Threats against Ugandan homosexuals worry US
By Dennis Otim
25th Oct 2010
The United States government has expressed concern over the decision by the editors of a new Ugandan magazine to identify Ugandan homosexuals.
The new magazine called the Rolling Stone printed the addresses and photos of 100 homosexuals in the country and called for them to be hanged. At press conference on October 21st, the Deputy State Department Spokesman Mark C. Toner condemned the publication.
“…We are concerned about groups in Uganda advocating violence toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender individuals. We condemn any individual or group advocating violence against others because of their gender, religion, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, or gender identity. This is contrary to fundamental human decency”, Toner said.
The US State Department Spokesperson also noted that the issue ties directly into what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said this week in her video statement on bullying against those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.
He added that the observance of human rights is inseparable from national stability. “…improved respect for human rights which are indivisible is paramount to Uganda’s long-term stability and development and we must all work harder to overcome bigotry and hatred”, Mr. Toner emphasised.
A website that operates under the same Rolling Stone name not only denied any links with the Ugandan tabloid but also described the article calling for Ugandan gays to be hanged as “…one of the most vile and hateful anti-gay screeds we have ever read”.
The website’s publishers also demanded that the Uganda paper stops using the name Rolling Stone immediately. “…Not only are we not affiliated in any way with the Ugandan paper, we have demanded they cease using our name as a title”, reads an article on the website.
Scot Long of Human Rights Watch said half the world’s countries that criminalize homosexual conduct do so because they cling to Victorian morality and colonial laws. “…Getting rid of these unjust remnants of the British Empire is long overdue”, he added.
The Executive Secretary of Uganda Media Council Haruna Kanaah said he is “…shocked and dismayed by the newspaper’s lack of journalistic ethics. The media should be balanced, accurate and fair. Intruding into people’s privacy, that is not journalism. It is witch-hunting”.
Giles Muhame, the managing editor of the Uganda Rolling Stone has however defended the newspaper’s radical anti-gay stance. He said journalists have a duty to expose “…evil in the Ugandan society”. END. If it’s Monday, it’s Uganda Correspondent. Never miss out again!
