Rachel Maddow -- wow, what a fucking journalist. Seriously, I cannot commend her enough. She was cool, calm and collected in the face of some of the most overt and hateful bigotry against the GLBT community I have heard in a long time. By the end of her interview with David Bahati, the author of whats been dubbed the "Kill the Gays" Bill, it was obvious what the bill is about. The hatred that filled Bahati's anti-gay rhetoric was palpable.
As I was saying, Rachel Maddow deserves an award. How she stayed calm and collected while this man was speaking so flippantly about punishing hundreds of thousands of GLBT people arbitrarily is beyond me. Her professionalism is truly unmatched.
Bahati trotted out the same tired old bullshit we have been hearing for a long time to justify his bigotry against the GLBT Community. Using children to justify your hatred towards a minority group has been a tactic bigots have used for years to justify their prejudices. Mr. Bahati is no exception to this rule.
The reason why he submitted the bill to the Ugandan Parliament is shrouded in prejudice and dripping with stereotypes. He says the United States and international governments around the world are providing funds to grade school teachers to "recruit" young boys and girls into the GLBT community through sexual abuse. But, as Rachel smartly pointed out in her show, the APA says that there is absolutely NO link between sexual abuse and homosexuality. None whatsoever. And yet, Mr. Bahati double down on the claim, saying that the bill was a way to "protect the children".
What utter bullshit. Using children to justify your prejudices against anybody is just cowardly, and the author of the "Kill the Gays" bill had this tactic down pat. The recruitment myth, Maddow explained before the interview started, has been floated in the United States by proponents of bigotry for thirty years, starting with Anita Bryant in the early 1970's. Even though the truth of the matter has been known for years, the meme started by the anti-gay celebrity has yet to die out of the collective conscious.
The hatred permeated all throughout Mr. Bahati's arguments in favor of the bill. He tried to excuse it by saying that being gay isn't accepted in Ugandan society, and as such must be illegal. Now, I can accept differences between cultures, but what is the purpose of enshrining a law that makes being gay or lesbian a criminal act? How exactly does sending good GLBT citizens of your country to jail for doing nothing but being themselves make good legislative sense?
I say its hatred, pure and simple. But, Mr. Bahati was quick to point out that his bill is not a gay hate bill. Oh, no its not. No, no, no! Mr. Bahati LOVES gay people, he just wants to protect the children from the evil gay recruiters invading Ugandan schools. Makes PERFECT sense, dude.
But, like the good bigot he is, trotted out this lie as if it were fresh and updated information, and Maddow nailed him on it.
Tomorrow, the last segment of the interview airs, and RM asks David Bahati what the leaders of the Family, including prominent United States politicians, think of the "Kill the Gays" bill and what connections they have to it. I am interested to see how much of a role that prominent C-Street politicians had in crafting this bigoted law.
Ill be watching.
Here is the interview
Part one:
Part two:
Still looking for a transcript!