In 2010, Uganda became established as a hotbed of homophobic sentiment. From the infamous YouTube video in which a Ugandan minister condemns and mocks homosexual acts, to the proposed legislation that would make homosexuality punishable by death, Uganda has to be considered one of the least gay-friendly countries on earth.
That became even truer late last year, when a Ugandan publication calling itself Rolling Stone published a list of Uganda's "top homos," and called for them to be executed.
Naturally, this list was met with outrage. The American Rolling Stone magazine quickly condemned the publication and sued them for copyright infringement, and people throughout the world were shocked by the paper's actions.
The magazine article hadn't had too much of a dramatic effect until now. David Kato, one of Uganda's leading gay rights activists, and one of the people mentioned on the Rolling Stone list, was allegedly beaten to death last week.
While Ugandan police have yet to establish a clear connection between the magazine article and Kato's murder, it would not be a stretch to believe one exists. In any event, the article certainly did not make Kato's life any easier.
All of this leaves the question of what, if anything, the United States should do to address this situation.
At The Spectrum, we believe the response needs to be measured. We believe President Obama should speak out and publicly condemn the attacks, but we do not think the U.S. should impose any military presence on Uganda.
Considering the United States' tendency to get over-involved in other nations' political issues, and the resentment other nations have for us as a result, sending troops to Uganda at this point in time would simply be unwise, even if they would stabilize a potentially chaotic situation.
With that said, we are greatly concerned about the problem escalating. We believe that if the United States, along with organizations like the United Nations, took a firm stand against Uganda, it could put necessary pressure on them, and lead to them decreasing their strict laws against homosexuality.
While The Spectrum firmly condemns Kato's murder, as well as the Rolling Stone list, we believe it is important to recognize that not every country has the same values we do. If Uganda interfered with America for its tolerance of homosexuality, there would be an understandable amount of outrage.
We disagree with Uganda's strong anti-gay views and actions, but we believe the best way to change it is through diplomacy. Taking a military presence would only create anti-American sentiment. Using our words would have a greater potential to create real change.
