles echoed rhetoric from the 2019 Ghana conference, warning of a curriculum that 'sexualises' students and condemning foreign aid tied to LGBTQ rights. The crowd cheered. An Islamic leader added, 'Family is a combination between a male and a female. There is no he, she or she-he.' Cloaked in cultural pride, this rhetoric erased all Sierra Leoneans outside the sexual or gender binary. It's a recurring pattern. One group of wealthy white outsiders empowers local conservatives to criticise another group of white outsiders for allegedly corrupting African values. The irony is met not with resistance but with applause. First lady Fatima Maada Bio, a popular figure praised for her advocacy for women and girls, framed the event as a national imperative. 'This partnership is not just about religion. It's about restoring hope, dignity and values.' Her announcement of a new safe house for survivors of gender-based violence, an LDS–first lady collaboration, was met with thunderous applause. Such a resource is vital. Yet its framing raised questions. Will women have to accept Mormon doctrine to access lifesaving services? Will only certain women — married, respectable, God-fearing — be welcomed? A digital Trojan horse The LDS church is strategic in Africa. It does not lead with doctrine. It leads with scholarships, media, partnerships and food drives. From glossy brochures to high-definition testimonials, it appears tech-savvy and community-minded. But beneath the polish is a clear ideology. Be faithful, obedient, heterosexual, traditional. Reject feminism. Reject LGBTQ rights. Reject sex education and intellectual inquiry. Focus on your family and stay quiet about policy shifts and corruption. The LDS church doesn't attack activism outright. It elevates modesty, family and tradition as cultural revival. To question this is framed as rejecting your roots. This is not overt coercion. It is something more insidious — a foreign ideology dressed in local attire. An imported theology, marketed as a return to African values. The conference didn't just celebrate families. It defined them. And, in doing so, it excluded structures and identities that don't fit LDS or conservative norms. The real cost of moral policing Let's be clear. This is not an argument against faith. Religion remains a cornerstone of African life. It can uplift, protect and unify. But when faith becomes a vessel for narrow definitions of womanhood, family and morality, it ceases to be spiritual. It becomes political. And when it defines who is worthy of protection, who is moral and who is 'truly African', it becomes a neocolonial tool of division. This should concern all of us. The danger of what we saw at the Freetown conference lies not only in what's said but in what's omitted: the single mother, the blended family, the outspoken or non-conformist child. When these realities are erased, the LDS church isn't just shaping culture. It is scripting the future. Who suffers when the future being built in our name doesn't reflect us at all? The next 'strengthening families' conference is scheduled for Liberia in June 2026. If Freetown was any indication, our Liberian colleagues must luk insai dis tin ya so (examine something closely). Ask who is speaking to us. Who is speaking for us? And what harm will be caused by what is left unsaid? Mina Bilkis is a feminist storyteller and digital rights researcher in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Famia Nkansa is a writer, editor and communications consultant.
Fox News
09-07-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Utah Bath & Body Works manager says she was fired over company's pronoun policy
A former Bath & Body Works store manager in Layton, Utah, said she was fired after refusing to address a transgender employee by their preferred pronouns. Jocelyn Boden filed a charge of discrimination last week with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after she was terminated in May from the company she had worked at for three and a half years. Boden, a "devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," said in her charge that she was "chastised and alienated" by co-workers after she was unwilling to address a new transgender employee by their preferred pronouns. Boden said she addressed the biological female co-worker, who identified as male, by their chosen name, but because of her religious convictions, could not address the co-worker by male pronouns. "Ultimately, team members complained about Ms. Boden's religiously motivated decision to the human resources department," the filing states. "This complaint led to an interrogation into Ms. Boden's use of pronouns. Ms. Boden indicated her religious objection to Bath & Body Works' pronoun policy, including during a discussion with her district manager just two days before the district manager terminated Ms. Boden's employment." Boden was promptly fired after these complaints were filed, without warning and in violation of the company's discipline policy, according to the filing. According to documents in the filing, the company discharged Boden for violating their code of conduct, "which prohibits any unwanted conduct directed at an individual based on their sex, which includes sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or transgender status." "Jocelyn admitted to this behavior and shared with multiple parties that she refused to use correct pronouns. As a result of this investigation, and her admittance, we are making the decision to part ways and end their employment effective immediately," her alleged termination notice states. The discrimination charge was filed by Texas-based legal group, First Liberty, a group that fights religious liberty cases. First Liberty claims Bath & Body Works' conduct violated Boden's religious rights under Title VII, which prohibits employment discrimination based on protected characteristics such as race and sex. It also alleged the company violated the Utah Anti-discrimination Act when it "retaliated" against Boden for expressing her religious beliefs, failed to grant her a religious accommodation, perpetuated a "hostile work environment" and "wrongfully" terminated her employment. "I believe that using pronouns out of line with this understanding of gender is dishonest," Boden said in the filing to the EEOC. "My convictions do not allow me to lie by affirming a reality I believe is false. Therefore, I cannot refer to a female using male pronouns." Most workplace discrimination claims have to be processed through the EEOC before they can be resolved in court, Stephanie Taub, senior counsel for First Liberty, told CBN News. The EEOC told Fox News Digital it was prohibited by law from commenting on alleged charges filed. A Bath & Body Works spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "Bath & Body Works complies with all laws concerning employment practices. As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate in our management of our associates on the basis of any protected status." Bath & Body Works LLC received a 100% score on providing an inclusive workplace by the Human Rights Campaign in 2025 and was named a leader in LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion.
USA Today
08-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
BYU coach Kelani Sitake addresses Jake Retzlaff situation: 'Every school has their standards'
FRISCO, Texas – Brigham Young football coach Kalani Sitake discussed his school's controversial honor code here Tuesday and said he loves his quarterback Jake Retzlaff even though he violated it for having premarital sex. But Sitake also mostly sidestepped questions about the controversy even after it threw his team into a bind on the eve of the 2025 season. 'First of all, I love Jake Retzlaff,' Sitake said at the annual preseason Big 12 Conference media days event north of Dallas. 'We love Jake Retzlaff and appreciate all that he's done for our program. I think it would be inappropriate for me to make a statement in his situation first. I think that's his right. I think it's a private matter that he can speak for himself, and I'm going to give him the opportunity to do that.' Retzlaff is looking to leave BYU after getting caught up in a scandal for having premarital sex. He faces a seven-game suspension because it violated the school's honor code, which calls for living a 'chaste and virtuous life.' Before that, he had been sued by a woman in May who accused him of sexually assaulting her at his home in 2023 – an allegation that was denied by his attorney. His attorney said their relations instead were consensual, which helped his case in court but still got him into trouble with a school that is run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). RULES TO LIVE BY: Everything to know about the BYU honor code The lawsuit recently was dismissed. Retzlaff also is Jewish, not LDS, but it didn't matter. 'Every school has their standards,' Sitake said. 'We have ours too. … And we expect our students to live to live according to what they what they signed up for.' In March 2011, BYU men's basketball player Brandon Davies was kicked off the team for the same reason, even as the Cougars were making a run to the NCAA tournament. In the case of Retzlaff, his loss also puts his team into a bind after he led them to an 11-2 season last year, including a win over Colorado in the Alamo Bowl. After serving as co-captain of last year's team, he's now looking for a landing spot elsewhere to avoid the suspension. A transfer quarterback or two is poised to replace him at BYU: McCae Hillstead from Utah State, Treyson Bourguet from Western Michigan or Bear Bachmeier from Stanford. Hillstead and Bourguet were on the roster last year for the Cougars but did not play. Sitake noted that at BYU 'you have to be able to throw the ball' and that the position is up for grabs in preseason practices. 'Let's settle it on the field,' Sitake said. 'Let them compete.'
Daily Mail
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Sexual assault lawsuit against BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff is over
The sexual assault case against BYU star Jake Retzlaff has reportedly been dismissed - but the quarterback is still expected to leave the school. Retzlaff denied the allegations that he 'bit, raped or strangled' a woman in November 2023. The woman, named only Jane Doe A.G., was seeking damages of more than $300,000. On Monday, however, the two sides filed a joint motion for dismissal, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. The order was reportedly signed by a judge but precise details remain unclear. The settlement paves the way for the quarterback to transfer out of BYU after he admitted violating the school's ban on premarital sex. The 22-year-old is BYU's first ever Jewish quarterback but, according to the Salt Lake Tribune, he is set to decide on a new school in the coming days. BYU is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and both students and employees are expected follow a strict Honor Code. Jane Doe's lawsuit stated she did not immediately disclose Retzlaff's name to Provo police, but later informed them that it was the BYU quarterback, only to be told victims 'never get justice' Among the rules is a ban on sex before marriage, with students ordered to 'live a chaste and virtuous life'. Though Retzlaff denied the allegations of sexual assault, he admitted that he had 'consensual' sex with the woman. That left Retzlaff expecting a seven-game suspension for violating the school's Honor Code, which would rule him out of more than half of the 2025 season. The lawsuit, filed in Utah in late May and obtained by Daily Mail, also claimed Provo cops encouraged the woman to remain silent, allegedly telling her: 'Sexual assault victims never get justice.' But representatives for the quarterback hit back last week, branding the allegations 'ridiculous and bizarre' as well as 'false and untrue'. 'Mr. Retzlaff specifically and categorically denies each and every and all allegations that he bit, raped or strangled [the woman], which are ridiculous and bizarre allegations, all of which are false and untrue.' Provo, Utah police also rejected her accusations in a department statement: 'From everything we have reviewed, this is not true.'
The Herald Scotland
30-06-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
BYU QB Jake Retzlaff faces suspension, likely to leave program
Retzlaff's lawyers denied the allegations in a response to the lawsuit filed on June 28, describing them as "ridiculous and bizarre." REQUIRED READING: BYU QB Jake Retzlaff denies sexual assault allegations in response to lawsuit BYU, which is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has an honor code that states that students must "live a chaste and virtuous life," which includes "abstaining from sexual relations outside marriage between a man and a woman." The university has issued disciplinary measures against athletes before for premarital sex, perhaps most notably in March 2011, when standout forward Brandon Davies was dismissed from the university's men's basketball team, which was No. 3 in the country at the time. In his first and potentially only full season as the Cougars' starter, Retzlaff helped guide BYU to an 11-2 mark and a victory in the Alamo Bowl against Deion Sanders and Colorado. Retzlaff completed 57.9% of his passes for 2,947 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while also rushing for 417 yards and six touchdowns. He gained national attention beyond the field as a Jewish quarterback representing a school with an overwhelmingly LDS student population, earning him the nickname "BYJew" and a name, image and likeness deal with kosher food company Manischewitz. Should Retzlaff leave, BYU has two other quarterbacks on its roster: McCae Hillstead and Treyson Bourguet, who transferred into the program from Utah State and Western Michigan, respectively. News of Retzlaff's suspension and likely departure was broken by the Salt Lake Tribune, citing unnamed sources who were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
