Hate, American style, manifested in Uganda

Marginalized people are more likely to be manipulated into marginalizing others.

Through the course of history, many atrocities have been committed in the name of ridding a nation of a minority group people feel are responsible for their marginalized status. They promise that if only this group is removed then our nation will be better, yet we know this is not the case.

In countries like Uganda, life is hard. Many people struggle to fulfill their basic needs of food and shelter. This poverty leads to desperation, and their desperation generally leads them to religion.

That’s where American evangelicalism comes in. Desperate people look for answers and turn to those they think they can trust for the spiritual guidance to make their lives better. Yet sometimes this faith is abused.

In March 2009, a group of American evangelicals journeyed to the country of Uganda to preach of the evils of homosexuality.

Christianity has long been a tool of manipulation that allowed European nations to colonize and exploit the African continent.

But this spiritual quest was a bit different than most of the other general missions to bring Christianity to those in need. This trip was rooted in the pursuit of saving Uganda from homosexuality.

Prominent evangelical Christians and proponents of eradicating homosexuality held a workshop in Kampala, Uganda’s capital, during March 2009 with the theme of the “gay agenda.”

They discussed their ideas that gay individuals have the devil inside them and thus are guilty of bringing HIV/AIDS to Uganda and that they also practice bestiality and molest children.

Through this equation of gayness with the devil, they created a deep fervor amongst Ugandans to remove these evil individuals from their country. By eradicating homosexuality, some Ugandans believe that many of their country’s problems will go away.

Though there is no clear way to stop the current madness, we should work to stop this kind of hatred from occurring in the future.

We as a country must stand up and fight for the rights of minorities regardless of their sexual orientation, creed, gender or color.

Instead of allowing people in our country to spread hatred around the world, these individuals should have to answer for their wrongdoings.

Individuals such as anti-gay author Scott Lively and self-described ex-gay Caleb Lee Brundidge must be held accountable for the hatred they have spread.

They must no longer be allowed to hide behind their religion, but instead be viewed and punished for manipulating a marginalized population through religion.

Their actions mirror the horrific history of the persecution of homosexuals.

This kind of hatred should have no place in today’s world. We should learn from the past and strive to protect the rights of minorities.

It is our duty as a leading nation to end the hatred.