Bivša prva dama Liberije Jewel Howard Taylor predložila je zakon kojim bi homokseksualnost bila kažnjiva smrtnom kaznom. Jewel je senatorka i bivša žena predsednika Charlesa Taylora. Skoro je Uganda ponovo predložila donošenje sličnog anti-gej zakona.
Homoseksualnost je stavljena van zakona u 38 afričkih zemalja i kažnjiva je smrću u Mauritaniji, Sudanu i severnoj Nigeriji.
Prilikom izveštavanja o liberijskom anti-gej zakonu, Melani kaže:
Expressed many times on my blog, is the fear that David Bahati’s Kill the Gays Bill, currently before the Ugandan Parliament, could well spread to other parts of Africa , as it is accompanied by the promotion of much anti-gay rhetoric and myth. It seems that the Kill the Gays idea is indeed spreading, even though it has met with great criticism around the world. In conversations last year, David Bahati told Warren Throckmorton and me that other African nations had expressed interest in his Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which we have come to know as The Kill the Gays Bill.
Warren je napisao:
No date has been set for debate or vote. Both Houses of the legislature would need to pass the bill to send to the President for signature or veto. I wrote about this bill and a companion bill in their House last week.
As far as I can determine, in Liberia penalties for a First Degree Felony can range from 10 years in prison to death. The amendment is short and without definitions.
Još uvek nije određen datum početka javne rasprave ili samog glasanja. Oba Doma zakonodavstva moraju da izglasaju donošenje zakona da bi zakon bio dat predsedniku da ga potpiše ili na njega stavi veto. Pisao sam o ovom zakonu i o još jednom koji ga prati u zakonodavnim Domovima prošle nedelje.
Koliko sam uspeo da saznam, u Liberiji kazne za prvostepeni zločin mogu ići od 10 godina zatvora pa sve do smrtne kazne. Amandman je kratak i nema definicija.
Evan se pita zašto dobitnica Nobelove nagrade i predsednica Liberije Ellen Johnson Sirleaf i dalje ćuti:
If convicted, such a crime would warrant punishment ranging from 10 years in jail to death.
And Nobel prize winner Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has remained silent on the issue.
The issue continues to heat up owing to the pressure of the U.S. and the U.K. to consider gay rights as human rights over the past year.
Ukoliko osumnjičeni bude osuđen, ovakav zločin može da dovede do kazne koja ide od 10 godina zatvora do smrtne kazne.
A dobitnica Nobelove nagrade Ellen Johnson Sirleaf i dalje ćuti o ovom pitanju.
Cela situacija se još više zakomplikovala zbog pritiska SAD-a i Ujedinjenog Kraljevstva tokom prošle godine da se gej prava smatraju ljudskim pravima.
Da li bi SAD trebalo da smanji pomoć Liberiji?:
The U.S. gives quite a bit of aid to Liberia. The question is whether we will put our money where are mouths are and actually cut back assistance because of this issue, even as American influence on the continent wanes in the face of massive Chinese investment. Would such a stance fly well with the American electorate? There may be mixed support for gay marriage, but I’m pretty sure that a healthy majority of Americans would recognize death-for-sodomy as a massive human rights violation…
Sebaspace misli da bivša prva dama nije iskrena:
It would appear that Ms. Jewel Taylor has learned one or two things about how campaigns of this sort have come a-cropper in other parts of Africa. So, she is covering her flank by disguising her anti-gay sentiments in language that suggests that she is trying to prevent “gay marriage.”
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Really? In a country where the language of the law is against same gender loving, Ms. Taylor’s only concern is gay marriage? Why do I find that hard to believe?
Izgleda da je gospođa Jewel Taylor naučila poneku stvar o tome kako su ovakve kampanje propale u drugim oblastima Afrike. Stoga, ona sebi štiti odstupnicu tako što prerušava svoje anti-gej stavove retorikom koja sugeriše da ona pokušava da spreči “gej brakove”.
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Stvarno? U zemlji gde je samo pravo protiv istopolne ljubavi, jedina briga gospođe Taylor je gej brak? Zašto mi je teško da u ovo poverujem?
Boima J. V. Boima poziva na oprez:
But the law, if passed, could have economic implications for Liberia since western powers including the US and UK are tying gay rights to foreign aid to third world countries, including Liberia.
The draft bill surfaced following repeated calls by UN Secretary General Ban ki-moon and western powers urging African leaders to legalize same sex marriage or risk being deprived of foreign assistance for development.
Ali taj zakon, ukoliko bude donesen, može da ima ekonomske posledice za Liberiju, jer zapadne sile, uključujući i SAD i Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo, vezuju poštovanje gej prava sa finansijskom podrškom zemljama trećeg sveta, uključujući i Liberiju.
Nacrt zakona pojavio se nakon nekoliko uzastopnih poziva Generalnog Sekretara UN Ban ki-moona i zapadnih sila afričkim zemljama da legalizuju istopolne brakove , ili da se u suprotnom suoče sa rizikom da im se ukine strana pomoć u razvoju.
Aktivisti za gej prava i simpatizeri ovih stavova mogu da potpišu peticiju protiv Zakona o Ubijanju Gejeva u Liberiji:
Target: Liberian Senator Jewel Haward Taylor
Goal: To urge Senator Taylor not to push this bill, which would allow judges to punish homosexual acts with the death penalty in Liberia.
In the west African country of Liberia, LGBT couples have been struggling to gain legal recognition. But Senator Taylor, who recently introduced a bill that would make homosexual acts punishable by death, could serve as a huge roadblock to equality. Senator Taylor must stop advocating for the passage of a bill that would essentially take the lives of some LGBT Liberians.
Meta: liberijski Senator Jewel Haward Taylor
Cilj: Da nateramo senatorku Taylor da ne propagira ovaj zakon koji bi dozvolio sudijama da kažnjavaju homoseksualne činove smrtnom kaznom u Liberiji
U zapadnoafričkoj zemlji Liberiji, LGBT parovi se bore da bi ih zakonski priznali. Ali, senatorka Taylor, koja je skoro predstavila zakon koji bi homoseksualne činove kažnjavao smrću, mogala bi da predstavlja veliku prepreku jednakosti. Senatorka Taylor mora da prestane da zastupa donošenje zakona koji bi u osnovi lišio života neke LGBT stanovnike Liberije.
Mnogi lideri Afričkih država tvrde da je homoseksualnost neprirodna i “neafrička”. Južna Afrika je izuzetak sa ustavom koji daje najsveobuhvatniju zaštitu gej prava na svetu.