Kill-the-Gays Bill Sponsor: Uganda Is Providing Leadership Where It is Needed Most

Jim Burroway

May 27th, 2010

Current TV’s Vanguard reporter Mariana van Zeller has posted some outtakes from their documentary “Missionaries of Hate“, which explored the events that followed the three-day anti-gay conference put on by three American Evangelicals in March, 2009, which ultimately culminated with the introduction of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, sometimes referred to as the “kill-the-gays bill,” by MP David Bahati. In this video, we see an extended interview with MP Bahati.

Bahati brags that many American Evangelicals who publicly condemn the bill have told him they privately support it. One wonders, which Evangelicals are he referring to?

Transcript

Bahati: “I’m proud. I’m proud to be a part of the cause to defend our family here in Uganda, but also to protect our children. That is very positive to me. The negative is in the way of fighting pressure from all over the world for people who are sometimes not really informed on what is the real issue we are fighting, are people who are just depending on what they hear in the media, and sometimes and most of the time being distortions.

van Zeller: How did you feel when you heard President Obama come out and specifically reject this bill?

Bahati: Fist of all, I have a lot of support for President Obama. He has inspired is, me also, of young people across the world. WE know he stood on the platform of change. But clearly we know that homosexuality is not the change the world is seeking, but the evil the world should confront. At the same time, I thought it was improper for a man who knows African culture, related to African culture, at the same time a man of great faith to use the platform of prayer, to go to the pulpit of God and try to convince the world to embrace sin. I felt a bit low that he could do those things in that fashion. But I will continue to pray for him and continue to love him, but I know that along the line what matter most is the people of Uganda.

van Zeller: Do you think there are other people in America such as Rick Warren who deep inside back this bill, support this bill but are now coming out and rejecting it?

Bahati: The many friends that we have, especially evangelicals in America, when we speak to them privately they do support us. They encourage us, but they are in a society that is very hostile. And we appreciate that and we say do what you think is right for your conscience. But remember at the same time remember we are engaged in a spiritual battle. We are engaged in a very difficult battle and it is important that you come out clearly. But we accept that they are in a bit of a hostile environment because America has… so of the many leaders in America been blackmailed by pro-gay communities. But we have support in America. There are people who support what we are engaged in. Many, many Americans don’t accept homosexuality as a human right, who take it as sin. They know it.

But how we treat these homosexuals is a matter that all of us disagree. There are those who think we should appreciate them, be tolerant of them. But for us we are saying, no we shouldn’t. We should call sin, sin because we cannot relate the Bible.

van Zeller: How powerful do you think this “gay agenda” as you call it, how powerful do you think it is?

Bahati: Well in terms of resources, in terms of propaganda, resource in terms of money, they are very, very, very powerful. And we know that what we are against us a spiritual battle in a way, and we know that our commander is God. So we think at the end of the day, we are more powerful than them. People who believe in heterosexual family, people who believe in God are more in the world than those who don’t believe in God. And so we think they are powerful, they have their resources, they have money, they are using public relations funds to realize, to work with the media to put a negative propaganda around this one, but at the end of the day I think the people of Uganda, the resolve of the people of Uganda has remained very firm and we think that God is using this small bill to shake the foundations of sin around the world. And also we think that God may be using this country, Uganda, to provide leadership in the area of moral issues where actually the world needs it most.

van Zeller: Many people say that the visit of three American Evangelicals to Uganda back in March and the conference that was held here was the main catalyst for this bill.

Bahati: Well, I think that that is in a way to be a bit insulting our country, that you’re suggesting that Ugandans cannot think for themselves. They cannot try to address the issues they are faced with. And it is somehow… refreshes the memories of colonialism, so it is something that is very disturbing.

van Zeller: What would you, what do you think you would do if you found out that one of your relatives is a homosexual?

Bahati: If I knew that my brother and my relative is a homosexual, and the laws of Uganda require that if I know that I should report to police, then I would really respect the law of the country and report him or her to police.

van Zeller: Even if that meant that he would have to spend the rest of his life in prison?

Bahati: Yes, because I know if he was kept around he would be doing something bad to our society.

van Zeller: So you think that other countries would use this bill as an example of something they should follow as well?

Bahati: I think this is in a way providing leadership in the world where it is needed most, especially where the moral values are really decayed.

PW

May 27th, 2010

There is no leadership in this bill. This bill is yet another example of why individual freedoms have to be protected against religious extremism. Mr. Bahati reasons that he knows that gays would be ‘doing something bad to our society’. Well, Mr. Bahati, how many people have suffered and died over the millennia because someone decided that about them? How many Christians have been declared ‘enemies of the state’ over the centuries? How can you as a leader be so blind to the reality that the legal gun you are pointing at gays can’t be turned against you? Why would you be so blind to the abuse of power this law represents and the ugly precedent it sets? You invoke the typical nonsense that it’s about society and the children, yet these kind of benighted laws undermine society because they attack human dignity and freedom. How free do you think the children of Uganda will be living under a government who decides based on the rhetoric of foreigners who deserves to live free? You speak of colonialism and resisting it, well that rings hollow given that you are listening and repeating the rhetoric of Americans who thank goodness are restrained by society and the Constitution from implementing vicious laws like this here in America.

Lynn David

May 27th, 2010

Totally delusional.

KZ

May 29th, 2010

He claims to be ‘pro-family’ but would turn a gay relative in to the police? Ugandans don’t need protection from homosexuals. They need protection from Mr. Bahati.

the skygod's burden

December 14th, 2010

“you’re suggesting that Ugandans cannot think for themselves… refreshes the memories of colonialism”
as if fundie christian “missionaries” don’t refresh the memory of colonialism?

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