Killing the Gays in Uganda
I hope by now you've all heard about the "Kill the Gays" bill in Uganda: The bill, proposed in December, would make homosexuality illegal. Homosexuals & those suspected of being homosexual would be subject to life imprisonment or death by hanging. This has, as can be imagined, produced a huge response globally from world leaders, LGBT rights advocates, and various religious organizations.
There has been coverage in the New York Times and in several various blogs of the whole process, including the role of American evangelicals and "ex-gay" reparative "therapists" in stirring up the already firey passions surrounding the issue of homosexuality in East Africa, particularly Uganda.
But maybe it's best to let Ugandans speak for themselves. Joachim Buwembo writes for the weekly East African Why we cannot turn a deaf ear to Uganda's homosexuality bill. He puts it in the perspective of the penalties faced by criminals who stole aid money and HIV treatment money and supplies from which thousands directly suffered and the proposed death penalty for consensual private acts which harm no one.
And here's a very interesting perspective to me: Donors blackmail on gays bad, where a man who opposes the anti-gay legislation argues that Western donors are blackmailing the government into a specific position (I suspect his perspective is also in reaction to colonialism). He also argues that the vigorous public debate about the bill may ultimately benefit gays by airing the issue in a closed culture. Y'know, assuming the bill doesn't become law and result in a rash of legal public hangings.
There is more worth reading at the Uganda Independent and in The East African, including:
In common, Islamic and Christian fundamentalism are growing because there is no competing secular cause. Public policy debate is dying in Africa, and what we have is homophobic fury in many countries. Political discourse has been replaced by ethnic hate rants.
We don’t need a great secular idea. Even an Africa-wide youth rebellion, demanding the right for young people to love, get high on marijuana, and party all night will unite the older folks to set them on the right path. (link)
There has been coverage in the New York Times and in several various blogs of the whole process, including the role of American evangelicals and "ex-gay" reparative "therapists" in stirring up the already firey passions surrounding the issue of homosexuality in East Africa, particularly Uganda.
But maybe it's best to let Ugandans speak for themselves. Joachim Buwembo writes for the weekly East African Why we cannot turn a deaf ear to Uganda's homosexuality bill. He puts it in the perspective of the penalties faced by criminals who stole aid money and HIV treatment money and supplies from which thousands directly suffered and the proposed death penalty for consensual private acts which harm no one.
And here's a very interesting perspective to me: Donors blackmail on gays bad, where a man who opposes the anti-gay legislation argues that Western donors are blackmailing the government into a specific position (I suspect his perspective is also in reaction to colonialism). He also argues that the vigorous public debate about the bill may ultimately benefit gays by airing the issue in a closed culture. Y'know, assuming the bill doesn't become law and result in a rash of legal public hangings.
There is more worth reading at the Uganda Independent and in The East African, including:
In common, Islamic and Christian fundamentalism are growing because there is no competing secular cause. Public policy debate is dying in Africa, and what we have is homophobic fury in many countries. Political discourse has been replaced by ethnic hate rants.
We don’t need a great secular idea. Even an Africa-wide youth rebellion, demanding the right for young people to love, get high on marijuana, and party all night will unite the older folks to set them on the right path. (link)