Kenilworth, 30 January 2011 — Gay humanists in the UK charity the Pink Triangle Trust (PTT) have welcomed the Archbishop of Canterbury’s condemnation of the murder of Ugandan gay activist David Kato, found bludgeoned to death last week.
Of his brutal murder, Archbishop Rowan Williams said: “No one should have to live in such fear because of the bigotry of others. Such violence has been consistently condemned by the Anglican Communion worldwide. ... This is a moment to take very serious stock and to address those attitudes of mind which endanger the lives of men and women belonging to sexual minorities.”
However, commenting on behalf of the PTT, secretary George Broadhead said: “It is a pity that the Archbishop doesn’t acknowledge that, though they may have condemned violence, his fellow Anglicans’ ‘attitudes of mind’, to use his own words , on LGBT relationships and rights have contributed to this appalling murder and the dire situation for all LGBT people in Uganda.”
Mr Broadhead referred to Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill, proposed by MP David Bahati. He quotes the Anglican Church of Uganda, which has said: “The Church of Uganda appreciates the spirit of the Bill’s objective of protecting the family, especially in light of a growing propaganda to influence younger people to accept homosexuality as a legitimate way of expressing human sexuality. We particularly appreciate the objectives of the Bill which seek to provide for marriage in Uganda as contracted only between a man and woman; prohibit and penalize homosexual behaviour and related practices in Uganda as they constitute a threat to the traditional family; prohibit ratification of any international treaties, conventions, protocols, agreements and declarations which are contrary or inconsistent with the provisions of the Act; prohibit the licensing of organizations which promote homosexuality.”
Mr Broadhead asks: “Doesn’t the Archbishop realise that the ‘bigotry of others’, which he refers to, must include members of his own Anglican Church?
“More homophobic bigotry in Uganda has come from US religious ministers like Carl Ellis Jenkins, Lou Engle, and Scott Lively, whose hateful and dangerous anti-LGBT rhetoric and actions must also have contributed in no small measure to the death of David Kato and the hostility of the Ugandan population as a whole. Will the Archbishop of Canterbury condemn them?”