While it is a strong editorial condemning Uganda's proposed "kill the gays" bill, the Washington Post's editorial fails to connect the dots between American Christianists and the pending legislation in Uganda. Only by being exposed to the full light of day will future anti-gay efforts by Christian extremists be diminished. It is also important that the American public be made aware of just how dishonest and crazy these homophobes actually are - despite efforts by those like Rick Warren to distance themselves from the results of their handiwork. Ideally, the nutcase Scott Lively should be made the poster boy for the Christian Right because even though those like Warren, James Dobson, Tony Perkins and Maggie Gallagher try to put a kinder face on their anti-gay agenda, their goal of stripping gays of legal rights and protections is ultimately not so very different. Here are some editorial highlights:*
THE ANTI-HOMOSEXUALITY Bill of 2009 is an ugly and ignorant piece of legislation being considered in Uganda. If it is approved, the gay people of that nation would be subject to life in prison. This retreat from the death sentence originally proposed should neither be celebrated nor considered a concession by the government in response to pressure from the United States and other nations. The proposal is barbaric. That it is even being considered puts Uganda beyond the pale of civilized nations.
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The law would apply to citizens or permanent residents of Uganda, and would cover behavior both in and outside that country. The measure would turn neighbor against neighbor by requiring those with knowledge of a gay person to report them to police within 24 hours or risk three years in prison. A seven-year jail term awaits the Ugandan who "aids, abets, [or] counsels" homosexuals. And anyone convicted of "aggravated homosexuality," which could mean someone who is HIV-positive and is intimate with another person of the same sex, could "suffer death."
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[S]entencing men and women to life imprisonment because of their sexual orientation is an atrocity. Gays and lesbians would be punished by their own government for who they are. Contrary to the backward thinking of the Ugandan government, being gay is not a choice. But pushing homophobic laws that foment hate is.
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If Uganda approves the anti-homosexuality bill, it risks making itself a pariah among nations.
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THE ANTI-HOMOSEXUALITY Bill of 2009 is an ugly and ignorant piece of legislation being considered in Uganda. If it is approved, the gay people of that nation would be subject to life in prison. This retreat from the death sentence originally proposed should neither be celebrated nor considered a concession by the government in response to pressure from the United States and other nations. The proposal is barbaric. That it is even being considered puts Uganda beyond the pale of civilized nations.
*
The law would apply to citizens or permanent residents of Uganda, and would cover behavior both in and outside that country. The measure would turn neighbor against neighbor by requiring those with knowledge of a gay person to report them to police within 24 hours or risk three years in prison. A seven-year jail term awaits the Ugandan who "aids, abets, [or] counsels" homosexuals. And anyone convicted of "aggravated homosexuality," which could mean someone who is HIV-positive and is intimate with another person of the same sex, could "suffer death."
*
[S]entencing men and women to life imprisonment because of their sexual orientation is an atrocity. Gays and lesbians would be punished by their own government for who they are. Contrary to the backward thinking of the Ugandan government, being gay is not a choice. But pushing homophobic laws that foment hate is.
*
If Uganda approves the anti-homosexuality bill, it risks making itself a pariah among nations.
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Not only should Uganda be a pariah, but so too should the Christianists who set the stage for the introduction of such legislation. It is beyond time that the world recognize that Christian extremists are just as big of threat to peace and security as are Islamic extremist. The mindset is truly the same.
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