Will Obama Share a Stage With Uganda's Biggest Homophobe?

by Michael Jones · 2010-01-17 07:44:00 UTC
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ObamaIf it's winter, it means that it's time for the National Prayer Breakfast, the annual gathering held each February in Washington, D.C. sponsored by the network of evangelical politicos known as "The Family." Over the past few months, "The Family" has made international headlines because of its close ties to politicians in Uganda who are championing the death penalty and harsh jail terms for LGBT people.

You might think that "The Family" would want to distance itself from politicians who celebrate the murder of gay people. Think again. Because Uganda's largest independent newspaper is reporting that "The Family" has invited David Bahati -- the Ugandan Parliamentarian behind legislation that would kill gay people -- to attend their February National Prayer Breakfast.

If that's true, and Bahati comes to Washington for the National Prayer Breakfast, he'll be attending the event with President Barack Obama. Now we know that politics makes for strange bed fellows. But sharing the stage with someone who'd like to see a gay genocide? Well that would be like inviting Rev. Fred Phelps to a state dinner, and letting him use the Roosevelt china.

So far "The Family" hasn't confirmed that Bahati would be coming. But if you can believe Bahati, he's already received the invitation in the mail.

"I intend to attend the prayer breakfast,” Bahati told Uganda's Monitor.

Official details for the prayer breakfast are still sketchy. Obama is scheduled to be there, as is Spain's Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero (who, incidentally, supported the legalization of same-sex marriage in his country ... again, talk about strange bed fellows).

So far, dozens of world governments, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay, human rights organizations from Amnesty to Human Rights Watch, and the venerable Rachel Maddow have blasted Uganda and David Bahati for proposing this bill. Even pastors that were once close with Bahati -- Rick Warren among them -- have had to back away from this man.

We know that "The Family" isn't really keen on public relations, given the raking through the coals they've taken these past few months for having fingerprints on this anti-homosexuality bill. But are they stupid enough to invite a world leader who supports the systematic slaughter of LGBT people? If they do, President Obama and every sane politician in this country better think twice before attending their National Prayer Breakfast.

Because Bahati's presence would make this less about a breakfast of prayer, and more about a breakfast of violence.

Photo credit: Beth Rankin

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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