Episcopalians condemn murder of Ugandan gay rights activist David Kato
Episcopal News Service. January 28, 2011 [012811-01]
Matthew Davies
The brutal murder of Ugandan gay rights activist David Kato has left much of the world in shock and caused outrage among Episcopalians who have repeatedly called for the church and society to step up the campaign to combat homophobia throughout the world.
The Rev. Cynthia Black, interim rector of Church of the Epiphany in Plymouth, Minnesota, told ENS that Kato was "a valiant crusader for human rights. His death is a rallying cry for the church and the gay community -- the killing and persecution of gay people around the globe must stop. Who will be the next to die?"
Kato was reportedly bludgeoned to death in his home community during the afternoon of Jan. 26 and local police put the motive down to robbery. But Kato had received several death threats since October 2010 when his photo had appeared on the front page of a newspaper alongside that of former Ugandan Anglican Bishop Christopher Senyonjo under a banner reading "Hang Them." Both men have been outspoken advocates for human rights in Uganda, where current laws on homosexuality carry sentences of up to life imprisonment.
Black, who co-produced a 2009 documentary highlighting the views and experiences of gay Anglicans in Africa, said she'd corresponded with Kato about a year ago and "he spoke of the potential for genocide of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people in Uganda because of the hatred brought on by a visit of American evangelicals in the spring of 2009."
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said Kato's murder "deprives his people of a significant and effective voice, and we pray that the world may learn from his gentle and quiet witness, and begin to receive a heart of flesh in place of a heart of stone. May he rest in peace, and may his work continue to bring justice and dignity for all God's children."
Bruce Garner, a member of the Episcopal Church's Executive Council, told ENS that he believes the situation in Uganda "has come about because of the insistence of some faith groups on very narrow and literal interpretation of certain portions of Scripture, particularly those dealing with human sexuality, especially same-gender sexual activity."
Garner, an openly gay Episcopalian from Atlanta, said that Kato's murder may have been avoided "if the leaders of the various Christian faith communities, including and especially the Anglican Communion, had spoken out prayerfully but forcefully against such a selectively literal interpretation of Scripture … When we sit in silence or only whisper our protests against what we believe to be wrong and not in accord with the Gospel, we are as culpable as those who are such loud and stringent voices calling for severe punishment, in this case ending in death."
In October 2009, a bill was proposed to the Ugandan Parliament that called for broadening the criminalization of homosexuality in the East African country and introducing the death penalty in certain cases.
Following international public condemnation, the bill has been temporarily withdrawn, but is expected to be reintroduced in the future. In March 2010, Senyonjo was among those who delivered to the Ugandan Parliament an online petition containing more than 450,000 signatures of people opposing the law.
Integrity USA, a group that advocates for the rights of LGBT people, issued a statement on Jan. 27 saying it is "deeply saddened …but not surprised," by Kato's murder.
"The homophobic atmosphere that prevails in Uganda today where draconian laws are proposed, calling for death and imprisonment of homosexuals, and where a so-called magazine can call for the killing of 'homos,' has created a climate that was sure to provoke violence," the statement said. "We call on all our brothers and sisters in faith -- from Canterbury to Kampala to Kalamazoo -- to join us and take a stand on behalf of 'the least of these.' Silence equals death."
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who is currently in Dublin attending a meeting of Anglican primates, called the murder "profoundly shocking," and extended his prayers and sympathy to Kato's family and friends "and for all who live in fear for their lives."
"Whatever the precise circumstances of his death, which have yet to be determined, we know that David Kato Kisule lived under the threat of violence and death," Williams said in a Jan. 28 statement. "No one should have to live in such fear because of the bigotry of others. Such violence has been consistently condemned by the Anglican Communion worldwide ... This is a moment to take very serious stock and to address those attitudes of mind which endanger the lives of men and women belonging to sexual minorities."
Several global political leaders and human rights organization have called for an immediate investigation in Kato's death.
President Barack Obama on Jan. 27 said he is "deeply saddened" to learn of the murder.
"In Uganda, David showed tremendous courage in speaking out against hate. He was a powerful advocate for fairness and freedom. The United States mourns his murder, and we recommit ourselves to David's work," Obama said. "At home and around the world, LGBT persons continue to be subjected to unconscionable bullying, discrimination, and hate."
Obama noted that in the weeks preceding Kato's murder, five members of the LGBT community in Honduras also were killed. "It is essential that the governments of Uganda and Honduras investigate these killings and hold the perpetrators accountable," he said. "LGBT rights are not special rights; they are human rights. My administration will continue to strongly support human rights and assistance work on behalf of LGBT persons abroad. We do this because we recognize the threat faced by leaders like David Kato, and we share their commitment to advancing freedom, fairness, and equality for all."
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a Jan. 27 statement that everywhere she travels on behalf of the United States she makes a point of meeting "with young people and activists -- people like David -- who are trying to build a better, stronger future for their societies. I let them know that America stands with them, and that their ideas and commitment are indispensible to achieving the progress we all seek."
Kato's murder, she said, "is a reminder of the heroic generosity of the people who advocate for and defend human rights on behalf of the rest of us -- and the sacrifices they make. And as we reflect on his life, it is also an occasion to reaffirm that human rights apply to everyone, no exceptions, and that the human rights of LGBT individuals cannot be separated from the human rights of all persons."
The Rev. Colin Coward, an openly gay priest in the Church of England and director of U.K.-based LGBT advocacy group Changing Attitude, told ENS that Kato's murder is "a terrible tragedy because of the shocking, vicious circumstances of his death. It will impact on his family and close friends and on the many who respected him for the courageous and public stand he took in Uganda in working and campaigning for the civil rights and equality of LGBT people."
Coward noted that thousands of gay Ugandans will now be living in even greater fear of their lives. Kato's death, Coward said, is "a tragic and a salutary moment for the Anglican Communion. Primates and bishops need to think deeply and carefully about their attitudes to homosexuality and the rhetoric they use. All those who fail to acknowledge the humanity of gay people and the commitment of the Anglican Communion to respect our faith are at risk of colluding in the persecution of LGBT people and gay leaders such as David Kato."
Meanwhile, Changing Attitude Ireland has issued a statement calling on the Anglican Communion primates to address the persecution of homosexuals during their Jan. 25-30 meeting in Dublin.
Archbishop Henry Orombi of the Anglican Church of Uganda is among seven primates who have boycotted the meeting because of the presence of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and recent developments concerning human sexuality issues in the Episcopal Church. Orombi has previously declined to condemn violence against homosexuals.
The Anglican Church of Uganda has said it believes that "homosexual practice has no place in God's design of creation, the continuation of the human race through procreation, or His plan of redemption."