Nigeria "sanitizes" itself of gays and other things

[Cleopatra7]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/09/world ... .html?_r=0

(link not broken because it's the NYT)

Despite the gains that LGBT people are having in many Western countries, it seems like things are going backwards in the developing world. If 98 percent of Nigeria's population favors these draconian laws, I don't see any hope for the country's LGBT population, other than leaving the country. American conservatives like Pat Buchanan and Rod Dreher have shown open support for Putin's anti-homosexuality laws, which seems to suggest that their real aim is not "love the sinner, hate the sin" but "lock up gays":

http://www.theatlantic.com/internationa ... on/282572/

(link not broken because it's The Atlantic)

All of this makes me very pessimistic for the future. The West may be becoming more secular, but the rest of the world is becoming more fundamentalist. American conservatives are exporting the culture war, but secularists do not have the same global reach or influence.

[anjulibai]

I hope that foreign homosexuals* can claim asylum status in the US (or any secular/progressive country) on the basis of political persecution of a minority group.

I felt so happy when I got a chance to vote in Maryland's election to legalize gay marriage. It seemed like progress was being achieved. I felt like I was doing something positive for the world.

But then I hear about this crap and I know in many parts of the world it's just getting worse. Besides e-mailing my politicians, I don't know anyway to help these poor people. :(

[salex]

I hope that foreign homosexuals* can claim asylum status in the US (or any secular/progressive country) on the basis of political persecution of a minority group.

I felt so happy when I got a chance to vote in Maryland's election to legalize gay marriage. It seemed like progress was being achieved. I felt like I was doing something positive for the world.

But then I hear about this crap and I know in many parts of the world it's just getting worse. Besides e-mailing my politicians, I don't know anyway to help these poor people. :(

Meanwhile in Kansas We are not putting gays in prison, yet, but we have a bill--aimed at Gays, but I suspect I could, under the law, refuse to work with anyone who didn't follow my religious belief's on some part of their marriage... couldn't I argue that I didn't want to provide a marriage license or car rental for a couple where the bride was pregnant, or one of the partners was divorced? It sounds like the state of KS is prepping to enforce legally the Maxwell's "wedding photography rules". It will be shot down by the courts, which for a while may still be able to have a role in KS (our courts are being weakened until more nutjobs can be installed as we speak) so it will be a federal court, eventually... and our state keeps passing laws that say we don't have to follow federal law... )

If the bill becomes law, public and private employees alike could refuse service to same-sex couples based on their religious beliefs concerning marriage. Because religion is a protected status, the employer could not terminate the employee for this refusal. The law would also shield private businesses from discrimination lawsuits.

A provision requires government agencies to still provide the requested service, but individual clerks could object to signing a marriage license, for example. Rep. Travis Couture-Lovelady, R-Palco, introduced an amendment, which passed, that would exempt private businesses from the same legal obligation.

Rep. Ponka-We Victors, D-Wichita, said this would mean that gay Kansans’ tax dollars would be paying for their own discrimination.

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2014/02/06/327171 ... rylink=cpy link to newspaper

Here is the bill.

http://kslegislature.org/li/b2013_14/me ... 1_0000.pdf

[anjulibai]

Damn that is shitty. I'm sure it wouldn't pass a court challenge, but that could take years.

Sigh. :(