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EZ RE
KLMNO THE WORLD Gays in Africa face growing persecution, activists say
CLASH OF CULTURES
Intolerance and violence force some into hiding
BY SUDARSAN RAGHAVAN
kampala, uganda —Persecu- tion of gays is intensifying across Africa, fueled by fundamentalist preachers, intolerant govern- ments and homophobic politi- cians. Gay people have been de- nied access to health care, de- tained, tortured and even killed, human rights activists and wit- nesses say. The growing tide of homopho-
bia comes at a time when gays in Africa are expressing themselves more openly, prompting greater media attention and debates about homosexuality. The rapid growth of Islam and evangelical formsofChristianity,bothespous- ing conservative views on family values and marriage, have per- suadedmanyAfricans that homo- sexuality should not be tolerated intheir societies. “It has never been harder for
gays and lesbians on the conti- nent,” said Monica Mbaru, Africa coordinator for the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, based inCapeTown. “Homophobia is onthe rise.” Fearing for their lives, many
activists are in hiding or have fled their countries. In Uganda, a bill introduced in
parliament last year would im- pose the death penalty for repeat- ed same-sex relations and life im- prisonment for other homosexual acts. Local newspapers are outing gays, potentially inciting the pub- lic to attack them, activists say. A day after a newspaper article
said that gays should be hanged, Sheila Hope Mugisha became a target. As the prominent gay rights activist neared her home, she said, boys fromthe neighbor- hood threw stones at the gate and chanted, “You are a homo.” Mugisharaninsideandlockedthe door. She didn’t leave for several days. “Here, homosexuality is like
you have killed someone,” she said. American gay activists have
sentmoney to help the communi- ty here. Western governments — including aid donors — have vo- cally criticized the bill and de- nouncedthe treatment of gays. That has angered conservative
pastors here, many of whom are influenced by American anti-gay Christian groups and politicians who say that African values are underattackbyWesternattitudes. Theysaytheirgoal is tochangethe sexual behavior of gays, not to physicallyharmthem. “In Uganda, we look at homo-
sexuality as an abomination. It is not normal,” said Nsaba Butoro,
SUDARSAN RAGHAVAN/THE WASHINGTON POST
SheilaHopeMugisha, a lesbian mentioned in a magazine article, said she was targeted by neighbors and stoned at her residence.
Uganda’s minister on ethics and integrity and a vocal supporter of the bill. “You are talking about a clash of cultures. The question is: Whichcultureissuperior, theAfri- canone or theWesternone?”
‘Unnatural acts’ Morethantwo-thirdsofAfrican
countries have laws criminalizing homosexuality. InMay, a judge in Malawi imposedamaximumpris- on sentence of 14 years with hard labor on a gay couple convicted of “unnatural acts” for holding an engagement ceremony. Malawi’s president pardoned the couple af- ter international condemnation, particularly from Britain, Mala- wi’s largestdonor. Gays have also been attacked
this year in Zimbabwe, and in Senegal their graves have been desecrated. Gays in Cameroon have been attacked by police and
targeted in themedia. InGambia, President Yahya Jammeh has vowed to expel gays from the country and urged citizens not to renthomes to them. Late lastmonth, Kenyan Prime
Minister Raila Odinga declared that gay people discovered having sex should be arrested. He later backtracked after his comments drew widespread anger from hu- manrights groups. A survey by the Forumon Reli-
gion and Public Life released in April found that 79 percent of Ugandans consider “homosexual behavior morally wrong,” with evenhigherpercentages inseveral otherAfricancountries. One exception is South Africa,
whose constitutionwas the first in the world to outlaw discrimina- tion based on sexual orientation and is among a few countries in the world that have legalized
what happened to SodomandGo- morrah? It is likemurder. It is like terrorism.”
Targets for violence On Oct. 2, Rolling Stone pub-
lished an article under the head- line “100 Pictures ofUganda’s Top Homos Leak.” The subhead read, “HangThem.” The tabloid published people’s
addresses and hangouts. Along- side a large photograph of her, the article described Mugisha as a predator who targeted children. Then it told readers where she lived. It was the latest in a string of
assaults over her life. When she was 16, Mugisha said, a neighbor rapedherafterhesawthatshewas not interestedinboys. “Hewanted to teachme howto
playwithboys,”Mugisha recalled. She became pregnant and had
anabortion.Her rapistalsoinfect- edherwithHIV, she said. “Inearly tried to killmyself,” saidMugisha, wiry with short-cropped hair and dressed inblue jeans, a red-check- eredshirt anda baseball cap. Three weeks after the Rolling
JEWEL SAMAD/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESS VIA GETTY IMAGES Moses, a gayUgandan man seeking asylum in theUnited States, hides his face as he attends a news conference inWashington.
Prevalent views Te percentage of people who consider "homosexual behavior morally wrong" in a survey of some sub-Saharan African countries:
Kenya
Ethiopia Nigeria
Senegal South Africa
Uganda
Guinea- Bissau
98%
Cameroon 98 96 95 89 86 79 69
SOURCE: Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life THE WASHINGTON POST
same-sex marriages. Still, even there, negative attitudes toward gays persist in many rural areas andtownships. Mbaru’s organization has seen
a 10 percent increase in reported attacks against gays in Africa in the past year, she said. According toSexualMinoritiesUganda,agay rights group, more than 20 gay people have been attacked over the past year here. An additional 17 have been arrested and are in prison. In recent years, conservative
American evangelical churches have had a profound influence on society in Uganda and other Afri- can nations. They send missions and help fund local churches that share their brand of Christianity. Sermons and seminars by Ameri-
can evangelist preachers are sta- ples on local television and radio networks across the continent. Someactivists saytheattacks in
Uganda intensified last year after three American evangelical preachers visited the country. In seminars attended by thousands and broadcasted over radio, the preachersdiscussedhowto “cure” homosexuality and accused gays of sodomizing boys and destroy-
ingAfricanculture.Amonthlater, a Ugandan lawmaker introduced the anti-homosexuality bill. “The religious fundamentalists
want to rule everyone. They want everyone to follow their religious agenda,” said Pepe Julien Onzi- ema, a gay rights activisthere. Uganda’s penal code criminal-
izes homosexuality as “acts against thelawsofhumannature.” But under the draft bill, even par- ents and teachers who fail to re- port an offender would face three years in jail; thosewho “promote” homosexuality would face a five- to seven-year jail sentence. The bill has provoked an inter-
nationaluproar,particularly from the United States and European governments that provide the bulk of Uganda’s foreign aid. Ugandan President Yoweri Mu- seveni has quietly urged lawmak- ersnot to act onthe bill. Giles Muhame, a 22-year-old
journalist inUganda’scapital, said the bill was shelved because of donor pressure. “Most Ugandans aretotallyagainsthomosexuality,” he said. Withafewcolleagues,Muhame
launched Rolling Stone, a conser- vative tabloid that is unaffiliated
withtheU.S.magazine. “TheBible condemnshomosex- uality,” Muhame said. “You know
DIGEST SWEDEN
Blasts kill 1, hurt 2 in central Stockholm Two explosions killed a man
and injured two other people in a busy shopping area in central Stockholm on Saturday, police said. The Swedish news agency TT
said it had received an e-mail warning containing a threat to Sweden and its people before the explosions. It said the threat was linked to Sweden’s presence in Afghanistan, where it has a force of 500 soldiers. TT said the warning, which
wasalso sent toSweden’s Security Police, was received 10 minutes before the blastsandalso referred to caricatures of the prophetMu- hammad by Swedish artist Lars Vilks. Police said the first explosion
occurred in a car containing gas canisters. The dead man was found at the site of the second blast, about 300 yards away. —Reuters
SUDAN
Army targets village in South Darfur Sudanese army forces attacked
a village in South Darfur for a second consecutive day Saturday in strikes that killed one person and forced at least 250 people to flee, according to the joint U.N.-AfricanUnion peacekeeping mission in the troubled western region of Darfur. The mission said that five peo-
ple were wounded in Saturday’s attack on the village of Khor Abeche, about 50 miles northeast of the regional capital,Nyala, and that one person was killed and 16 wounded in Friday’s attack. The mission says Khor Abeche
is known to be home to support- ers of elements of the Sudan Liberation Army, the only rebel group to sign a 2006 peace deal. Sudan’s army declared the
group a military target this month, accusing its leader of breaking the cease-fire and plot- ting to join other insurgents still fighting the government. —Associated Press, Reuters
Southern party urges yes vote on secession Amid heightened tension
ahead of referendum on indepen- dence for south Sudan, a south- ern official said for the first time Saturday that her party would openly campaign for secession, bringing a warning from the north’s ruling party that it might refuse to recognize the result. Southerners are expected to
vote for independence in the ref- erendum, scheduled to start on Jan. 9 and last a week. Anne Itto, a senior member of
the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, said the party would campaign for a yes vote, aban- doning a legal fiction that the movement was neutral.
—Reuters
Palestinians to decide soon on return to talks: Palestinian offi- cials said they will decide in com-
ingdayswhether to agree to aU.S. proposal to return to indirect peace negotiations with Israel, after Washington’s efforts to re- launch direct talks collapsed over Israeli settlement building. The officials also expressed disap- pointment with the Obama ad- ministration, saying the United States should have held Israel accountable for the latest im- passe, instead of saying both par- ties bear responsibility.
Crowds rally in Rome against Berlusconi: Thousands protested in Rome against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi ahead of a no- confidence motion next week that could sink his government. Families, pensioners and workers from across Italy streamed into the capital to take part in march- es organized by the center-left opposition Democratic Party. Berlusconi no longer enjoys an automatic majority in parliament since Gianfranco Fini, the speak- er of the lower house and co- founder of the People of Freedom party, broke with him over a string of scandals.
German police kill thieving cou- ple in shootout: Authorities in southwestern Germany said they believe a man and a woman who were killed in a shootout with police after robbing a bank in Karlsruhe were a notorious cou- ple known as “the Gentlemen Thieves.” The two, both Czechs, had allegedly committed more than 21 robberies in the region since 1995, making off with $2.6 million.
—From news services
Stonearticle,another tabloid,Red Pepper, said she had dated more than half the women in Uganda and published a photo that ap- peared to show her kissing her partner. She received harassing phone calls. Her uncle stopped talking toher. “If thebillbecomes a law, Ihave
to find a way to leave Uganda,” Mugisha said. Mugisha sought the help of an
advocacy group that helped her sneak out of her neighborhood and move to a secret location in anotherneighborhood. Jacqueline Kasha, another gay
rights activist, said recent victims included a lesbianinthenorthern Ugandan city of Lira who was doused with gasoline by her neighbors. Theywere about to set her on firewhen community lead- ers intervened. Many other gays have gone intohiding,Kasha said. She is one of them. To travel
around Kampala, she uses a taxi driver she trusts. She avoids the market and other crowded places. She rarely goes toher office. Moses SolomonMale, a pastor,
said gays were exaggerating their plight to get more funding from Western rights groups and seek asylum in the United States and Europe. “Homosexuality is not inborn,”
he said. “So it’s not inherent as a right.” Kasha andOnziema have taken
Rolling Stone to court, seeking to stop it frompublishingmore anti- gay articles. In a packed court- room last month, their attorney argued that the stories violated constitutional rights of privacy, dignity andright to life. A decision is expected Dec. 13.
Meanwhile, the magazine has kept attacking gays. “The world is under siege by
homosexuals,” Muhame said. “They want to control the world, andthey are startingwithAfrica.”
raghavans@washpost.com
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2010
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