February 4, 2010
By Mary Frances Schjonberg

On a day when religious and political leaders in the U.S. held competing prayer breakfasts, U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned as "odious" proposed changes to Uganda's anti-homosexuality laws.

The Ugandan Parliament is considering a bill proposed by one of its members, David Bahati, that would introduce the death penalty for people who violate portions of that country's existing anti-homosexuality laws.

"We may disagree about gay marriage, but surely we can agree that it is unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are – whether it's here in the United States or, as Hillary mentioned, more extremely in odious laws that are being proposed most recently in Uganda," Obama told the National Prayer Breakfast, held Feb. 4 at the Washington D.C. Hilton Hotel.

Earlier, Clinton had told the gathering that the U.S. is "standing up for gays and lesbians, who deserve to be treated as full human beings. And we are also making it clear to countries and leaders that these are priorities of the United States." She said she had recently telephoned Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, whom she said she had met through the prayer breakfast, "and expressed the strongest concerns about a law being considered in the parliament of Uganda."

The National Prayer Breakfast, held every year since 1953 and nearly always a command performance for U.S. presidents and other politicians, is chaired by different members of Congress every year and sponsored by a secretive evangelical Christian network called The Fellowship, also known as The Family. This year's Congressional co-chairs were senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) and Johnny Isakson (R-Georgia).

Prior to the Feb. 4 gathering, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington asked Obama and Congressional leaders to skip this year's breakfast because of its secrecy and reported connections between the Christian group and efforts to change Uganda's anti-homosexuality laws.

Two days before the breakfast, an ecumenical group of religious leaders, including Diocese of New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson, announced the formation of the American Prayer Hour, a multi-city event on February 4, 2010, with gatherings in Anchorage, Berkeley, Boynton Beach in Florida, Chicago, Dallas, and Washington. The events, organizers said, would "affirm inclusive values and call on all nations, including Uganda, to decriminalize homosexuality" and spotlight the National Prayer Breakfast's connections with The Family.

The news conference on Feb. 2 also included a man named Moses who wore a bag over his face, saying he was seeking asylum in the U.S. The news release about the event identified him as a gay Ugandan.

Robinson told reporters at the American Prayer Hour news conference that he had spent time in Uganda many years ago to help set up HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs.

"Because of an unholy alliance between conservative religious groups in this country and anti-gay forces overseas, Ugandans are turning on their own Ugandan sons and daughters who happen to be gay," he said. "This proposed law is a threat to LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] people in Uganda and everywhere. Around 35 percent of Ugandans are Anglican and 45 percent are Catholic. Although many faith leaders have stood by silently, today we speak out on behalf of the marginalized. Faith leaders of all traditions should speak out for the most vulnerable in Uganda before it's too late."

Harry Knox, director of religion and faith for the Human Rights Campaign, said during the press conference that tax documents from The Family "show millions of dollars have gone into programs run by David Bahati," the Ugandan parliament member who wrote the anti-gay legislation.

"With that kind of influence, we call on the head of The Family, Doug Coe, to publicly speak out against the proposed anti-gay bill in Uganda. Our nation's public officials, religious leaders and civil and human rights champions must speak with one, clear voice that the proposed execution of a group of people for no other reason than because of their sexuality is immoral and will not be tolerated or condoned through silence. Members of Congress and other elected officials attending [the National Prayer Breakfast] cannot turn a blind eye to the obligation they have to speak out against such inhumane proposals such as the legislation being proposed in Uganda."

In December, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori issued a statement saying the Episcopal Church was "deeply concerned about the potential impingement on basic human rights" in the bill pending before the Ugandan Parliament.

Episcopal News Service
The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg is national correspondent for the Episcopal News Service and editor of Episcopal News Monthly.