Uganda's Gay Law

Does it come as any surprise that the motivation behind Uganda's proposed new anti-gay laws is religious?

Life imprisonment is the minimum punishment for anyone convicted of having gay sex, under an anti-homosexuality bill currently before Uganda's parliament. If the accused person is HIV positive or a serial offender, or a "person of authority" over the other partner, or if the "victim" is under 18, a conviction will result in the death penalty.

Members of the public are obliged to report any homosexual activity to police with 24 hours or risk up to three years in jail – a scenario that human rights campaigners say will result in a witchhunt.Ugandans breaking the new law abroad will be subject to extradition requests.

"The bill is haunting us," said Mugisha, 25, chairman of Sexual Minorities Uganda, a coalition of local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex groups that will all be banned under the law. "If this passes we will have to leave the country."

Homophobia may well find a ready audience in many African countries, but this is plainly excessive. What's going on?

Both opponents and supporters agree that the impetus for the bill came in March during a seminar in Kampala to "expose the truth behind homosexuality and the homosexual agenda".

The main speakers were three US evangelists: Scott Lively, Don Schmierer and Caleb Lee Brundidge. Lively is a noted anti-gay activist and president of Defend the Family International, a conservative Christian association, while Schmierer is an author who works with "homosexual recovery groups". Brundidge is a "sexual reorientation coach" at the International Healing Foundation.

The seminar was organised by Stephen Langa, a Ugandan electrician turned pastor who runs the Family Life Network in Kampala and has been spreading the message that gays are targeting schoolchildren for "conversion". "They give money to children to recruit schoolmates – once you have two children, the whole school is gone," he said in an interview. Asked if there had been any court case to prove this was happening, he replied: "No, that's why this law is needed."

Score another one for religious compassion.

Some of the comments at the Times:

I think anyone who knowingly infects another person with the HIV/AIDS virus should be executed. Seems to me The Ugandans lead the soft West on this. Well done Uganda.

The so-called liberals in the West are always trying to impose their notions on Africa. Uganda has been the most successful African country in reducing AIDS, this awful disease that the West exported to Africa as part of their foreign aid packet.

Who are we in the west to tell africa what is right and wrong?

Prepare for the inevitable influx of HIV infected asylum seekers to the UK. We can expect "our" government to be more concerned about the welfare of these Ugandans than that of the Britons.

Comments

[Laban]

"Does it come as any surprise that the motivation behind Uganda's proposed new anti-gay laws is religious?"

Not much of a surprise, I must say. Pretty much all world religions have disapproved of homosexuality (at least since the Greek and Roman civilisations crumbled) - and pretty much the entire world has been religious for that period. Secular societies like ours are a new phenomenon (and IMHO probably a short-lived one).

It seems a shame to invoke Godwins law in the first comment, but both the avowedly secular Soviet Union (post 1933) and the practically secular Third Reich weren't too keen either.

On the other hand, China seems to have a 'do what you like but don't frighten the horses' approach.

[Lina fonfina]

what in the hell are these people thinking, this would be a crime against humanity, that would be worse than any terrorism, killing people for simply being of homosexual or lesbian or whatever the case may be, that is no different from killing someone just because they're black or because they're muslim or asian or jewish or or ...., this bill nedds to be stopped, whatever we need to do to stop it. Please.

And listen, if we, in the west, can send the UN to help Africa with their problems they have, we definitely have the right to interfere when they're trying to pass a stupid law like this, like not enough people are getting killed for no reason already.

Ridiculous

[DaBarr]

Hey, if it's mean, cruel, narrow-minded, nasty, and will hurt people, the Faithful are gonna be right there with their tongues hanging out. If they ever do any good, it's always to clean up a mess the faithful made in the first place.

If you think you're "Faithful," if you believe in god/s, then you need to clean up the act of your own people. Religion is YOUR realm, and if someone of faith is doing this, and you do nothing about it, then you are tainted, too. Don't try to say you're not; we're going to paint you all with the same brush, from now on.

If you think being faithful involves going to church and baking cookies, but you're allowing anybody of faith to get away with crap like this, then you all get locked into the same dark room together. You can kick and scream and say "But I didn't do that!" but it's too late; you're all in the same bucket, now, from now on.

Make up your mind: As the song goes: "Which side are you on?"

[Patti Cook]

I agree that this will lead to the Ugandan version of witch hunts...if you don't remember, the people that were killed were accused by a group of teens for purposes of revenge...that is what will occur in Uganda as well. All one has to do is to "report homosexual activity" to the authorities and the accused will be gone. Want your neighbor's wife? No problem, just report her husband as being gay! Want your brother-in-law out of the house? No problem, just report him as gay! Want your sister to give you the cash she inherited from your father? No problem, just report her as gay!

The comment author from the times should watch his homophobic step...hmmm...wonder if he ever gets to Uganda?

[Gustavo]

Reporting sister as Gay? Sorry, get your facts right: Gays=MALE; Lesbians=FEMALE;

Horrid news in Uganda though - this has nothing to do with true Christianity which preaches unconditional love - Evangelicals are the stench in our midst.

[jay]

This is truelly devestating to human rights all together. However I fear that by interveening, we will only continue to make the world hate us (American POV). Uganda already has stated they find this as a 'Western Influence-therefore Westerners can get lost'. However, the reaction of most countries (including my own, america) seem to be that of shock ,disgust, and anger at uganda. For Gay rights at least-it is a good sign that these developed nations are appauled by these action.

[Bill Fisackerly]

Evidently you have not read the rest of the story - that Christians in Uganda have been protesting the bill and urging its defeat. Do not assume that just because a couple of nuts (who claim to be Christian) are involved means that ALL Christians (or religious people) agree with this. Don't spread more uninformed hate.