Scott Lively Endorses “Revised” Ugandan Bill. Do Exodus And Cohen?

Jim Burroway

January 10th, 2010

Scott Lively issued a statement dated today saying that he now supports the “revised” Anti-Homosexuality Bill. We have no idea what the revisions might be. Media reports indicate that it’s merely an elimination of the death-penalty provision, leaving the life imprisonment aspect intact, which is hardly an improvement given the prospect of spending the rest of one’s life rotting away in a Ugandan prison. Lively indicates that there is a forced conversion option, which would please him to no end. Of course, without knowing what the text of the “revised” bill might be, we have no way of verifying any of his claims which must be taken with a grain of salt.

In the lead-in to his statement, Lively says:

“I can\’t say that I necessarily agree with every element of the revised bill, but I believe this revision is an acceptable compromise under the circumstances and well within the prerogative of a civilized sovereign nation”

The bill, as currently written, has the following provisions:

  • It expands the definitions for homosexual acts, making conviction easier. Current law requires evidence of penetration. The new law would expand the definition of homosexual activity to”touch(ing) another person with the intention of committing the act of homosexuality.” Touching itself is defined as “touching—(a) with any part of the body; (b) with anything else; (c) through anything; and in particular includes touching amounting to penetration of any sexual organ. anus or mouth.”
  • Affirms Uganda\’s lifetime imprisonment for those convicted of homosexuality.
  • Defines a new crime of “aggravated homosexuality” for those who engage in sex with someone under the age of 18, who are HIV-positive, who is a “repeat offender” (so broadly defined as to include anyone who has had a relationship with more than one person, or who had sex with the same person more than once), or who had sex with a disabled person (consensual or not). The penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” is death by hanging.
  • Requires anyone arrested on suspicion of homosexuality to undergo HIV testing to determine the individual\’s qualification for prosecution of “aggravated homosexuality.”
  • Criminalizes “attempted homosexuality” with imprisonment of seven years.
  • Criminalizes “promoting” homosexuality with fines and imprisonment of between five and seven years. This overly-broad provision would criminalize all speech and peaceful assembly for those who advocate on behalf of LGBT citizens in Uganda . It could also be used against anyone extending counseling or otherwise aiding gay people. It would also criminalize any attempt to repeal or modify the law in the future, as those moves could also be seen as “promoting” homosexuality.
  • Criminalizes the act of obtaining a same-sex marriage abroad with lifetime imprisonment.
  • Adds a clause which forces friends or family members to report LGBT persons to police within 24-hours of learning about that individual\’s homosexuality or face fines or imprisonment of up to three years.
  • Labels landlords and hotel owners as proprietors of “brothels” and penalizes them with five to seven years imprisonment for renting to LGBT people.
  • Adds an extra-territorial and extradition provisions, allowing Uganda to prosecute LGBT Ugandans living abroad.
  • Voids all international treaties, agreements and human rights obligations which conflict with this bill.

Since Lively has lent his endorsement to a revised version of this bill apparently sight unseen. Assuming the death penalty is stricken and the alternative to rotting away the rest of one’s life in a dank Ugandan prison is the false “choice” of forced conversion, it is incumbent upon him to answer which of these provisions he thinks are “well within the prerogative of a civilized sovereign nation”?

Let’s face it, Scott Lively is irredeemably evil, fully earning his three spots on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s list of anti-gay hate groups. But what about the others? Exodus International board member Don Schmierer and International Healing Foundation’s Caleb Lee Brundidge cast their lot with Lively when they agreed to speak on the same platform with him. They haven’t fully condemned his continuing agitation in Uganda for a bill that he calls “a step in the right direction.” And, more importantly, they haven’t condemned Scott Lively’s hate-filled vendetta itself.

In fact, when Exodus International removed their link to Lively’s online condensed version of The Pink Swastika (which blames gays for Nazism and the Holocaust), they kept the tantalizing title “Homosexuality and the Nazi Party” which a quick Internet search lands the unsuspecting searcher onto Lively’s exercise in Holocaust revisionism. As for the link, Exodus now explains, “This opinion article by Scott Lively from 1995 is no longer offered by Exodus International.” Why not? Is it because they suddenly found Lively’s article objectionably after having provided that link since at least 2005? Or is it just because the “research” is out of date or that it’s no longer hosted on LeadershipU’s web site? Nobody knows and Exodus appears satisfied with that ambiguity. As of tonight, it’s still there. International Healing Foundation’s Richard Cohen hasn’t denounced Lively either for that matter.

Since they have not unambiguously disentangled themselves from Lively himself, their reputations remain entangled in his ongoing meddling in Uganda’s legislative process. And with that entanglement, they need to answer these questions: Do they agree than any part of this bill is a step in the right direction? If so, which parts?

Now more than ever, it is incumbent on Exodus president Alan Chambers, Cohen, Brundidge and Schmierer to fully and resolutely condemn Scott Lively and the other provisions of this bill, and issue a full apology to the LGBT citizens of Uganda who are suffering from the public vigilante campaigns which their conference sparked. They need to do this now before the idea of a “revised” bill being acceptable gains any further ground. It is long past time for them to call out evil by name.

But as I said, I doubt they will. To date, none of them have shown the integrity, the guts, nor the authentic witness of the Christian faith that they claim to hold so dear. Unless they separate themselves completely, forcefully, and without reservation from this unconscionable mess, Uganda will forever be their legacy and their cowardly silence will become the indelible image of Christ seen by LGBT people the world over. And thousands of Ugandans — and many more thousands of Americans — will never forget it.

Click here to see BTB\’s complete coverage of recent anti-gay developments in Uganda.

Lynn David

January 11th, 2010

Exodus removed the link to Lively’s article I think on 8/9 March 2009. If you search through Dr Throckmorton’s blog I think… ok, I found it on 25 June 2009 Leadership U took the Lively article down after Throckmorton published a series of blog posts critical of Lively’s revisionist history. See: Leadership Universiity Removes Homosexuality and the Nazi Party Article. So I would not necessarily fault Exodus; although I find their statement on that page to have be “funny.” But Exodus has spoken out in their letter with now Schmierer as a signatory that they are against any sort of criminalization of homosexuality. Though I agree that it was somewhat vague and tended more to a ‘don’t make the ministries criminal’ side.

But as concerns Schmierer/Exodus/Lively, my opinion has always been that Schmierer is the one who put the link to Lively’s work on Exodus. I keep going back to that fellow’s impression of what Schmierer related to him over the Atlantic, ‘the Nazis were all gay.’ And ‘Africa is a big focus for them – it’s religious and predominantly anti-gay, and Exodus wants to keep it that way.’

Schmierer and Lively have had ties through the WCF – World Congress of Families. And I wonder why the WCF did not come to Lively’s aid, although perhaps they think Lively didn’t need it. Or could it be they actually see the harm Lively did in Uganda. Ok… that made me laugh…. but not in a good way.

Lynn David

January 11th, 2010

And Bahati himself either doesn’t know what is in the bill or is lying about it to other he was recently quoted in an article on Afik.com:

“The pro-gays have made the world believe that whoever will be found guilty of getting involved in homosexuality will be sentenced to death. No. Only when an adult forces a child or someone under the age of 18 into homosexuality, that is where death penalty should apply,” he continued.

According to him, he has the support of most Members of Parliament and they are collectively pushing on the bill. He said he can not withdraw the bill as some government officials are considering to request him to do.

Too bad he doesn’t know the difference between pederasty and homosexuality though.

Aaron

January 11th, 2010

“To date, none of them have shown the integrity, the guts, nor the authentic witness of the Christian faith that they claim to hold so dear. ”

Amen. I continue to pray for them. They are very lost.

VANESSA

March 10th, 2010

you are disgusting you are promoting hatred and intolerance for people who are “different “or “wrong” according to your opinions. Why can’t you leave people alone who are in love and actually focus on things that are important like teaching others about gods love or how should we spread gods message by living by example. Without hate, without lies, without targeting others while your own life has sin, like in the bible for which who has committed no sin may he/she cast the first stone. You as a Christian should love everyone because every single human being is a child of god and should be treated with love and kindness. You are entitled to your own opinions,beliefs, and choices. I’ve grown up in a Christian family as well as went to a
Christian school for awhile as well as took bible class. There are many ways to interpret the bible but really you need to just do what god would want and the main message is to teach love just as Jesus did no matter how much hate, intolerance and just a lack of willing to accept something different. If i would actually see a Christian live a life like they are supposed to, i am not saying that u have to be perfect but whenever u sin you pray and ask for forgiveness but live a life of love and understanding people will actually notice how you stand out in a world full of hate and fakeness. No more talking and pointing out others faults or things that you may not like while you are living a life of lies. There are more important messages out there to focus on like the way young people are living the lack of respect, the way this generation is going down the wrong path because of drugs, violence, sex, and just a lack of interest to better themselves and thinking they should act like what the media portrays or what they see from bad examples . BY Trying to protay themselves as “older” by cursing acting like a criminal trying to just make themselves go down a road that will lead no where. So you need to focus on that and even more things. So you guys are just a big disappointment to me and a horrible example of what being Christian is supposed to be. I hope you realize that you are spreading hate and sending the opposite message that god wants you to send. This just makes me sick.

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