wednesday night i had the opportunity to attend a lecture by ugandan unitarian minister mark kiyimba at idaho’s black history museum. he’s touring the states to spread the word about the “anti-homosexuality bill” currently stalled in uganda’s legislature. this bill would mean:
* imprisonment for seven years for “attempt to commit homosexuality.”
* imprisonment for three years for anyone who fails to disclose that someone they know his homosexual, if they don’t report the “offense” to authorities within 24 hours.
* life imprisonment for entering into same-sex marriage.
* death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” in cases where the offender is a person living with HIV, the offender is a “serial offender,” cases of rape and incest, etc.
kiyimba estimates that 95% of ugandans are strongly anti-LGBTQIA, and if the bill comes up for a vote in parliament it will almost certainly pass, so it needs to be withdrawn from consideration.
a number of high-profile, evangelical, ultraconservative-christian american assholes have had a hand in creating this out-of-control homophobic climate in uganda. a few names: kenneth starr, pastor rick warren, mark tooley, stephen noll, senator james inhofe; and three lesser-known evangelical sacks of shit who gave a presentation called “exposing the truth behind homosexuality and the homosexual agenda” in kampala in march 2009: scott lively, caleb lee brundidge and don schmierer. here’s a link to local LGBTQIA activist jody may-chang’s article, “exporting homophobia,” which goes into detail about the american role in this atrocity.
We can only hope a bill like this will not pass. Thats horrible. Thanks for shareing.
ReplyDeleteThere is just no end to the human capacity for intolerance and oppression.
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