Gay Marriage Watch » homosexuality

Syria: Being Gay in the Muslim World

scott — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:53:00 +0000

I noticed them mostly at night. In some corners of the narrow streets of Damascus’ old town, in parks or nightclubs, my attention was drawn to groups of men who looked, dressed and talked differently. Homosexuality in Syria’s capital is becoming more and more visible, despite the fact that it remains a taboo issue.

But my primary interest was not to write a sensational piece about a poorly understood social group in my part of the world. I wanted to show the courage of a group of people who were ready to defy strict social norms and discriminatory laws to assert their right to be different.

It was far from being a straightforward story, however. Between conceiving the idea of my article on homosexuality and actually writing it, I vacillated between excitement and hesitation. I even thought of abandoning the story altogether because I sometimes felt that I wouldn’t be able to enter the world of homosexuality. I was also faced with the difficulty of finding gay men and women who would speak openly to a journalist about their sexuality and their everyday problems.

Full Story from the Global Arab Network
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Kenya: Government Arrests 5 Planning to Attend Gay Wedding After Public Tip

scott — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:32:00 +0000

Kenya police on Friday arrested five suspected homosexuals in a coastal resort town after hundreds of residents protested over a planned gay wedding, a local official said. The five were among would-be guests at the wedding, which was meant to be secret. Residents learned about it and alerted the police, who raided a house and nabbed the men.

Homosexuality is illegal in Kenya and it was unclear who was to officiate at the marriage.

Local district official George Matundura said the couple who were to marry escaped from Mtwapa, a vibrant party town to the north of Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa, where the wedding reception was to be held. Matundura said the five — aged between 20 and 35 — will “undergo a medical examination before we charge them with homosexuality.”

Full Story from AFP
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Family Research Council Calls for Criminalization of Being Gay

scott — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:25:00 +0000

Is this Barry Goldwater’s party? On the heels of a bizarre poll that shows that Republicans almost unanimously want to bar openly gay men and women from teaching in government schools, we get a strange and scary outburst from Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council.

Peter S. Sprigg is Senior Fellow for Policy Studies at the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. Mr. Sprigg joined FRC in 2001, and his research and writing have addressed issues of marriage and family, human sexuality, the arts and entertainment, and religion in public life. And tonight, in the year 2010, Mr. Sprigg called for the criminalization of homosexuality:

Matthews: Do you think we should outlaw gay behavior?

Sprigg: Well, I think certainly..

Matthews: I’m just asking, should we outlaw gay behavior?

Sprigg: I think the Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas which overturned the sodomy laws in this country was wrongly decided. I think there would be a place in this country for criminal sanctions against homosexual behavior.

Matthews: So we should outlaw gay behavior?

Sprigg: Yes!

Full Story from Race 4 2012
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Uganda: "The Family" Involved in Effort to Criminalize Gays, Push Death Penalty for Homosexual Behavior

scott — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:29:00 +0000

The C Street home housing the Christian power broker group The Family, where Nevada Sen. John Ensign and South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford sought refuge and advice — is also notable for its involvement in another realm of anti-gay legislation: Uganda’s bill criminalizing homosexuality.

We already noted the religious right-wing’s support of making Uganda a home base for homophobia, but now comes word that America’s own Christian politicos are backing President Yoweri Museveni’s campaign to make gay sex punishable by death.

As Jeff Sharlot, author of the expose The Family, tells it, the bill’s biggest supporter is a member of The Family. David Bahati, the lawmaker pushing for aggravated homosexuality crimes, “appears to be a core member of The Family. He works, he organizes their Ugandan National Prayer Breakfast and oversees a African sort of student leadership program designed to create future leaders for Africa, into which The Family has poured millions of dollars working through a very convoluted chain of linkages passing the money over to Uganda.”

Full Story from Queerty: http://www.queerty.com/shock-john-ensign-mark-sanfords-religious-family-is-backing-ugandas-gay-hate-20091127/

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US Diplomat Condemns Proposed Uganda Anti Gay Law

scott — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:55:00 +0000

Diplomatic representatives from the USA and France are the latest to condemn a recently tabled anti-gay Bill in Uganda, which calls for the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality”.

Humanitarian groups have called the legislation “appalling”. But there is deep concern about the number of religious figures inside and outside the country who have supported, condoned or failed to speak out on a measure which the US embassy in Kampala told news agency AFP yesterday (4 November 2009) “would mark a major setback in the promotion of human rights” if it became law.

“If adopted, a bill further criminalising homosexuality would constitute a significant step backwards for the protection of human rights in Uganda,” the embassy’s public affairs officer Joann Lockard declared.

“We urge states to take all 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 detention.”

Full Story from Spero News: http://www.speroforum.com/a/22116/US-diplomat-condemns-antigay-law-in-Uganda

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US Christian Right Wing Pushing for Criminalization of Homosexuality in Uganda

scott — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:13:00 +0000

On 14 October 2009 the Hon. David Bahati (MP, Ndorwa County West, Kabale) tabled a private-members bill before the Ugandan parliament titled the ‘Anti-Homosexuality Bill’. When it was tabled, the Minister for Ethics and Integrity Dr James Nsaba Butoro made a strong statement in support of the bill and for the greater sanction of individuals and organisations supporting homosexuality.

The bill is aimed at increasing and expanding penalties for ‘homosexual acts’ and for all institutions (including NGOs, donors and private companies) who defend the rights of people who engage in sexual relations with people of the same gender. The bill also calls for Uganda to withdraw from all international treaties and conventions which support the rights of lesbians, gays and bisexuals, introduces extradition arrangements for Ugandan citizens who perform ‘homosexual acts’ abroad, and includes legal penalties for people who fail to report alleged homosexual acts or individuals and institutions that promote homosexuality or same-sex marriage to the authorities.

The death penalty is mandated for HIV-positive people who engage in sex with people of the same gender. The tabling of the bill has been accompanied by threats against any Ugandan media organisation that allows LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) Ugandans to air their views or publish press statements.

Full Story from All Africa: http://allafrica.com/stories/200910161126.html

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