"American evangelicals are sending millions of dollars in donations to Africa to spread their message by funding Ugandan pastors and sponsoring missionaries, many of who do good work feeding the hungry and providing shelter to orphans," Rev. Kapya Kaoma explained in the mini-documentary, which was published online Tuesday by the New York Times. "But some of that money just goes to feed a dangerous ideology that teaches that gays, lesbians, transgender, and bisexual people do not have a place in God's kingdom and are a threat to society."
Evangelicals from the United States have a strong influence in the deeply religious country, where antigay sentiments are mainstream. A number of Ugandans faced harassment and threats in 2010 after a newspaper published of list of alleged homosexuals.
Kaoma said he was forced to flee the country after supporting LGBT rights.
The country has also faced international criticism for a proposed law that would make various acts related to homosexuality, including failure to report a gay Ugandan to police, punishable with life in prison. The legislation previously would have allowed those accused of homosexuality to be put to death.
In response to the criticism, Uganda banned 38 nongovernmental organizations for "promoting homosexuality."
"In a country like Uganda, what may simply seem like culture war rhetoric in the U.S. gets ramped up to untold heights and sexual minorities pay the price," Kaoma said.
Watch video, uploaded to YouTube by The New York Times, below:
Source: Agence France-Presse
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