Commentary Tidbits

Liter 8: CPAC, NRB, and the intertwining of Conservative Christianity and Politics

Washington Post: Didn’t get a CPAC invite this year? You’re not alone

Love, Joy, Feminism: Patrick Henry College: Claims to be Anti-Quiverfull, Invites Quiverfull Speaker

Chatham House: The Politics of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Legislation

Huffington Post: Arizona and Uganda: How the Same Groups Spread the Same Hate Around the Globe

News Tidbits

CNN: CPAC reverses decision, will not allow atheist group at conservative conference

Kansas City Star: Missouri Republican senator introduces bill allowing the refusal of service for religious reasons

Pennlive: Santorum to address annual conservative conference in Camp Hill

Christian Science Monitor: Uganda's anti-gay bill refocuses attention on US evangelical influence

Arizona Governor Vetoes SB 1062; Far Right Vents Anger on Twitter

CNN reports that Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed the controversial SB 1062 bill. "The bill is broadly worded and could result in unintended and negative consequences," she explained in a press conference statement, adding "Religious liberty is a core American and Arizona value, so is non-discrimination."

A brief tour of Twitter revealed that far right voices are unhappy with her decision.

Bullies and bigots of Big Gay bag another scalp, intimidate Gov. Brewer into trampling on religious liberty.
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanJFischer) February 27, 2014

The deceivers and bullies got their way. First Amendment: gone?http://t.co/pM7vmUz94e
— Linda Harvey (@HarveyLinda) February 27, 2014

In essence -- Gov. Brewer's veto means Christian businesses must follow the orders of militant groups.
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) February 27, 2014

MT @OutFrontCNN: Is @GovBrewer being 'bullied' to veto the 'Religious Freedom' bill? @tperkins weighs in #OutFront. http://t.co/TkvkDlCG3O
— FRC (@FRCdc) February 26, 2014

"God Loves Uganda" and the American Religious Right

In the wake of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signing a draconian anti-gay bill into law, I'd like to remind readers to check out the documentary God Loves Uganda. The film discusses the role of American Religious Right figures in fomenting homophobia in Uganda.




In this clip, Rev. Kapya Kaoma talks about anti-gay American preachers in Uganda, including Scott Lively's presentation at a 2009 anti-gay conference in Kampala.

Commentary Tidbits

Redemption Pictures: Perhaps Love Bakes a Cake

Verdict: Sex Assaults at Evangelical Colleges, the United Nations, and the Vatican

Defeating the Dragons: Pensacola Christian College and sexual abuse victims

Ms. Magazine: I Wish the Pope Would Step Up

Political Research Associates: The Adoption Crunch, the Christian Right, and the Challenge to Indian Sovereignty

America Magazine: When the Law Is a Crime

GLAAD: Life imprisonment for being LGBT is the law in Uganda now

Deuche Welle: A Blow to Human Rights

News Tidbits

New York Times: In the DeMint Era at Heritage, a Shift From Policy to Politics

Huffington Post: Virginia Republican Says A Pregnant Woman Is Just A 'Host,' Though 'Some Refer To Them As Mothers'

Detroit Free Press: Michigan pastors speak out against gay marriage on eve of lesbian adoption trial

Windy City Media Group: 'Conversion therapy' ban proposed for Illinois

Ugandan Anti-Gay Bill Signed into Law

After years of delays and inscrutable zig-zagging on the part of Uganda's president, Uganda's anti-gay bill is now law. CNN reports that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has signed into law a draconian bill that mandates prison time for those who perform outreach to gays and lesbians, as well as life in prison for some same-sex intimate acts.

After signing the bill into law, Museveni was defiant. In an interview with CNN's Zain Verjee, Museveni called gays "disgusting", arguing that he'd seen insufficient evidence that homosexuality was inborn. In a transcript of his February 24th speech posted at the Daily Monitor, Museveni demonized gays as predators heralding from the "arrogant" west.

"It seems the topic of homosexuals was provoked by the arrogant and careless Western groups that are fond of coming into our schools and recruiting young children into homosexuality and lesbianism, just as they carelessly handle other issues concerning Africa." 

Museveni's speech was littered with bizarre claims about the origins of sexual orientation and the supposed dangers of oral sex. He accused the west of imposing its pro-gay values on his land, ignoring ways that American anti-gay activists have exported homophobia to Africa.

"Are we interested in seeing your sexual acts – we the Public? I am not able to understand the logic of the Western Culture. However, we Africans always keep our opinions to ourselves and never seek to impose our point of view on the others. If only they could let us alone."

The global reaction was swift. The White House, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission, Human Dignity Trust, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, and South African cleric Desmond Tutu condemned the new law as discriminatory and backwards.

I fear that the worst is yet to come for Uganda. LGBTQ Ugandans, already under siege in a country that criminalizes homosexuality, will now be at risk for long, unjust imprisonment.  The new law and the rhetoric coming from Ugandan leaders may embolden homophobes, putting LGBTQ people at risk of further violence and persecution.

It is vital to remember that the anti-gay law was introduced as American Religious Right figures promoted homophobia in Uganda. Scott Lively, Exodus International board member Don Schmierer, and other American Religious Right were among the speakers at a 2009 anti-gay conference in Kampala. Lou Engle of TheCall preached at TheCall Uganda rally in 2010, earning him criticism from LGBTQ rights groups. While the American Religious Right is not exclusively to blame for homophobia in Uganda, its anti-gay propaganda did not help the situation.

Do we need any further evidence of the dangers of homophobia? This is what happens when political leaders embrace ignorance, bigotry, and scapegoating. This is what happens when dangerous myths, stereotypes, and pseudoscience infect public consciousness. This is what happens when hatred is conflated with patriotism, national autonomy, and faith. This is what happens when the Religious Right spreads its influence and ideology. The LGBTQ community is demonized, unjust bills become law, and innocent people suffer.

We must continue to speak out for equality, both in the U.S. and abroad. We must resist interpretations of religion that dehumanize LGBTQ people. We must refute dangerous stereotypes and pseudoscience wherever they fester. We must shine a light on the global ambitions of the Religious Right. And, we must always remember that a saner world is possible.



To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

Christiane Amanpour on CNN: How American evangelicals may be responsible for Uganda’s anti-gay law

Mother Jones: Uganda's President Signs Extreme Law That Has Led to Calls to Kill, Burn, and Beat Gays

New York Times: Reaction to Uganda Antigay Law

So-Called "Religious Liberty" Legislation Would Sanction Discrimination

It's an unfortunate fact that some businesses and service providers refuse to serve LGBTQ customers, citing an anti-gay interpretation of Christianity. From bakeries that refused to sell wedding cakes to same-sex couples, to a photographer who refused to snap wedding pictures for a gay wedding, to a hospital chaplain who reportedly refused to perform last rights for a gay patient, anti-gay business owners and service providers have often hidden behind religion when questioned about their discrimination. Now, the Religious Right is trying to protect such discrimination with a wave of new laws.

Several states are now considering new laws that would permit individuals, business owners, and organizations to discriminate against customers based on religious beliefs. These bills, championed as "religious liberty" measures by the right but likened to Jim Crow laws by critics, have been proposed in Idaho, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, and other states. Their appearance en masse in state legislatures is no coincidence. Evan Hurst, associate director of Truth Wins Out, told Mother Jones that the bills are "a concerted campaign that the religious Right has been hinting at for a couple of years now."

One such bill that garnered national attention was Kansas House Bill 2453. HB 2453 states that no individual or religious entity would be required to provide services, solemnize any marriage or partnership, or acknowledge any marriage or partnership as valid if doing so would conflict with "the sincerely held religious beliefs of the individual or religious entity regarding sex or gender". The bill was crafted by the American Religious Freedom Program, according to the Wichita Eagle.

The Kansas House passed the bill in a 72-to-49 vote, according to the New York Times, but it was later declared "dead" by Sen. Jeff King. King explained that the Kansas Senate Judiciary Committee had "grave concerns" about the bill's language, according to Time. The Associated Press reports that a Wichita-based Tea Party organization called Kansans for Liberty is trying to revive the bill.

National attention is now directed at Arizona Senate Bill 1062, which states that "state action shall not substantially burden a person's exercise of religion" except in special circumstances. In practice, the bill would allow business owners to refuse service to gays and other customers by citing their religious beliefs. SB 1062 was crafted by Alliance Defending Freedom and the Center for Arizona Policy, according to Religion News Service.

The Associated Press reports that the Arizona House voted 33-to-27 in favor of the bill, which has been sent to Gov. Jan Brewer. Brewer has yet to sign or veto the bill, telling reporters "I need to explore it."

Far right voices have commended the bill. In a February 21st press release, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins called SB 1062 "commonsense legislation" and praised the bill for affirming "the basic principle that the fundamental rights of free speech and the free exercise of religion do not stop at the exit door of your local church, and instead extend to every area of life." The Center for Arizona Policy claimed that the bill "makes important clarifications to ensure religious liberty is further protected in our state" in the midst of "increasing threats to religious liberty at all levels of government".

Other observers reject the bill as a green light for discrimination against the LGBTQ community. Hundreds of demonstrators protested against the bill in Phoenix, Tuscon, Flagstaff, and other Arizona cities on February 21st. Human Rights Campaign, Equality Arizona, and the ACLU of Arizona have released statements warning that SB 1062 would allow businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ customers. Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, called SB 1062 "blatantly unconstitutional", telling the Los Angeles Times that the bill "violates the requirement of equal protection of the laws by openly singling out a particular group of people and saying it’s OK to discriminate against them.”

Several business and political leaders in the Copper State oppose SB 1062. Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, Arizona Treasurer Doug Ducey, and U.S. Senator Jeff Flake (R-Arizona) want to see Gov. Brewer veto the bill. Business leaders on the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, and Visit Tuscon are concerned about the bill's impact on the Arizona economy. The Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Board has urged Gov. Brewer to veto the bill, arguing that enactment of the legislation would "raise serious Constitutional questions, spark protracted and costly legal action against the state, and ultimately have the effect of casting Arizona in a negative light that stands to damage our reputation nationwide and globally, and significantly harm our fiscal future."

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Why would anyone craft legislation sanctioning discrimination? How did discrimination become a "religious liberty" issue in the eyes of the Religious Right? Why would right-wing organizations craft bills that would be so offensive to voters, business leaders, and many lawmakers?

I don't think that the new wave of so-called "religious liberty" bills is really about liberty. Nor do I think that the bills are really about religion. After all, where is "Thou shall not bake cakes for gays" written in scripture? Rather, the bills are the Religious Right's latest attempt to delegitimize LGBTQ people and impose a far-right agenda via legislation.

The new wave of bills are a statement. In effect, they send the message that a right-wing interpretation of Christianity should trump the equality of all persons. The bills represent a troubling disregard for the rights of LGBTQ Americans, but I doubt their influence would stop at LGBTQ customers. I worry that, if signed into law, such legislation could set a precedent for denial of service to other groups on the basis of religious beliefs.

The bills are also rooted in the myth that fundamentalist Christians' religious liberty is under threat and in need of special legal protection. In reality, Christians are not being persecuted, and religious freedom is not under threat. Americans enjoy freedom of worship, assembly, and speech as these relate to faith, but this freedom does not give citizens carte blanche to discriminate.

We need to challenge rhetoric that falsely places religious liberty at odds with LGBTQ equality. Bills that sanction discrimination on the basis of religious beliefs are an affront to equality, and they do nothing to strengthen our liberty.



To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

The New Civil Rights Movement: Arizona Kicks Off Its Rainbow Shades

CNN: Arizona's shameful 'right to discriminate' bill

Time: Arizona Pizzeria Protests Anti-Gay Bill By Refusing To Serve Lawmakers

New York Daily News: New anti-gay bill proves Arizona is the land of dinosaurs — and bigots

Commentary Tidbits

The Atlantic: The Changing Face of Christian Politics

Dallas Voice: How LGBT activism is changing religion

Salon: How I lost the religion of my childhood

Out from Under the Umbrella: Insulation

Alternet: 9 Absurd Religious-Right Attempts to Seem Sexy and Hip

RH Reality Check: The Evangelical Short-Term Memory Problem

Right Wing Watch: Tom DeLay: Americans Have Forgotten That God Wrote The Constitution

News Tidbits

Washington Post: Supreme Court temporarily allows religious groups not to cover birth control

Pennlive: Gay-Straight Alliance club at Northern High School could lead students 'into sin,' protester says

CBC News: Catholic Church withholding millions from victims, alleges Canadian government

Associated Press: Puerto Rico to probe more church abuse allegations