UNITED STATES/UGANDA
The Africa Report
From Oregon to Uganda: A “Lively” Legal Debate on Gays, Sex, and Christianity
By Joseph Hellweg
Most people have never heard of Scott Lively, an evangelical pastor living in the United States. But in Uganda he has developed quite a following—whether his followers know his name or not.
As the founder of Abiding Truth Ministries, he has played a leading role in furthering the so-called “anti-homosexuality bill” in the Ugandan parliament. First introduced in 2009 and subsequently revised, the bill would punish by fines and imprisonment anyone engaging in various forms of same-gendered sexual activity as well with those who shield such persons from the punishments the bill would impose.
Opposing the bill is Frank Mugisha, who heads Sexual Minorities Uganda, an advocacy group for lesbian, gay, and transgendered Ugandans. Mugisha accuses Scott Lively and other evangelical leaders from the U.S.—one might add Caleb Lee Brundidge and Don Schmierer to the list—of having helped draft Uganda’s anti-gay legislation. Mugisha has since secured the help of the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights to file a law suit on March 14, 2012 against Lively in a U.S. federal court in Springfield, Massachusetts. The suit charges that Lively has conspired to violate the human rights of lesbian and gay people in Uganda.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.