Ugandan LGBT Rights Groups Sues Antigay U.S. Pastor

Sexual Minorities Uganda is suing Massachusetts pastor Scott Lively for violations of international law, specifically accusing Lively of inciting gay hatred in Africa.

When he visited Uganda in 2009, Lively issued a call for the nation to fight against the "genocidal" and "paedophilic" gay movement that he compared to the Rwandan genocide, according to the lawsuit. Sexual Minorities Uganda believe he was instrumental in crafting the proposed "Kill Gays" bill, which at one point contained death sentences for certain gay behavior.

Lively called the suit "absurd" and "frivolous," and claims that while he supports prison for gay behavior, he doesn't condone life imprisonment, the death penalty, or violence. The homophobic culture in Uganda has led to the murder of many gays in the nation, including activist David Kato. After news of the lawsuit broke, protesters marched from the U.S. district court house in Springfield, Mass. to Lively's coffee house, carrying signs and caskets memorializing murdered LGBT Ugandans.

Sexual Minorities Uganda, which is utilizing a statute that allows non-U.S. citizens to sue Americans for violations of international law, plans to take more action against foreigners stirring up gay hate in Africa. Read more here.