This is a proud day for anti-gay activist Scott Lively, because despite the best efforts of the "lavender Marxists" (that's us, probably) this evening he'll assume the stage at the Christian Liberty Academy in Arlington Heights, IL, and receive the "American Truth Teller Award" for his tireless efforts to combat the greatest "existential threat to Christian civilization around the world." (That's us, too.)
The American Truth Teller Award is presented by Americans For the Truth About Homosexuality. There's been some kerfuffle between the Gay Liberation Network and AFTAH, as it's called, because while AFTAH plainly thinks Scott Lively's a fabulous dude, the GLN thinks he's some kind of monster. Why?
Well, according to them:
Scott Lively journeyed to Uganda in 2009 with other U.S. evangelical gay bashers to stage a "Seminar on Exposing the Homosexual Agenda" even though homosexuality was already illegal in that nation. Lively helped stoke anti-gay animus by playing the "child molestation" card, asserting that gays are "looking for other people to prey upon, and that when they see someone from a broken home, it's like they have a flashing neon sign over their head … male homosexuality has not traditionally been adult to adult, it's been adult to teenager. … The gay movement is an evil institution."
It was following Lively's "seminar" that legislation was introduced into the Ugandan parliament that would impose the death penalty for so-called "aggravated homosexuality." All gay meetings would be banned under this draconian measure, and heterosexuals could be jailed as well for any advocacy of homosexuality or defense of gay people. Lively has supported this further criminalizing of homosexuality, even as some evangelicals like Rick Warren have distanced themselves from it. (Lively advised against death sentences for Ugandan gays, but only because it might result in "public sympathy" for them; he prefers forced "rehabilitation.")
Now, that might not be entirely fair. According to Lively:
I do not support capital punishment for any sex crimes, let alone simple homosexuality, which I view as a treatable behavioral disorder …
Fact is, Lively's such a bleeding heart humanitarian that he doesn't even want jail time for homosexuality. Nope! Instead, he supports state-mandated reeducation camps!
During my 2009 trip I also addressed members of the Ugandan Parliament in their national assembly hall. My advice to the MPs regarding the law they were contemplating but had not yet drafted was to focus on rehabilitation of homosexuals … I urged them to become the first government in the world to develop a state-sponsored recovery system for homosexuality …
Pretty zany, coming from somebody who likes to call his opponents Stalinists.
Anyway, the GLN's protesting Scott Lively's awards ceremony tonight. Head over here for the deets.
