Ugandan newspaper outs gays in gay-murdering country -- Now with Plagiarism & Copyright Violation

Alessandra Kelley · Feb 25, 2014

Ugandan newspaper outs gays in gay-murdering country -- Now with Plagiarism & Copyright Violation

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-26338941

Yesterday President Yoweri Museveni signed the Ugandan law that makes the harsh penalties of homosexual activity even harsher, up to life imprisonment, and clarifies that women are also to be punished.

This is the "nice" version of the law, which in earlier drafts included criminalization of all who fail to turn informant against gay people and the death penalty. The original law was toned down under pressure from Western governments alarmed about human rights and Uganda's recent history of scapegoating and murdering gays.

Today the Ugandan newspaper "Red Pepper" named and showed photos of 200 Ugandan homosexuals, not all of whom were public about it, stoking fears of an acceleration of the currently simmering witch-hunt.

UPDATE: And they stole a photojournalist's article entire to do it, adding plagiarism and copyright violation to the mix. See post #22, below.

Alessandra Kelley · Feb 25, 2014

And once again, a bit of background. Uganda has no particular history of gay-bashing (except for ancient, little-regarded, colonial-era laws) until five years ago when three American missionaries, Scott Lively, Caleb Lee Brundidge, and Don Schmierer started spreading anti-gay poison in Uganda. He are links to news stories about the development.

Alessandra Kelley said:
I think it's actually about countries like Uganda, which in recent years, egged on by American missionaries, has basically established a genocidal pogrom against gays and lesbians.

EDIT: As requested, some references for my strongly-worded post. They are scary reading:

A full report: The U.S. Christian Right and the Attack on Gays in Africa, by Kapya Kaoma

Americans’ Role Seen in Uganda Anti-Gay Push (New York Times, January 3, 2010)

Anti-imperialism as a hand-washing strategy (The Economist, March 11, 2010)

Exporting Homophobia: American far-right conservative churches establish influence on anti-gay policy in Africa, by Jody May-Chang (Boise Weekly, September 8,2010)

Outcry as Ugandan paper names 'top homosexuals', by Simon Akam (the Independent, October 22, 2010)

Targeted Ugandan Gay Activist Murdered, by Nancy Goldstein (The Nation, January 27, 2011)

(The three American missionaries who gave the seminars in Uganda in March of 2009 were Scott Live1y, Ca1eb Lee Brundidge, and Don Schm1erer)

regdog · Feb 25, 2014

And the newspaper knows these are homosexuals how?

Disgusting, it reeks of little more than Witch Hunting. Anyone with a grudge can make and accusation and in a country ruled by hate, you're dead.

Torgo · Feb 25, 2014

The first time, it was just possible to argue that they didn't realise that they were inciting murder. But then the man they outed was murdered, so.

This time, they have knowingly incited the murder of 200 people.

I cannot imagine anything more despicable and evil. Shame on them. I imagine they would claim to be Christians. Christ would kick them out of the Temple.

Charging Boar · Feb 25, 2014

First of all, I think nothing is wrong with being gay and it being a punishable offense sounds like something we ought to be hearing in high school or college classes about the past. That said, even if this were ok, which it isn't, everyone is Uganda must be terrified of being accused of being gay. It's like the Salem Witch Hunt. 'Oh shes a witch, she is to..." better be safe and kill 'em both.

waylander · Feb 25, 2014

Time to withdraw every pound of aid that the UK is sending to Uganda.

Torgo · Feb 25, 2014

waylander said:
Time to withdraw every pound of aid that the UK is sending to Uganda.

But, you know, this bothers me, because I don't want anyone to suffer as a result of bad laws passed by bigots except for the bigots. And withdrawing aid is the sort of thing that tends to hit the least powerful people in the society. I mean, I'd like for it to be an effective message - I am kind of half-assedly boycotting Russian stuff already, for similar reasons, and maybe I would like it if my half-assed activism were to coalesce with the same from other people and actually put a dent in Russia's balance of trades, etc. I just don't know what might be the effective economic levers to lean on, and then I start to worry that I'm being a colonialist bastard anyway, and then I don't know what to think. Thus conscience does make cowards of us all. (All us liberals, anyhow, in this context.)

What I find distressing is that - putting all moral relativism aside - this just seems viscerally evil to me in the way that perhaps Jim Crow seemed viscerally evil to my dad, and yet I can't think of a way to help. What is there to do about it? What will heal this wound?

Alessandra Kelley · Feb 25, 2014

The article says that Norway and Denmark are bypassing the Ugandan government entirely and giving their $17 million of aid directly to Ugandan non-government organizations.

Torgo · Feb 25, 2014

Alessandra Kelley said:
The article says that Norway and Denmark are bypassing the Ugandan government entirely and giving their $17 million of aid directly to Ugandan non-government organizations.

Sounds a reasonable alternative.

Zoombie · Feb 25, 2014

So, uh...is it bad that I want to charge Scott Lively, Caleb Lee Brundidge, and Don Schmierer with murder for every single Ugandan slain in this madness?

kuwisdelu · Feb 25, 2014

Alessandra Kelley said:
And once again, a bit of background. Uganda has no particular history of gay-bashing (except for ancient, little-regarded, colonial-era laws) until five years ago when three American missionaries, Scott Lively, Caleb Lee Brundidge, and Don Schmierer started spreading anti-gay poison in Uganda. He are links to news stories about the development.

Ugh, why does this sound so familiar...

raburrell · Feb 25, 2014

Scott Lively is currently on trial up here in MA for 'Crimes Against Humanity'. It's a weird case involving an obscure law and he's likely to prevail, unfortunately.

Anyhow, bringing that up is easier for me than describing the despair stories like this one make me feel. As they say, Jesus wept.

eta: Lively also played a large role in Russia's recent anti-gay downslide. (See link above). I don't have an English-language source handy, but the scuttlebutt is that it mostly started in its current form when he delivered backing of the Russian Orthodox church to Putin.

RedRajah · Feb 25, 2014

And the hate is spreading elsewhere in Africa.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/...ngodly_vermin_how_america_should_respond.html

Filigree · Feb 25, 2014

I'd support prosecution for those three 'missionaries' and any like them.

JimmyB27 · Feb 26, 2014

Zoombie said:
So, uh...is it bad that I want to charge Scott Lively, Caleb Lee Brundidge, and Don Schmierer with murder for every single Ugandan slain in this madness?

Filigree said:
I'd support prosecution for those three 'missionaries' and any like them.

Are any of them still in Uganda? Can we out them as gay?

JimmyB27 · Feb 26, 2014

Oh, and can we add this arsehole to the list?

Alessandra Kelley · Mar 10, 2014

It looks like the Ugandan law makes no distinction between homosexuals and transsexuals.

RedRajah · Mar 10, 2014

Cameroon has also been suffering from murderous homophobia.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/18/cameroon-gay-rights-activist-killed

SWest · Mar 11, 2014

Global telecom company Orange let their advertising contract with Red Pepper expire on March 6th. They say they will not renew.

Washington Post blurb here.

Alessandra Kelley · Mar 13, 2014

Scott Lively has popped up in the news again.

He has called Vladimir Putin a "defender of true human rights" for Russia's anti-gay pogrom, and he blames homosexuals for Russia's invasion and attempted annexation of Crimea away from Ukraine.

Torgo · Mar 13, 2014

Alessandra Kelley said:
Scott Lively has popped up in the news again.

He has called Vladimir Putin a "defender of true human rights" for Russia's anti-gay pogrom, and he blames homosexuals for Russia's invasion and attempted annexation of Crimea away from Ukraine.

I'm sorry to lapse into somewhat intemperate language, but what an evil fucking scumbag.

Alessandra Kelley · Mar 17, 2014

It turns out that not only did the Ugandan newspaper "Red Pepper" publish the names and photos of Ugandan gay people they plagiarised someone's work to do it.

Photojournalist Denver David Robinson published his compassionate essay about the vibrant Ugandan LGBT community in "The Advocate" last year.

It was what "Red Pepper" reprinted as "Top Ugandan Gays Speak Out: How We Became Homos" last month.

As a further kick in the teeth, they gave Mr. Robinson a byline, as if he had written it for them or given permission.

Uganda reportedly has strong laws against copyright infringement.

Let us see if they are as fiercely applied as the ones against the LGBT community.

Chris P · Mar 17, 2014

Adding to the problem, most of the killings will not be done by the police, but by mobs. The police are notorious for turning a blind eye to mob justice. There is little recourse against the police as it is, and literally none at all against a mob.

I asked my coworkers who they thought this law protects, and they said it protects the children who are kidnapped, taken to Kenya and "turned" against their will by homosexuals. I pointed out that kidnapping and rape are already crimes, so who does this law protect? They stick to the idea that they are protecting children, even though there already are laws against all the things they say they are protecting the children from. I asked if being gay meant someone automatically abused children, and they just keep answering with dubious anecdotes about some sicko doing something unspeakable as if that proved their point. The idea here is that since God commanded procreation, anyone who is gay must have chosen to be that way, and therefore chosen to be evil.

When I said that adultery is against the Ten Commandments and asked if everyone who commits adultery should go to jail forever, they just laugh and say the entire country would be in jail. That's as far as that conversation ever gets.

I'm tempted to go on a rant, but let's just say I'm done here in August, and yes, I will be done here.

Plot Device · Mar 17, 2014

Alessandra Kelley said:
[Lively] blames homosexuals for Russia's invasion and attempted annexation of Crimea away from Ukraine.

Wow, blaming one social group for a nation's international entanglements. Takin' a play right out of Adolf's book, eh?

(Yes. I went and fucking Godwinned the whole thread right here on Page 1.)

JimmyB27 · Mar 17, 2014

Plot Device said:
(Yes. I went and fucking Godwinned the whole thread right here on Page 1.)

Sometimes a Godwin is no bad thing. If the boot fits...

Ugandan newspaper outs gays in gay-murdering country -- Now with Plagiarism & Copyright Violation

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