Homophobia within the Black community is a vestige of colonialism, a world famous comedian told a Bermuda audience.

Former The Daily Show host Trevor Noah was speaking at “Belong Everywhere”, a CG Insurance wellness event on Saturday at the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club.

“There is no denying that many Black communities around the world have an adversarial relationship with members of the LGBTQ+ community,” Mr Noah said, responding to a question from Bermudian moderator and journalist Glenn Jones, who was talking to the comedian on the topic of belonging.

Mr Jones asked the South African comedian for his thoughts on Black attitudes to the LGBTQ+ community.

“Maybe it is true in Johannesburg,” Mr Jones said. “It is certainly true here. Black Bermudians have been a little slower than other communities to be embracing of this community.”

Mr Noah said historically many communities in the Americas and Africa looked at gender and sexuality in a different way.

“People flowed,” Mr Noah said. “There were some people who were accepted as having a gender that was fluid.”

Mr Noah said European colonisers came in under “that big church blanket” with a judgemental and condemning attitude. “Then the people were indoctrinated,” he said.

He did not believe that Black people were “moving slower” on the issue.

“They were indoctrinated into being homophobic later on,” he said. “The European colonisers moved just as slowly when they were in charge.”

Mr Jones said when George Floyd was killed by police officers in Minnesota in May 2020, there seemed to be an extra focus on diversity and inclusion.

“Now the pendulum has swung in the other direction,” Mr Jones said. “We see real big resistance to the idea of diversity, equity and inclusion."

Mr Noah said when people talked about diversity “we have to ask how we are having a conversation”.

“Oftentimes, I think the messaging fails because people are not explaining what they are trying to do,” he said.

“For some people it might sound like we are going to replace them. To other people it can sound like this is a token programme where people will be given some kind of leg up.

“What you are saying is, there have been many structural problems in our society that may have kept people from achieving the equal opportunity needed to get into certain jobs. Now we are going to widen our aperture to make sure everyone has an opportunity.”

On the topic of immigration and inclusion, he said: “Time and time again you see the affects of a welcoming community compared to one that is not, in countries around the world."

He said in places where a new community was welcomed, there has been some sacrifice as two communities blended together, but ultimately they were better off.

"If you look at places where that has not happened, you find fringe communities," he said. "You find outliers. You find groups of people who have been isolated and feel like they do not belong.

“They feel like they have no way to move into the group that is. That is where we see strife, and an otherness forming. I think it makes a world of difference.”

Mr Noah left The Daily Show last year, after landing them seven Emmy nominations and one win for outstanding short-form variety series in 2017.

He has also written, produced and starred in 12 comedy specials and is the author of bestselling book Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood.

In 2018 he launched the Trevor Noah Foundation to improve equitable access to quality education for underserved youth in South Africa.

Mr Noah said this was his first visit to Bermuda, but hopefully not his last, because the island was stunning.

“In the little time that I have been here, I have realised that there really is not a rush to get anywhere,” Mr Noah said.

He joked that on the ride from the airport, being passed by cyclists, was “really enjoyable”.

“It was quite an experience,” he said. “Everyone is really chill.”

Mr Jones is a former interim chief executive of the Bermuda Tourism Authority. He left Bermuda in 2021 to rejoin his former journalism career in Boston at NBC10. He won an Emmy in 2007.

On his way to Bermuda on Saturday, his JetBlue flight had to turn back because of bad weather and Mr Jones told the audience: “I got within 35 minutes of LF Wade and they had to turn around and go back to Boston because of thunderstorms.

“When that thing was doing a U-turn, I thought I am not going to see all of you today. But we got on the ground in Boston and we took off again.”

He arrived in Bermuda 30 minutes before the event.

“For me, Bermuda is home, end of discussion,” Mr Jones said. “But I have found other places that can feel like home at times. That is what belonging is — when you can go somewhere you are not from and still feel like you belong there.”

The CG wellness event was attended by about 200 staff and clients of the insurance firm.