US Evangelicals to blame for violence against gays in Uganda

I want to make something clear from the onset: yes, it’s true if you’re an evangelical Christian, it does not necessarily follow you personally support the maltreatment of gays around the world. However, and this is my main point, you are part of an institution whose views and opinions regarding homosexuality shape a culture of hatred and murder. You cannot escape this reality; any money, time and effort spent spreading the “good word” directly influence events that happen in other countries, specifically because your church leaders have become obsessed with fighting the “sin” of homosexuality.

A few days ago, David Kato, a Ugandan gay activist, was beaten and killed in his own home. While the police maintain it was simply a robbery, the truth is they have done little to investigate this crime, and the reason is simple: the country has decided gays are the enemy. The drafting of the “Kill the Gays” bill had its inspiration from a very familiar source:

The bill was drawn up after a visit to a conference in Uganda by Christian missionaries from the US who believed that some homosexuals could change their sexual orientation through prayer.

“David’s death is a result of the hatred planted in Uganda by US evangelicals in 2009,” according to a statement from Sexual Minorities Uganda, for whom Mr Kato worked as an advocacy officer. “The Ugandan government and the so-called US Evangelicals must take responsibility for David’s blood.”

It matters very little now how many Evangelical leaders condemn this action. The damage has been done, and it’s unlikely to influence the hearts and mind of the very people they enraged in the first place. It’s like trying to put out a forest fire you lit with a bucket of water. It’s way too little, way too late. In any case, there are powerful individuals working tirelessly in secret to ensure gays and lesbians remain “enemy #1″ in the US and around the world.

“The Family”– also known as “the Fellowhship”– is a powerful and covert sect of American Christian evangelical politicians and ministers who seek a decidedly anti-gay extreme Christian agenda both at home and abroad, and through its words put this hammer in the hands of all potentially intolerant Ugandans.

The tabloid “Rolling Stone”, who a few months ago released a list of “known homosexuals” with the words “hang them” on it, has tried to defend its hateful rhetoric. The result is shocking to say the least:

After Wednesday’s killing, Giles Muhame, the editor of Rolling Stone, condemned the murder and said the paper had not wanted gays to be attacked. “If he has been murdered, that’s bad and we pray for his soul,” Muhame told Reuters. “There has been a lot of crime, it may not be because he is gay. We want the government to hang people who promote homosexuality, not for the public to attack them. We said they should be hanged, not stoned or attacked.”

Oh right, thanks for clarifying how they should die, Giles. I mean, a beating is so barbaric and uncivilized…it’s far better simply to hang them, am I right? After all, we wouldn’t want you to be portrayed as a dangerously homophobic lunatic that directly enticed the population of Uganda to engage in vigilante style justice…

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