We have your number – Ugandan nespaper presents ‘gay list’

An Uganda Newspaper has published the list of top “homosexuals” or Ugandan gays on the front page with a bright yellow banner across it that read: “Hang Them”.

Names, photographs and addresses of the Ugandan gays were also made public . The paper’s editor, Giles Muhame, defended the list and said he published it to expose Ugandan gays and lesbians, so authorities could arrest them. Currently, a bill is being debated in the Ugandan parliament that is expected to pass within months.

If passed, the law will make homosexuality a capital offense that could result in a death penalty. The parliamentarian who sponsored the bill is known to have strong ties with some religious groups in the US. It is no secret that a significant number of African communities recoil from gay and lesbian life styles. This is rooted in both religious as well as a traditionally conservative society.

In fact, in Kenya someone caught in a homosexual relationship could face a good number of years in jail. But the radical approach being pursued in Uganda is surely extreme even to people who reject such lifestyle. What is disturbing is the involvement of some religious groups from the US in Ugandan politics, especially when these groups have managed (or been compelled by the constitution) to live peacefully with every lifestyle here in the US.

Homosexuality is not new on the African continent but the people have learnt do live with it for centuries. They deal with it by their own local institutions which work for them. It is surely not right for any external group to prey upon the ignorance and poverty of some Ugandan communities and the greediness of some politicians to move the country this way. What Ugandans deserve is affordable healthcare, education and war against malaria, which takes a child’s life every 30 seconds. More on this story here CNN Fox

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