As a culture, America has progressed in a positive way when it comes to homosexuality. Civil rights movements had dominated the United States since the civil war when African Americas won their right to freedom. In the 1960’s the civil rights movement for equal rights of African Americans began and shortly to follow was the fight for women’s rights, these movements paved the way for homosexuals to start their movement. It was shaky in the beginning with Stonewall, but since then America has come to accept homosexuality as an equal minority with more than half the states legalizing gay marriage. Homosexuals are fortunate to have these rights and fair views even if not all of society agrees with them yet, but you will never get an entire culture to accept something. Unfortunately, homosexuals of Uganda are not as privileged as homosexuals in America and other accepting European nations.
The movie The World’s Worst Place to Be Gay published by BBC explores the hatred Ugandans have for their homosexual society. Homophobia refers to the idea that gay, lesbian and bisexual people are threatening. “It is more than simply the irrational fear and hatred of gay people; it is also the fear that one might be misperceived as gay by others” (Kimmel, M., 2000). In Uganda, homosexuality is seen as a disease and gay people are recruited into this unnatural, sick, immoral behavior. The film follows a man named Scott Milles from the UK to Uganda to interview Ugandan people from regular people on the street, high school kids and the man who is pushing for a new bill against gay people to find out how they view homosexuality. Currently in Africa 36 nations ban some form of homosexuality, mainly sodomy, with imprisonment (Laws on Homosexuality in African Nations). These laws are fueled by an African culture that is rooted in the traditional thought that sex is between a man and a woman and is fueled by fundamentalist preachers, government authorities, and intolerant politicians.
Scott Milles while in Uganda interviewed David Bahati, the ruling party’s chief whip. He is the driving force behind the new proposed bill calling for imprisonment not only of gays but also of those who fail to report them to the law (Ugandan Gay Rights). The bill also proposes that repeat offenders be executed. This is how disgusting some Ugandans view homosexuality and the extent they are willing to go to rid their country of gay people. Many of the other people, Scott Milles interviewed, male and female, shared the view that gay people should be eradicated from society in fear that they will recruit others into their immoral behavior. In Uganda, gay people have to live in the slums because they are viewed so horribly that their family and friends force them out of their homes and torture them for being gay.
The book “The Gendered Society” refers to the “gay gene” and that biologist have tried to isolate it to show that homosexuality is rooted in biology and not a lifestyle choice (Kimmel, M., 2000). Based on this information I don’t understand how any person in Uganda could fathom that being gay is a choice. What person would choose a lifestyle that puts them literally in harms way? It is illegal in Uganda to be gay. Having gay sex whether penetration or just being seen kissing can result in imprisonment and a second offense could have you executed so what person in their right mind would choose this life. Scott Milles interviewed Stosh Mugisha, a pre-operative female to male transsexual who self-identified as a lesbian. He was outed by