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Loading...Uganda Gay Death Penalty Law Update – Why Isn’t the Church Denouncing this Bill?
With the introduction of a Ugandan bill giving the death penalty for a charge of “aggravated homosexuality” – gay sex with anyone under the age of 18, sex between same-sex partners if one is HIV positive, and gay sex with a disabled person, regardless of whether they gave their consent – international condemnation has followed, but not from everyone.
The French foreign ministry has denounced the bill in a statement sent to the AFP in Kampala, saying, “France expresses deep concern regarding the bill currently before the Ugandan parliament… France reiterates its commitment to the decriminalisation of homosexuality and the fight against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.”
Similarly, the British government has released a statement outlining its deep concern over the bill, telling the gay news website Pink News:
“We are concerned by the introduction of a private member’s bill on anti homosexuality in Uganda. Adoption of the bill could do serious damage to efforts to tackle HIV and its criminalisation of organisations that support homosexuality could, in theory, encompass most donor agencies and international NGOs.
“The UK, alongside our EU partners, has raised our concerns about the draft bill and LGBT rights more broadly with the government of Uganda, including with the prime minister and several other ministers, the Ugandan Human Rights Commission, and senior officials from the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We will continue to track the passage of the bill and to lobby against its introduction.”
However, the legislator who originally introduced the bill, David Bahati, remains defiant, not only defending the law but, in a piece written for Uganda’s Observer newspaper, praising it:
“The Anti-Homosexuality Bill is a nice piece of legislation. It aims at holding the integrity of Ugandans high in the sky.”
“The fact that the moral fabric of America and Europe has been put under siege by the supporters of this creeping evil of homosexuality should not suggest that we follow suit.”
Similarly the Ugandan Ethics Minister James Nsaba Buturo said in a separate statement, “We are really getting tired of this phrase ‘human rights’” following deep criticism from such groups as Amnesty International who have said that the law is a violation of Uganda’s own laws and its international commitments.
In a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and several other legislators have demanded “swift action” to prevent the bill’s passage into law. A news release from Baldwin’s office says:
“This egregious bill represents one of the most extreme anti-equality measures ever proposed in any country and would create a legal pretext for depriving lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Ugandans of their liberty, and even their lives,” Baldwin wrote, joined by Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Howard Berman (D-CA), Vice Chair, Gary Ackerman (D-NY), and Ranking Member, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). “Particularly given the United States’ substantial contribution to Uganda through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), we believe swift action is necessary to ensure Ugandan leaders understand this bill is wholly unacceptable and antithetical to democratic values,” they wrote.
The Secretary of State has been on a tour of the Middle East and has yet to comment on the tabled Ugandan gay death-penalty bill. However, her spokesperson had this to say:
“We are disturbed by violence, harassment, discrimination, exclusion, stigmatization, and prejudice directed at persons in all countries in the world because of sexual orientation or gender identity. We condemn human rights violations based on sexual orientation or gender identity, whenever they occur. We urge states to take all the necessary measures to ensure that sexual orientation or gender identity may, under no circumstances, be the basis for criminal penalties, in particular, executions, arrests, or detentions.”
A lack of response from leaders of the Anglican church has led to anger and speculation as to whether this is a silence motivated by fear that too strong a condemnation of the anti-gay bill could widen the divide currently afflicting the Anglicans.
Church leaders across Africa, and throughout the world, have threatened to break ties with the Anglican church if they continue to “weaken” on matters concerning homosexuality, ordination of gay priests, and also women the issue of women bishops. Anglicans have also been accused of Western imperialism by African religious leaders for trying to “export” their morality to Africa.
Still, the Church is compelled to denounce the death penalty provision of the bill as set out at the 1988 Lambeth conference in resolution 33 paragraph 3b in which the Church resolved to oppose capital punishment on the basis of the prevailing idea that all human life is sacred. Yet, as a body, they have remained silent.
That said, while religious leaders in Uganda have said they support the bill, they have opposed the death penalty stipulation, saying that imprisonment would be sufficient. MP David Bahati, who did not consult any police records while composing this bill, has admitted that he may retract that portion of the proposed law. This is at least some small, yet still awful, grace.
Dr. Warren Throckmorton, associate professor of psychology at Grove City College in Pennsylvania, however, has urged American Christians to formally speak up, and called for Ugandan lawmakers, and the public who support this bill, to “put down the stones”.
Saddleback mega-church leader Rick Warren, the man who President Obama controversially chose to speak at his inauguration, and who also says he ‘loves gays’ in spite of the fact that he has likened homosexuality to incest and urged his congregations to vote for Proposition 8 in 2008, failed to denounce the Ugandan gay death-penalty bill when directly asked for comment.
He has, however, reiterated that he has severed all ties with Pastor Martin Ssempa. Ssempa is a key proponent of the bill and a man Warren had allied with in the past as part of his missionary work:
Martin Ssempa does not represent me, my wife Kay, Saddleback Church, nor the Global PEACE Plan strategy. In 2007, we completely severed contact with Mr. Ssempa when we learned that his views and actions were in serious conflict with our own. Our role, and the role of the PEACE Plan, whether in Uganda or any other country, is always pastoral and never political. We vigorously oppose anything that hinders the goals of the PEACE Plan: Promoting reconciliation, Equipping ethical leaders, Assisting the poor, Caring for the sick, and Educating the next generation.
When asked if he is still allied with other Ugandan ministers and law makers that are leading the push for the bill, Warren has not yet commented. Evangelical groups in America, who Truth Wins Out founder Wayne Besen had accused of having a hand in the death-penalty bill, have also been largely silent on the matter.
Sadly, the voices of religious leaders seem to be what is most needed right now, and although condemnation may be going on in private, it is not enough. Any overt political sanctions against Uganda for the gay death-penalty bill will probably only exacerbate the situation and serve as “evidence” of the West trying to meddle in Africa’s laws and society.
While condemnation from religious leaders may also be met with similar dissatisfaction, it can be assumed that such action could, at the very least, carry more weight. The question is, do the world-wide Anglican and Evangelical churches that are involved with ministry in Africa, value the lives of gay and lesbian Ugandans enough to make a stand? If they do, they must speak out. If they do not, their silence could kill.
Read more: criminalization of homosexuality, death penalty, gay death penalty, gay rights, human rights, lgbt rights, uganda human rights, uganda lgbt
Photo used under the Creative Commons Attribution License, with thanks to Steve Conover.
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41 comments
+ add your ownDoes anyone remember the historical precedents for this type of witch hunt? Mcarthy hearings, The Japanese internment camps during WWII, The Holocaust, The Inquisition? The burning times? This is the first step on a dangerous ladder to genocide. If we dont fight this now we will have another shameful chapter in our human history of vile bigotry against our fellow man. Please, tell everyone you know about this issue, spread the word, spread the information, and fight the good fight against hatred. If GOD existed at all he/she would be crying.
This is a country that believes in witch doctors and that body parts of human albinos are magical. In my opinion, this is a backward and ignorant country. They might have started moving out of the jungle, but their mentality hasn't. How can a person believe in God and murder His children? This is and outrageous and cruel law. It is written by people who have no real idea of Gods Word.
"Yes" because if they believe in GOD as all of us should especially men of the clothe as they say they are because everyone is equal in the eyes of GOD because he created all of us in his imagine.
As I said before, logic seems to elude a great portion commentors here. The law has only been proposed - not passed. You want the churches to stay out of your lives and affairs in the US, but you want them to interfere in Government affairs in other countries. MAKE UP YOUR MINDS......
Church should be against this particular law as it this law is condemning people because of their gay life style and thus ok to be sentenced to death. Where is their Christian belief that we are all God's creatures and should be protected? They yell in front of abortion clinics - they should be yelling about murdering people who happen to be gay. If it is their view that it is a human life, then why are they not standing up agains this new gay law in Uganda? It's very un-Christian thing to do. It is for God to make the final decision on people's life styles, not any church.
Sara, I totally agree with you about the HIV thing. and yes, if people really want to do something constructive about this, a Petition might be a good idea - as long as it gets delivered to the powers-that-be in Uganda and not sit on the petition site gathereing dust.
PS has anyone started a petition to stop this bill here on Care2?
To be fair the article is about why the church hasn't become involved in this bill. So it makes sense tha a lot of these responses are as you call it church bashing - from my opinion at least they aren't individual care2 member bashing. From what I read at least and to me that's a step in the right direction. The one thing that jumps out at me (I mean beyond the horribleness of this bill and how far back it sets gay rights and the ridiculessness of sentencing someone to die) is a consequence of this bill. How many people will not seek treatment or avoid going to the doctors with HIV for fear of being arrested and charged with "aggravated homosexuality" not only gay individuals but straight ones as well. HIV is a treatable condition and to scare people into avoiding treatment in this way is SOOOO incredibly wrong.
One minute you all shout about separation of state and church and then do a complete turn-around and condemn and vilify the churches for not interfering/intervening in a sovereign nations laws when it comes to gay issues. Is there no satisfying you? Trying to infuse some logic here is an exercise in futility. It's amazing how this kind of thread always turns into an orgy of Christian/church and God bashing. If you are all so concerned, why don't you all shut up and just go to Uganda and see what you can do there? Do you think any Ugandan legislator or other government official will come here and read all this nonsense? The churches didn't propose this bill, Ugandan officials did. So go there and try your luck. In the meantime - stop venting your hatred for the Churches/Christians/God/Jesus/Scriptures and people who are against homosexuality. It is their right NOT TO CONFORM TO THE WORLD just as much as it is YOUR right to CONFORM. Maybe I'm wasting my time as simple logic seems to escape a lot of people here.
Do religious leaders mind that homosexuals are killed ?
I would say not as much as they would mind accepting homosexuality as natural and healthy human behaviour.
So, they just sacrifice more people to their prejudices from old times.
It is too great an effort for lots of human beings to reconsider their false beliefs, or to even question their beliefs. Humanity is lazy, and well... So are her Churches, who will go very far to protect established order.
As far as letting innocents be assassinated when they could easily save them.
But look : Understand them... They already had to accept that the Earth is round and that it spins. And that Jeanne d'Arc was not the devil itself even though she dressed as a man... And that euchumenism is about letting even the Jews and the Muslim preach... Now, they are tired.
Poor guys.
Sophie
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