We'll cut your aid if you persecute gays, Britain warns African nations

Finally someone has the guts to do it! Quite a well played card from britain I have to say.

 

a sly move, I would say they'll cave, they get a LOT of aid from here

 

On one hand, it's a good move. Probably a move that needs to be made, to stop the killing and the terrorism. (I count murdering people and/or threatening them because of their sexuality "terrorism".) On the other hand, what if they don't cave? I feel sorry for the poor people who are okay with gays, the GLBT people themselves and others who aren't responsible for the crap going down in Africa. It's not their fault, but they'll be the ones to really suffer.

Double-edged sword. I hope it works out for the better.

 

:eusa_clap

 

As much as I think that the persecution of gays in Africa is completely terrible, I can't help but frown a little at this thread. For centuries white people have been coming into Africa and telling its natives "Sorry, you're living your life wrong. Live it this way now."

At the same time, I hope this encourages African countries to at least stop persecuting their LGBT cititzens...on more than just the official level.

 

I don't feel its saying "your living your life wrong" it's saying "You're behaving inappropriately, times have changed and you seriously need to change with the times."

 

The problem is, the first world is usually right when we say that. A lot of these cultures still practice uncivilized behavior on a routine basis. Wouldn't you say we're actually doing some good?

 

At first, the title of this thread brought a smile to my face, but reading through the article, I'm reminded that real change the on GLBT rights front comes from cultural change, and I doubt political pressure is going to accelerate that at all. In fact, the residents/governments in those countries might feel persecuted by this and thus gain more resolve to stop the "menace" we create. (Much as I disagree with it, that's how they see us, and we can't bury our heads in the sand and pretend they don't if we're going to make any progress.) They might very well see Britain as supporting/having succumbed to this "menace" and be more emboldened to not "succumb" to it themselves.

 

At least There Trying I think The UK need to get a the Big nations to sigh up to a pledge to do this.

 

It is definitively something to consider. We don't want people to think that the "gay disease" is something that its being imposed on them by the western world, which is a pretty strong believe over there already.

The only problem is that the other option is to wait and hope that change happens over there. They keep on killing the LGBT leaders over and over again, and it makes it hell to try and organize anything over there.

Its a tough call. I can't even make my mind up.

 

It isn't a tough call for me...

I wish the United States would do something like this. Quite frankly, I'm pissed off knowing that my money is being funneled to homophobes in third world countries who would drag me and everyone else on EC through the streets to be hung or stoned to death with little to no due process in a kangeroo court, if we got a trial at all, for simply being who we are and loving one another.

I absolutely can't believe I'm about to do this, but Michelle Bachmann was right when she said not all cultures are equal. Most parts of Africa are third-world and barbaric. In some tribes young girls are raped and given beads to warn the other men that she's already been claimed as part of a 'passage to adulthood.' There is just no excuse for that. If we have to force acceptance on them, so be it. I know it's bad, and no one has to remind me of the many comparisons that can be made to the Native Americans and stuff, but the alternative of doing nothing, or even worse, propping up these governments with money, is just absolutely unconscionable to me.

 

Perhaps Britain can reduce it to a compromise solution of cutting aid to countries that execute gays instead of persecuting them in general? Baby steps...

 

I am loving Britain's David Cameron and his Conservative Government more and more every day. He delivered a fantastic speech to Canada's House of Commons & Senate a couple of weeks ago as well.

 

I wish Maggie was still there....<3 her

 

She is still there, up in the House of Lords.

 

... I have no words.

I agree that it was good for a country to step in and say "you're murdering people for no good reason, this needs to stop". Absolutely right. But nothing raises my hackles more, having Native American blood, when people think it's okay to waltz into an indigenous culture and tell them what they should be doing because hey ho the white guy is usually right.

Just an fyi, the "first world" usually ends up trying to exterminate the native culture, religion and tends to enslave the people there. They also tend to spread diseases like wildfire. People showing up on your land waving their banner in the name of "civilization" tends to not be a good thing.

 

These are my feelings pretty much. My moral compass is like "It's a good thing someone is trying to prevent the murder of innocents." But the way that we in the "first world" feel like we have complete moral authority, and that we have the willingness to act on it, over everyone else is a little disconcerting.

All this being said, I do hope that this decision facilitates some change in the way that African societies treat homosexuals, and that at the very least African homosexuals can live in peace in their own countries.