'The Family' Behind Vicious Anti-Gay Legislation in Uganda

[BurtWorm]

We should hold "Family" members in Congress (Hi, Stupak!) responsible.


http://www.talk2action.org/story/2009/11/25/132255/09

By Frederick Clarkson Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 01:22:55 PM EST

Africa has increasingly become a battle ground in the global proxy wars led by the American Religious Right. An important dimension of the struggle was discussed yesterday, by Jeff Sharlet, Talk to Action contributor and author of The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power, appeared on the nationally syndicated NPR program, Fresh Air, with Terry Gross. In the course of the interview, Sharlet discussed the role of such prominent Family members in the news as Sen. John Ensign, Rep. Bart Stupak and Rep. Joe Pitts.

Sharlet also revealed that the sponsor of the notorious proposed, Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Act, David Bahati's is a member of The Family, as are other leading advocates, as well as President Museveni. There is a growing international effort to stop the bill.


Here is the relevant section of the interview, from the transcript:

GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. I'm Terry Gross. Let's get back to our interview with Jeff Sharlet, the author of the bestseller �The Family,� about the secretive fundamentalist group that promotes its anti-abortion, anti-gay, pro-free market ideas with the help of several Congressman and Senators who are connected to the group, including John Ensign, Bart Stupak, Joe Pitts, James Inhofe, Tom Coburn, Charles Grassley and Zach Wamp. The Family is active in America and around the world.

Let's talk about The Family's connection to Uganda, where there's, really, a draconian anti-gay bill that has been introduced into parliament. Uganda already punishes the practice of homosexuality with life in prison. What would the new legislation do?

Mr. SHARLET: Well, the new legislation adds to this something called aggravated homosexuality. And this can include, for instance, if a gay man has sex with another man who is disabled, that's aggravated homosexuality, and that man can be - I suppose both, actually, could be put to death for this. The use of any drugs or any intoxicants in seeking gay sex - in other words, you go to a bar and you buy a guy a drink, you're subject to the death penalty if you go home and sleep together after that. What it also does is it extends this outward, so that if you know a gay person and you don't report it, that could mean - you don't report your son or daughter, you can go to prison.

And it goes further, to say that any kind of promotion of these ideas of homosexuality, including by foreigners, can result in prison terms. Talking about same sex-marriage positively can lead you to imprisonment for life. And it's really kind of a perfect case study and the export of a lot of American largely evangelical ideas about homosexuality exported to Uganda, which then takes them to their logical end.

GROSS: This legislation has just been proposed. It hasn't been signed into law. So it's not in effect and it might never be in effect. But it's on the table. It's before parliament. So is there a direct connection between The Family and this proposed Anti-Homosexual Legislation in Uganda?

Mr. SHARLET: Well, the legislator that introduces the bill, a guy named David Bahati, is a member of The Family. He appears to be a core member of The Family. He works, he organizes their Uganda 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.

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[RKP5637]

1. Consistently disgusting group, the "Family" members in Congress. The devil in disguise! n/t

[BurtWorm]

2. kick