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Uganda: the latest not so gay-friendly destination
While every city council and national tourist board seems to know the equation gay + traveler = big bucks, the central African nation of Uganda wants none of it. A controversial bill may soon pass that would not only outlaw homosexuality, but would also impose the death penalty against certain "offenders" and make it criminal to not report known homosexuals.Whence in Africa, most gay travelers know to keep it on the down low, however the new legislation would be sure to sniff them out by criminalizing anyone who "aids, abets, counsels or procures another to engage in acts of homosexuality". If convicted, people who know gay people would face seven years in prison. That includes hotel owners and landlords who rent rooms to homosexuals.
So forget Utah, the gay witch hunt of the century will occur in lovely Uganda, land of gun-toting child missionaries and toxic breasts.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
jou Dec 22nd 2009 12:15PM
Yet another reason to stay out of that chaotic continent, both for gay and straight people.
Glorious Dec 22nd 2009 2:55PM
I heard they were doing this to try and cut back the AIDS virus? That continent has lost hundreds of thousands of lives to HIV and are trying to get this epidemic under control. That in no way excuses killing gays, but I don't think they are doing it from Hate. Rick Warren and some other ministers and pastors are trying to intervene and get this changed. Killing is not the answer.
JOU Dec 23rd 2009 10:57AM
Glorious, tens of millions of people have died from AIDS in the Africa, not "hundreds of thousands".
There are countries in Africa where more than one third of the adult population is HIV positive. Gays have very little, if anything, to do with the African AIDS epidemic and making homosexuality punishable by death will have zero effect on the spread of AIDS. Persecution of gays is very common in African cultures.
There is practically no way to curb the spreading of AIDS in Africa. Simply too many uneducated people, poor or non-existent women's rights and archaic religions (mainly Islam and some forms of Christianity) which prevent the use of condoms.
Anyone who travels to Africa should consider that potentially every people they meet is HIV positive and act accordingly.
Jamie Rhein Dec 22nd 2009 7:08PM
The Gambia is also not gay friendly from the standpoint of the president.