Lively Slanders Kato in Plea

In the ongoing trial of Scott Lively, which is in the opening phase of a process set to last well into 2015, Lively has submitted his response to the charge of persecuting gay people... by persecuting gay people. Namely murdered activist David Kato:

Scott Lively’s Pleading Spews Hateful lies about Murdered Gay Activist

Today [Wednesday 20th November 2013], Scott Lively, the fervently anti-gay Pastor being sued by Uganda human rights organization Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), under the Alien Torts Act, for persecuting gays in Uganda, filed his “Answers and Defenses to Plaintiff’s first Amended Complaint,”...

"In response to paragraph 10 of SMUG’s Complaint, Lively admits that David Kato is now dead because he was killed by a homosexual prostitute whom Kato hired for sexual favors and refused to pay."

This is hardly an admission but rather a submission as at no time did the Plaintiffs ever state that Kato was murdered in this fashion. In fact the convicted killer, in his confession, said Kato propositioned him and did not say he was hired for sex and unpaid.  The convicted killer’s account of events was discredited and not believed by the Judge. Many believe that Kato was set up and murdered at the hands of anti-gay forces in Uganda, all influenced by the actions of Scott Lively and the introduction of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, otherwise known as The Kill the Gays Bill. Lively’s defense shows how hard he has been trying to run from and cover up his involvement in the introduction of the Bill and the resulting climate of persecution against LGBTI people in Uganda.

Oh, it goes on. Follow the above link for Melanie Nathan's detailed report.

School Children Accused of Being Gay

Continuing its push to show the world why Uganda is number one in education, the government has decided to roll out its policy of terrorising young children by accusing them of being gay.

Government investigates four top schools over homosexuality

Government is investigating four prominent secondary schools in Kampala and Wakiso districts over allegations that their students are involved in homosexual activities.

Rev. Father Simon Peter Lokodo, the State Minister for Ethics and Integrity says the schools being investigated are Gayaza High School, Makerere Secondary School, Kibuli High and Nalya Secondary School.

The Minister told Uganda Radio Network that a recent impromptu visit discovered that more than 30 percent of students in these schools are involved in lesbianism and homosexuality. The visit was by a team from the Ministry’s directorate in the Department of Ethics and Education.

This is the same Simon Lokodo who thinks that raping children is acceptable, so long as it's a boy raping a girl.

Coca-Cola Refuse to Stand Up to LGBT Hate

Wildly conflicting viewpoints.

Backing up the evidence that gay bashing harms economies, it was suggested yesterday:

Corporate world getting ready to boycott gay hate countries: Leading professional services boss says his clients will soon refuse to operate in some markets when they abuse LGBTI rights

Companies may soon refuse to operate in countries with homophobic laws, a managing partner at leading global professional services firm EY has said.

And Deutsche Bank has revealed they already intervene on LGBTI issues by speaking to governments behind the scenes and telling them abusing gay and trans people damages business.

Meanwhile, today AllOut issued a statement that Coca-Cola (being demonstrated against last August in the video above) "refused to speak out against Russia's anti-gay laws."

Sochi Olympics: Responses from Corporate Sponsors have been posted online, including Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Samsung.

If you would like to get more involved, AllOut have put out a request:

If you have a creative talent – video production, photography, graphic design, illustration – and want to help create an incredible advert, poster, image or video, please click this link and fill in your information so we can contact you.

Let's get creative in campaigning.

"Gays Beating Up Gays" Says Lively

Scott Lively, America's most toxic human export, has been travelling the globe stirring up hatred towards homosexuals in Uganda and Russia. He's now claiming that violence against gay people in Russia is being caused by... gay people:

Scott Lively: 'Butch Homosexuals' Beating Femme Russian Gays

"The guys that are beating up gays in Russia — and it’s not any more prevalent than it ever has been, really, and it isn’t all that prevalent at all," qualified Lively, "but the ones that are doing it are butch homosexuals who are beating up effeminate homosexuals, the same thing that happened in Germany; this is gay-on-gay crime, at least that is what it appears to be."

The reference to Germany relates to the Holocaust, as Lively believes the Nazis were a group of angry gay people.

He's currently awaiting trial in the US for his part in the persecution of LGBT Ugandans, but this isn't due to start for over a year, meanwhile he continues to travel the world inflicting damage.

Mass Protest in London

After protesting against Britain's recent murder of Jackie Nanyonjo, a Ugandan lesbian, further protests occured yesterday outside Uganda House over the Kill the Gays Bill.

LGBT activsts protest against Uganda’s anti-gay laws outside London commission

A protest has taken place outside Uganda’s High Commission in central London opposite Trafalgar Square over the plight of gay men facing potential imprisonment for breaking the country’s anti-gay laws.

The protest was timed to coincide with two separate court cases in Uganda on Monday.

The court cases are those of British man Bernard Randall, which has been postponed until December 4th, and the Executive Director of Spectrum Uganda, Samuel Ganafa, who is being held under unlawful arrest.

There is a more in-depth article on Melanie Nathan's blog:

London protests Ugandan witch-hunts and show trials of LGBT people

Randall Case Postponed

The British man arrested with his Ugandan housemate last month has appeared in court today.

The BBC reports: Bernard Randall in Uganda court on gay sex video charge

The 65-year-old is charged alongside his friend Albert Cheptoyek, 30, a Ugandan national with whom he shares a house.

Mr Cheptoyek has denied a more serious charge of carrying out "acts of gross indecency", which could see him jailed for up to seven years if found guilty.

Mr Randall was arrested after thieves stole a laptop from his house. Stills from a video on it then appeared in a tabloid.

Mr. Randall claims that the photos were leaked to the tabloids after he refused to be blackmailed. The robber is claiming that Mr. Randall offered him the tapes to try to 'lure him into being his sexual partner.'

Of course, the other more likely scenario is that Red Pepper employed the men to break into his house and steal his laptop after discovering he was gay. Tabloids that incite people to murder by telling them to 'hang' gay people, and out LGBT people for sales, can hardly claim to be above such acts.

The trial has now been adjourned:

Uganda Trial on Published Gay Images Is Postponed

The trial in Uganda of a British man arrested after images of him having gay sex were published has been postponed until December.

...Randall's lawyer, Annette Bada, told a Ugandan court that she needed access to prosecution evidence in order to mount a defense. A judge granted the request and set a new court date of Dec. 4.

We will update you as news becomes available.

Commonwealth Cost to LGBT Rights

The meeting of Commonwealth leaders this week has shed stark light on the fact that 80% of member states criminalise homosexuality. Not to mention, yet again, that they promoted one of Uganda's leading anti-gay campaigners, Rebecca Kedaga, to Chair of Women Parliamentarians Committee earlier in the year.

This has led to assertions that:

Commonwealth Colludes With Anti-Gay Persecution

Commonwealth leaders from around the world meet in Sri Lanka on Friday. Yet again they plan to ignore the criminalisation of lesbian and gay people in 80% of Commonwealth member states. They are refusing to even discuss the current homophobic persecution in Ghana, Cameroon, Zambia, Uganda and Nigeria.

Gay campaigners and allies from many countries rallied outside the Commonwealth's London HQ on Wednesday, accusing the Commonwealth of "collusion with homophobia."

The theme of the protest was: "Commonwealth must speak out and act against the persecution of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people."

Coinciding with the protest, the Kaleidoscope Trust released a damning new report on the victimisation of LGBT people in Commonwealth countries.

Proving once again that by common wealth, we're very much talking about common financial profit rather than common human rights.

What do people matter when you could be making money?

The Sri Lankan LGBT community know the answer to that one:

Sri Lanka gays forced underground as world leaders gather for summit

The LGBTI campaigners say they have been forced underground, reflecting a wider crackdown on civil society ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)...

GSN has learned Sri Lankan activists have been warned to stop their activities ahead of CHOGM.

Some individuals have been threatened and told they may be in danger if they do not comply.

As a result, they have been forced to shelve the idea of holding an event alongside the summit, highlighting LGBTI rights concerns in Commonwealth nations.

This is not the first time we've highlighted the failure of the Commonwealth to address LGBT rights, and we're sure it won't be the last.