Ugandan activist named on anti-gay hit list found murdered

Trigger warning

Fucking fuck.

Remember the Ugandan newspaper “hit list” of 100 gay and lesbians, including names, pictures, and home addresses including a headline reading “Hang Them”? Well, after months of fear, hiding and even some attacks, one of those individuals — gay rights activist David Kato — was found beaten to death in his home yesterday.

This comes within the same month that three Ugandans who were named on the hit list won damages in a lawsuit against Rolling Stone Newspaper, wherein the court ruled that “constitutionally protected rights belong to all Ugandans, whatever their perceived sexuality.” Too little, too late for Koto, I guess.

Let’s not forget, much of this violent hostility stems from colonialist and U.S. evangelicals’ influences, as some key players behind the campaign for Uganda’s “Kill the Gays” bill were evangelical activists from the U.S. Read Nancy Goldstein’s coverage at The Nation for more. She sums it up:

In short, while only one person is likely to be held responsible for Kato’s murder—and only then if we are very, very, very lucky given the foul history between Uganda’s police and its LGBT community—there’s a long line of people who helped create a climate where the act could be considered a blow for the common good. As Val Kalende, the board chair at Freedom and Roam Uganda, said: “David’s death is a result of the hatred planted in Uganda by US Evangelicals in 2009. The Ugandan Government and the so-called US Evangelicals must take responsibility for David’s blood!”

Don’t hold your breath.

Related: Also check out Rachel Maddow’s takedown of ex-gay author and founder of the International Healing Foundation, Richard Cohen, who has had an influence on the anti-LGBT hatred in Uganda.