CARIBARENA Antigua & Barbuda

A PASTOR seeking to bolster Uganda's anti-gay laws screened gay porn in a church in the capital Kampala overnight in a bid to gain support.

The screening in an evangelical church was attended by around 300 supporters after plans for a "million man march" were thwarted by police.

"The major argument homosexuals have is that what people do in the privacy of their bedrooms is nobody's business, but do you know what they do in their bedrooms?" pastor Martin Ssempa asked the crowd.

Pastor Ssempa then displayed a slide show of gay pornographic pictures.

"Is this what Obama wants to bring to Africa?" he asked, referring to fierce US criticism of a Ugandan bill drafted last year that would further criminalize homosexuality.

The bill would even criminalize public discussion of homosexuality and could penalize people who knowingly rent property to homosexuals.

In some instances, homosexuality in Uganda could be punishable by life imprisonment. The penal code identified "carnal knowledge against the order of nature" as an offense.

The bill initially received broad political support in Uganda but attracted fierce criticism from US President Barack Obama, who called it "odious".

"I want us to tell Barack Obama, who has African ancestry, that in Africa sodomy is an abomination," Pastor Ssempa said.

Capitalism Democraticism Mystic Rhone The Organization of Easter Caribbean States (OECS) was founded on DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES and governance is conducted as such. Except for Anguilla and M... read more

He also accused rights groups such as Amnesty International, which were vocal in condemning the anti-gay campaign, of bringing money to Uganda with the aim of "converting people to lesbianism."

The author of the proposed Ugandan bill, David Bahati, attended the gathering.

While the conservative wing of the Ugandan government continued to push for the bill, some politicians warned that its adoption could cost the country dearly in terms of foreign financial assistance and image.

< Prev		Next >