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Ugandans hold
anti-gay protest
21 August 2007- Kampala,Uganda- Hundreds of people held
an anti-gay protest in Uganda's capital Tuesday and called for the deportation
of an American journalist who covers gay issues in the east African nation.
Pastor Martin Ssempa, spokesperson for the Interfaith Rainbow
Coalition Against Homosexuality, said: "Homosexuality breaks the laws of God,
the laws of nature and the laws of Uganda.
"We are asking the government to be strong and uphold the laws
of our country banning this repugnant practice in spite of great external
pressure."
Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda and carries a maximum
sentence of life imprisonment. A coalition of religious groups, including
Christians, Muslims and Bahai, organised the protest.
Ugandans 'have values'
Hundreds of people gathered at a Kampala sports ground waving
banners with anti-gay messages, including posters that said "Deport Roubos".
Katherine Roubos, a 22-year-old from Minnesota, arrived in the
East African nation in June to begin a three-month internship with the Daily
Monitor newspaper. She was assigned to cover gay issues in the country.
Eddie Semakula, a member of the Interfaith Rainbow Coalition
Against Homosexuality, said: "We people of Uganda have values. If this lady
cannot respect them then she had better be deported.
"She is advocating for the rights of homosexuals in a paper
that is read by children even. We must protect our children."
Ugandans told to respect human rights
He said the group was writing a protest letter to the Aga Khan
- the spiritual leader of 20 million Ismaili Muslims - who owned the Monitor
newspaper. Last week, Uganda's gay community spoke out publicly for the first
time at a news conference in Kampala.
Many attendees wore masks to hide their identities for fear of
recrimination. They asked for Ugandans to respect their human rights and allowed
them to live in dignity.
Roubos insisted that she had been impartial in her reporting.
She had worked with numerous advocacy groups in the US, including on gay rights
issues.
She said: "I was given this assignment by my editor, I didn't
ask for it. I just present facts. None of my personal opinions are in the
stories."
Most African states had laws forbidding homosexuality, and
gays were frequently harassed or beaten up in many places on the continent.
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