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15 Dec 2009

Anti-gay bigots plunge Africa into new era of hate crimes

Uganda is likely to pass a law within months that will make homosexuality a capital offence, joining 37 other countries in the continent where American evangelical Christian groups are increasingly spreading bigotry.

The following is an extract from The Guardian (UK). Click on the link below for the full story.

"Learned behaviour can be unlearned," said David Bahati. "You can't tell me that people are born gays. It is foreign influence that is at work."

Bahati has just presented his anti-homosexuality bill 2009 to Uganda's parliament. The bill, which will be debated within a fortnight and is expected to become law by February, will allow homosexuality to be punishable by death.

"Most people have misunderstood the bill," Bahati told the Observer. "The section of the death penalty relates to defilement by an adult who is homosexual and this is consistent with the law on defilement which was passed in 2007. The whole intention is to prevent the recruitment of under-age children, which is going on in single-sex schools. We must stop the recruitment and secure the future of our children."

There is wide support for Bahati's law which, while being an extreme piece of anti-gay legislation, is not unique. As far as gay rights are concerned, it would appear that much of Africa is going backwards. Nigeria has a similar bill waiting to reach its statute books and already allows the death penalty for homosexuality in northern states, as does Sudan. Burundi criminalised homosexuality in April this year, joining 37 other African nations where gay sex is already illegal. Egypt and Mali are creeping towards criminalisation, using morality laws against same-sex couples.

The Ugandan bill extends existing laws to make it illegal to promote homosexuality by talking or writing about it, and forcing people to tell the authorities about anyone they know who is gay.

...

In Entebbe last week, 200 religious leaders, under the powerful umbrella group Inter-Religious Council of Uganda, demanded diplomatic ties be severed with "ungodly" donor countries, including the UK, Sweden and Canada, who are "bent on forcing homosexuality on Ugandans".

Joshua Kitakule, the council's secretary-general, said: "Those countries should respect our spiritual values. They shouldn't interfere. All senior religious leaders have been given copies of the bill to read and educate people in churches and mosques."

For Ugandans such as Pastor Martin Ssempa, who organises anti-gay rallies, the bill brings legitimate moral force to bear on the "corrupting influence" from western societies.

...

Ugandan newspapers often out "homos" and the bill will force many more like Nyombi to leave, said Peter Tatchell, veteran gay rights campaigner. "In many cases, these countries are using laws imposed by the British in colonial times. Before that, homosexuality was actually tolerated or accepted in the traditional cultures.

"The right-wing are losing the battle in the US, so they are exploiting the poverty-stricken developing world. The response of the Commonwealth is pathetic. Of the 80 countries who criminalise same sex-relationships around the world, over 40 of them are in the Commonwealth – where is the concern for human rights?"

Reader's Comments

1. 2009-12-15 19:44  
I've started following this, daily, on the anonymous personal blog of Gay Uganda. It's like the diary of someone hiding from the Nazis during the occupation of Europe in the 1940s.
And my country gives hundreds of millions in cash to this regime every year. Shame on them.
Comment edited on 2009-12-15 19:46:58
2. 2009-12-15 19:57  
"where is the concern for human rights....indeed.

To all fundie-evalenglical x-tians: Thanks once again. What would we do without you in the world, to spread your hatred, fear and oppression? And what would you do without us in the world? Who would you pick on? Who would you choose to hate, persecute and destroy? Without us where would you spend your money and exert your political clout? After you (x-tians) exterminate us, who would be next on your hate list? the jews? blacks? Islams? asians? I often think the world would be a better place without fundie/evalengical x-tians in it. (shame on me, right?) God is not hate, god is love.

Given this disturbing news, what can we do? What can CIVILIZED and COMPASSIONATE countries do? One possible answer is easy to state: Offer asylum to every gay person who wishes to leave his/her country, where there is definitive evidence of probable harm coming to them if they stay (Uganda, Iran top the list). I would expect no less of my country (USA) and all other civilized countries to open their doors to all people in Africa who are subjected to capital punishment because of their sexual orientation.

Who do these "leaders" and "governments" think they are, that they have the power or duty to mandate WHO and HOW its citizens can love? For god's sake, this insanity has to come to an end!

When can we get PAST human sexuality, and move on to eliminating hunger, diseases, and poverty?

These hateful x-tians should have every right to be ashamed of themselve, and HISTORY will not be kind to them.
Comment #3 was deleted by its author on 2009-12-16 00:38
4. 2009-12-16 00:40  
URGH!!! THIS IS SERIOUSLY ANNOYING. MOFO CHRISTIANS MAKES ME STOMACH SICK.

"We must stop the recruitment and secure the future of our children."

O screw you. We'll see whether you'll secure their future under your leadership. Try solving the poverty part of the problem first you fucktard. You people deserve no sympathy no more.
5. 2009-12-16 01:23  
It's times like this when I tell myself I'm lucky to be in Singapore. Sure no gay rights here no gay legal equality here... but at least I'm not gonna be hanged for it!

My serious condolences to those there, and I hope all of them would have the means and resources to leave the country. I can't imagine living in a world like that.
6. 2009-12-16 08:00  
#1: I share the same view. I think the millions of aids from your country to Uganda would do more if it's used to buy votes to overthrow this stupid ruling party. Otherwise, it's going to be wasted anyway, since its policies would undo all the good that this donation is supposed to do. As I argued, all non-humanitarian aids to this country should be curtailed until:
a) this Bill is withdrawn; or
b) the Minister proposing it is hanged for sodomy.
7. 2009-12-16 10:56  
The christian right wing is the anti-christ. How ironic. No wonder the christian messiah has not returned, the christian right will nail him again without batting an eye lid because they would not recognise love even if it hits them in the face.

Isn't it interesting how the very people who preach love, fellowship to mankind, caring for families and children seems to be the very ones spreading hate, destroying lives, separating families, promoting hate and molesting children.

All this hatred will one day come rushing back at these so called christians. Meanwhile there is little we can do other than stay vigilant and speak up.

Against Singapore's own retarded and blatantly discriminatory homophobic laws for example. Sure, they are not going to hang gays in a hurry here, but they can still use the law to persecute and intimidate which is unacceptable.
8. 2009-12-16 11:13  
Would it surprised anyone if I said that the Maldivian and Malaysian media also do the same, as in outing and portraying the LGBT community in bad light?

The entire African continent is heading back towards Europe's Dark Ages and entering a new period of profound religious conservatism and fanaticism.

9. 2009-12-16 20:48  
remind me never to set foot in Africa.
10. 2009-12-16 23:32  
This is so crazy. I can't believe this is happening in 2010! What is wrong with them, religious groups suck..they hate everyone but themselves. Always put God in front of them as shield but they don't even know if their God exists. How pathetic.
They were the ones who molested children, they were they ones who do incest, they were the ones who abuse their children and wives. They don't care about others, a law that kill someone and if one votes for it he/she will be a killer.
11. 2009-12-17 00:59  
That whole continent is a mess
12. 2009-12-17 07:23  
With wide spread poverty, AIDS, rampant corruption and religious fanaticism, Africa is truly a dark continent
13. 2009-12-18 07:03  
Came across this by chance.

Remember that big charismatic "Transformations" conference the new rulers of AWARE were fortunately prevented from having their EGM next to? The Transformation movement that allegedly has to do with merging (their version of) church and state, taking control of key sectors of society such as government, business, education and media?

Take a look at what this article says about it all in Uganda and beyond. I don't know if it's true, and am keeping an open mind. Well, have a look and make up your own mind.

http://www.talk2action.org/story/2009/12/4/134435/084



14. 2009-12-18 12:15  
I spent some time on Fridae this morning reading articles and the comments left for the articles. There are more responses about the American who became Mr HK than there are on any other topic.

I feel we are like the frog in the pot who boiled alive because we are keep tolerating and dismissing key events when they happen. We can't see the correlation.

What is happening in Uganda and Rwanda right now can easily happen to us. It didn't not for lack of trying from the anti-gay christian right. Our memories are short. We have already forgotten the Aware EGM that took place in May this year. And we may have won that, but what has happened in the end? MOE now hires vendors who will provide abstinence-only sex education. Homosexuality is not mentioned unless it is condemned and derogated.

We have forgotten how we grew up, in an environment where there is no information about homosexuality. Any materials that we could find were all anti-gay. Some of us are lucky now, we walked out of the dark skies. But in 2010, we have another generation of youth who will not have accurate and objective information about sexuality and sexual orientation.

In 2010, half the world is fighting for gay rights and the other half is trying to revive hitler. This is really serious. If the right wing continues to infiltrate the government, what is there to stop the same laws from being instituted here? We take for granted that the government will not change. We forget the government is made up of individuals who are human and can be christian and right wing. When it starts here, no one will ask a question on BBC. It will just happen.
15. 2009-12-21 16:31  
Sign the petition here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/862034347
Comment #16 was deleted by its author on 2009-12-22 06:00
17. 2010-01-05 08:54  
I dont know if even Adolf Hitler went this far... certainly one could not count Uganda as a civilized society after this bill passes and more of a society of criminals than anything else. Many Ugandans will be seeking asylum from their own country after this obscenity becomes law.

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