FEARS OF BACKLASH AGAINST U.S., BRITISH GAY RIGHTS PUSH
There are concerns that anti-gay countries may ramp up discrimination against LGBT people in reaction to what they may see as the imposition of foreign values.
The U.K. and the U.S. have recently made moves to put pressure on countries such as Nigeria and Uganda, which are both considering legislation that would increase penalties against LGBT people.
On Tuesday, following U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s groundbreaking speech in Geneva asserting LGBT rights as human rights, it was reported that delegates from African and Middle Eastern countries in the audience were less than impressed.
“Many of the ambassadors in the audience responded with stony faces and rushed out of the room as soon as she finished speaking,” reported AP.
Legislators and leaders in a number of African countries have
According to AFP, Zakari Mohammed, a cabinet minister and spokesperson for the Nigerian House of Representatives, which will soon be debating a bill to ban gay marriage, commented: “We have a culture. We have religious beliefs and we have a tradition. We are black people. We are not white.”
He added: “[same-sex marriage] is alien to our culture and we can never give it a chance. So if [Western nations] will hold their aid to us, to hell with them.”
In October, African LGBT activists warned that threats to cut aid to countries that oppress LGBT people could lead to a backlash against these communities.
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