President Obama Lends His Voice to Gay Rights in Uganda

by Michael Jones · 2010-02-04 08:49:00 UTC
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ObamaHe may not have skipped the National Prayer Breakfast like many progressive groups have hoped, but President Obama did take the opportunity during his remarks to the annual "Family"-organized event to condemn a brutal anti-gay law under consideration in Uganda.

In condemning the proposed Ugandan law, which would establish the death penalty for some LGBT people and imprison many others, President Obama said that while the folks may disagree on issues like marriage equality, nobody should think that it's appropriate to kill or lock queer people up.

"We may disagree about gay marriage, but surely we can agree that it is unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are -- whether it's here in the United States or, as Hillary mentioned, more extremely in odious laws that are being proposed most recently in Uganda," said President Obama. He referenced a line that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made earlier in the breakfast, where she noted that she called the President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, to blast the country's proposed anti-gay law.

That condemnation is important. Members of "The Family," the evangelical network in D.C., are key backers of the Ugandan law. Some may even argue that without "The Family's" involvement, the Anti-Homosexuality Bill (as it's known) wouldn't even be an issue in Uganda. Yes, Obama's statements were just mere words, but they signal an effort by the White House to prevent Uganda from enacting this bill. Now here's hoping Obama's words reverberate both in Uganda, and throughout Africa, where he remains a very popular political figure.

For their part, Truth Wins Out, an organization dedicated to fighting back against ex-gay ministries and anti-gay myths, cheered the President's comments. Truth Wins Out is the organization behind an alternative prayer hour taking place today in more than 20 cities, where folks are calling for global equal rights for LGBT people. Truth Wins Out's Executive Director, Wayne Besen, said that Obama's comments were courageous, especially since they came before the evangelical network responsible for Uganda's anti-gay bill.

"We applaud President Obama for having the courage to confront those responsible for the heinous anti-gay bill in Uganda,” said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. “We hope that the President’s laudable stand makes it clear to Family members in the United States and Uganda that the world is watching. Religion can no longer be used to justify bigotry, intolerance and persecution anywhere on the face of the earth."

Here's a religiously appropriate "Amen" to that. Check out video of Obama's comments below.

Photo credit: The White House

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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