When funny anti-gay statements become tools for oppression

Anti-gay pastor from Uganda, Solomon Male

"Homosexuality is dangerous . . .I have counseled young men who's rectums have protruded, and young women who have lost uteruses because of indulging in lesbianism. There are no facilities to treat them since they would have ruptured anus. I have counselled so many people who say they are homosexuals and they have since changed their ways of living. I don't hate homosexuals but the acts of homosexuality. I will fight homosexuality, not the people." - Solomon Male, Ugandan pastor

If this a statement by an American pastor said in this country, it would be "ha! ha! homophobic." However, seeing that Male is a pastor in Uganda, a country which persecutes lgbts and is still considering passing a bill which would penalize lgbts for being who they are, things aren't so funny.

For the record, I have never heard of any woman losing her uterus because of lesbian sex. And I have never heard of protruding rectums. I have unfortunately been the recipient of a vile picture of a gay man with his alleged intestines wrapped around him with the sender claiming that it was the result of gay sex, but the picture was an obvious fake. Nauseating but fake.

Male is very influential in Uganda and has sworn to eradicate homosexuality out of the country. And he is catching a lot of attention due to a trial involving Bernard Randall, a retired British gay man on trial in Uganda after two men stole his computer, which contained images of him having sex, and gave the images to Male.

If convicted, Randall could serve two years behind bars while the other man in the video faces a worse sentence.