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Anti-Homosexuality in Africa - and the influence of American Evangelists
Earlier this month, a Presidential Commission in Uganda recommended against passing an anti-homosexuality bill (proposed last year) which punishes homosexuals with life imprisonment (and the death penalty for repeat "offenses" or being an HIV-positive gay) and imprisonment for others who refuse to inform the police about people they know to be homosexuals.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda_Anti-Homosexuality_Bill
While the bill appears to be overwhelmingly supported by the public, the only reason it hasn't yet passed is because Uganda's economy is hugely supported by foreign aid (to the extent of about a third), and there has been a strong backlash from donor nations. Sweden, for instance, has threatened to pull all aid if the bill passes.
I recently watched an investigative report on this issue made by Peabody Award winner and journalist, Mariana van Zeller, working with the Vanguard documentary series:
LINK to documentary (watch it!) ====> http://www.hulu.com/watch/150328/vanguard-missionaries-of-hate
We will have to wait and see how this plays out over the coming months. Among the American Evangelical preachers who were key players in Uganda, the only prominent one who has openly denounced the bill appears to be Rick Warren. Others, like Scot Lively support the bill, but oppose the death penalty requirement. Within Uganda, some proponents of the bill (especially Catholic churches) are pushing for a version of the bill without the death penalty, expecting that it will then see weaker opposition from foreign influences.
Feel free to voice your thoughts on the issue, but please stay on topic. It is much too easy to drift away into tangential discussions, so let's try to be mindful of that.
Other references:
1. " Homosexuality in “Traditional” Sub-Saharan Africa and Contemporary South
Africa" (2005), Stephen O. Murray - [link to pdf file]
2. MSNBC's Rachel Maddow ran a series on this issue:
3. AP article about progress of the bill, Jan 2010: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/08/AR2010010803673.html
Earlier this month, a Presidential Commission in Uganda recommended against passing an anti-homosexuality bill (proposed last year) which punishes homosexuals with life imprisonment (and the death penalty for repeat "offenses" or being an HIV-positive gay) and imprisonment for others who refuse to inform the police about people they know to be homosexuals.
Wikipedia said:The African nation of Uganda proposed an Anti-Homosexuality Bill on 13 October 2009 that would, if enacted, broaden the criminalisation of homosexuality by introducing the death penalty for people who have previous convictions, are HIV-positive, or engage in same sex acts with people under 18 years of age. The bill also includes provisions for Ugandans who engage in same-sex sexual relations outside of Uganda, asserting that they may be extradited for punishment back to Uganda, and includes penalties for individuals, companies, media organisations, or non-governmental organisations that support LGBT rights.
Homosexuality is currently illegal in Uganda—as it is in many sub-Saharan African countries—punishable by incarceration in prison for up to 14 years. The proposed legislation in Uganda, however, has been noted by several news agencies to be inspired by American evangelical Christians. A special motion to introduce the legislation was passed a month after a two-day conference was held where three American Christians asserted that homosexuality was a direct threat to the cohesion of African families. The bill, the government of Uganda, and the evangelicals involved have received significant international media attention and criticism from Western governments, some of whom have threatened to cut off financial aid to Uganda. The bill may soften the strongest penalties for the most egregious offenses to life imprisonment.
Uganda's parliament was predicted to enter discussions about passing the bill in late February or March 2010.[1] However, intense international reaction to the bill caused President Yoweri Museveni to form a commission to investigate the implications of passing the bill. In May 2010 the committee recommended withdrawing it.[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda_Anti-Homosexuality_Bill
While the bill appears to be overwhelmingly supported by the public, the only reason it hasn't yet passed is because Uganda's economy is hugely supported by foreign aid (to the extent of about a third), and there has been a strong backlash from donor nations. Sweden, for instance, has threatened to pull all aid if the bill passes.
I recently watched an investigative report on this issue made by Peabody Award winner and journalist, Mariana van Zeller, working with the Vanguard documentary series:
LINK to documentary (watch it!) ====> http://www.hulu.com/watch/150328/vanguard-missionaries-of-hate
We will have to wait and see how this plays out over the coming months. Among the American Evangelical preachers who were key players in Uganda, the only prominent one who has openly denounced the bill appears to be Rick Warren. Others, like Scot Lively support the bill, but oppose the death penalty requirement. Within Uganda, some proponents of the bill (especially Catholic churches) are pushing for a version of the bill without the death penalty, expecting that it will then see weaker opposition from foreign influences.
Feel free to voice your thoughts on the issue, but please stay on topic. It is much too easy to drift away into tangential discussions, so let's try to be mindful of that.
Other references:
1. " Homosexuality in “Traditional” Sub-Saharan Africa and Contemporary South
Africa" (2005), Stephen O. Murray - [link to pdf file]
2. MSNBC's Rachel Maddow ran a series on this issue:
3. AP article about progress of the bill, Jan 2010: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/08/AR2010010803673.html
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