Scott Lively Sued by Ugandan Gay Rights Group

Scott Lively

In 2009, Pastor Scott Lively was one of three American evangelists who traveled to Kampala and delivered a series of lectures about homosexuality to Ugandan audiences--which included police officers, teachers and politicians. As part of his lecture, Pastor Lively promoted the myth that the Holocaust was actually orchestrated by homosexuals. Shortly thereafter, a Ugandan politician introduced the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009 which would, among other things, make homosexuality a capital offense. Although the bill was temporarily shelved (having finally been revived once more last month), persecution of gay men and lesbians in Uganda reached new heights, as Rolling Stone, an Ugandan newspaper, ran a piece outing homosexuals and calling for them to be lynched. In 2011, David Kato--a prominent Ugandan gay rights activist whose photo was shown in Rolling Stone--was brutally murdered. In response to the increasingly hostile, anti-gay climate, the  gay rights group Sexual Minorities Uganda has filed a lawsuit against Pastor Lively under the alien tort statute. The lawsuit alleges that Lively's actions have led to the "persecution, arrest, torture and murder of gay men and lesbians in Uganda."

The full complaint can be read here.

Growing LGBTI Rights Movement in Anti-Gay Kenya

It is no secret that homosexuality is strongly opposed in many African countries, and the nation of Kenya is no exception. Under Kenyan law, homosexual sex (referred to as "carnal knowledge against the order of nature") is a crime punishable by up to fourteen years in prison. A 2007 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center revealed that 96% of Kenyans believe that society should reject homosexuality. In a 2011 survey by the Kenya Human Rights Commission, 18% of respondents came out to their families or were outted. 89% of those respondents who came out or were outted were subsequently disowned by their families. It further compiled stories of the respondents who told of being harassed by police officers, being forced to attend counseling sessions to end their "confusion", and how intersex children (oftentimes viewed as a curse in Kenya) are either abandoned or killed. However as a Trust.org article notes, there is progress being made in the field of LGBTI rights. Although it appears to be an uphill battle, Kenya recently held its first ever gay film festival early this month. In addition, a website called Freedom in Speech was created with the goal of giving a voice to LGBTI Kenyans. It may not be much, but all civil rights movements must start somewhere.