By Paul Shepard on Jan 27th 2011 3:47PM
Filed under: News, Politics, Race and Civil Rights
Gay bashing has real consequences.
And in Uganda, where gay bashing is common sport, it can be blamed for taking the life of activist David Kato who had his name and photo appear in an anti-gay newspaper under the headline "Hang Them."
Kato was beaten to death with a hammer by an intruder who entered his home.
Though police said robbery appeared to be the motive since some items were taken, gay activists say that Kato's outspoken defense of gays was more likely the reason he was targeted for death.
I think they are right.
The gay activists are blaming U.S. evangelical leaders including Scott Lively, Caleb Lee Brundidge and Don Schmierer, for fostering a climate of hate against gays when during a lecture series in Uganda in 2009.
A month after the conference held by the evangelical leaders, David Bahati, a Ugandan politician and religious leader, introduced the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009, which threatened to execute gays and drew the condemnation of the civilized world.
In an interview on the 'Rachel Maddow Show' in December, Bahati said that while gay rights might fall under human rights in many parts of the world, gays will find no such protection of their rights in Uganda where conservative Christian organizations hold great political power.
Bahati also said that gays had an organized effort to recruit children into the lifestyle but offered no proof of his claim when pressed by Maddow, who is gay.
While American anti-gay crusaders may have planted some seeds of hatred among the people of Uganda, it is Bahati and his comrades in Uganda who have blood on their hands in the death of Kato.
Is it that surprising that the bigoted words of some so-called religious leaders in Uganda led to violence?
As a straight man, I have never understood why some other straight men like the evangelicals are so concerned about what goes on in the bedrooms of gay men.
If gay men, of proper legal age, want to have sex, is it anyone else's business?
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Comments: (49)
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By: Zenith on 1/27/2011 5:09PM
May this young activist rest in peace and may his family and loved ones be soothed with the knowledge that he tried to better the world during his stay here. Although I am not gay, I believe that everyone has a right to live in peace with dignity and a respect for privacy.
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By: truwajwa@aol.com on 1/31/2011 3:39PM
Although I am not gay, I believe that everyone has a right to live in peace with dignity and a respect for privacy.
This man tried to push an issue that was totally against his country's morality stance. Look at the following information about our country and see if you don't think our laws have two separate divisions based on gender. You will also see how our country is non-apologic its its injustice. Both child sexual criminals should be treated the same. Children of molestation suffer.
"Amber Jennings
Age at time of offense: 30 Location: Dudley, MA Occupation: High School English Teacher Lover
[notice term of sex victim--lover, not victim]: 16 year-old male student Crime: Emailing nude
pictures and video of herself to a former student. Pled guilty to “disseminating harmful materials
to a minor”.
Sentence: 2 years probation"
"Amy Beck
Age: 33 Location: Burbank, California Title: Former English and Social Studites teacher at David
Starr Jordan Middle School
Lover[notice term of sex victim--lover, not victim]: 14 year old boy Crime: 4 counts of unlawful
sex with a person under 16 and 1 count of oral copulation with a person under 16
Sentence: 2 years in a state prison."
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By: Zenith on 1/31/2011 4:37PM
truwajwa@aol.com
Pedophilia and homosexuality are two different things. There are many children who are sexually abused by the opposite gender, is that OK in YOUR mind? Any form of sexual abuse is horrific, tragic and should not be tolerated.
Don't mix apples and oranges.
I stand by my original comment. Always have and always will.
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By: truwajwa on 1/31/2011 10:20PM
Pedophilia and homosexuality are two different things.[[[ I don't think so, both are controlled by the individual. If you say homosexuality is a born condition, how can you say pedophilia is not a born condition? Pedophils[male and females] want their way of life left alone without government interference. I don't care about the gender of the sexual criminal; I care about the children and that they are protected. My point in putting this female sexual criminal here was to show how our country permits it, if the sexual criminal is female--their weak sentences reflect their acceptability versus that of male sexual criminals. Uganda needs to do whatever it takes to keep their way of life. We should not try to force another country to follow our society's norms/abnormals since we have our own discriminations that are abundant.
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By: BG on 1/27/2011 5:51PM
People in some parts of Africa fumigate over the incarceration of Americans who believe in polygamy. They can not understand a Government that sends it's citizen to prison just because they want to have two wives.
Well, we can only say to them: That is the law of the land.
Equally too, if the law in these parts of the African nation will not support gay rights, so be it. Any punishment inflicted is held justified.
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By: Jamel on 1/27/2011 6:20PM
@BG, are you trying to say that the law of the land in Uganda is to break into someones house, rob them and beat them to death with a hammer, if they support gay rights???? Even if what he was doing, was illegal, don't you think he atleast deserved a trial by jury????
Thank God, I live in America.
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By: aj on 1/28/2011 8:58AM
disgusting when a person takes another persons life. no matter how advanced we become or evolved, as a human species, we waste the most precious gift of life, our brains and the reasoning. the things that seperate us from the animals. if thisman was killed for his belief and vocation, I feel sorry for the person at judgement day!
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By: Ebonyguy on 1/27/2011 7:27PM
I have a critism of this article. I am a hope-to-die follower of Dr Watkins and this will be the first time I have had even a small disagreement with an article penned by Dr Watkins. I am a gay man so of coursethis article is of particular interest to me, and needed to be published. The very last sentence however, makes me uncomfortable. I feel it should read "If gay men, of proper legal age, want to have SAFE sex, is it anyone else's business?
Unsafe sex does indeed become everyone's (or someone's) business. The spread of disease is everyone's business; Survival is the first law of human nature. None of us are perfect, or act with caution all of the time, including me. BUT it just is not OK if the sex is not safe.
The accelerated spread in the black community, the fact that Aids (never really was) but certainly is now not confined to Gays, and the correleation between the the unbelieveable rate of incarcerantion of young black men and the incidence of HIV all make SAFE sex an absolute priority.
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By: jamel on 1/27/2011 10:55PM
Ummmmmm dude, Dr. Watkins didn't write this article. If you read what you wrote, you'll see that you and the author of this piece actually agree.
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By: Sade on 1/28/2011 11:04AM
I thought the same too. He could be obsessed with him. And Safe sex or no safe sex, it's still no one else's business. You control, what you can control. You make sure, YOU don't have unsafe sex, but you can't make other's people's choices your problem. People have individual civil liberties.
It would be nice if everyone had safe sex, but you can't that control that, just control you.
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