Popular anti-gay activist Shirley Richards decides to appear in a documentary made by a coalition called “Stand for Families Worldwide” which claims it exists to “expose the cultural imperialism pushed by the United Nations and by Western countries—especially the United States—and stop them from pushing a destructive sexual rights agenda on families and children worldwide“.
On their website they claim that criminalising homosexuality is a tool to help to control the spread of HIV/AIDS.
“Consider the fact that once a behavior is legalized and destigmatized, whether sexual or otherwise, that behavior is likely to increase, not decrease. Therefore, destigmatizing homosexual sex and prostitution will likely increase these behaviors, and if these high-risk behaviors increase, there will likely be more sexually transmitted infections.“
http://www.standforfamiliesworldwide.org/sffww/aids-lies/
We are not sure what proof they have that this works as Jamaica has had a buggery law since the 19th century and Jamaican MSM have one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world at 32%, which is also higher than every other country without a buggery law. Contrary to their uncited facts there is a study published in the Lancet which disproves that logic. It said:
“Disparities in the prevalence of HIV infection are greater in African and Caribbean countries that criminalise homosexual activity than in those that do not criminalise such behaviour.“
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(12)60722-3/abstract
Why ruin a good story with facts though?
In the video below Mrs. Shirley Richards and some other selected African orphans speak about what they call ‘cultural imperialism” because their dear anti-sodomy laws are threatened. Despite the fact that these laws were implemented by former European colonial powers and had Christianity forced on their societies they claim that removing laws against homosexuality is “imperialism” and a threat to their religious and cultural values as a way to lure viewers into feeling sorry for religious extremists and those with pro-criminalisation agendas.
Watch documentary: https://vimeo.com/49435981
In the video she claims that the US embassy in Pakistan holding a “gay party” for “local homosexuals” was “insensitive” and a “total disregard for the culture of a people”.
Lets look at how the Pakistani culture that Shirley defends is sensitive towards homosexuals. Under Pakistani Sharia laws, which were introduced in 1990, homosexual acts can draw punishments of whipping, imprisonment or even death.(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14010106).
Mrs. Shirley Richards doesn’t realise also that she would be stoned to death in Pakistan for converting someone to Christianity as this would violate the country’s apostacy laws(http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=9218). This is what is involved in the “culture of a people”. She claims that human behaviours cannot be a human right which means the right to engage in Christian practices is not a human right. According to Shirley’s logic, she would support her own execution.
Shirley Richards claims that anal sex must be illegal because it is “unnatural”. How many things can you spot in her portrait that would land her in prison if we were to outlaw everything considered “unnatural”?
Towards the end of the video an Ugandan woman defends the anti-gay laws and policies of Uganda by claiming that seeing people dying from AIDS gave them the duty to put the “right policies in place” because homosexuality erodes the very fabric of their society.
The Jamaica Observer gives a report of the “right policies” Uganda intends to put in place:
“The Ugandan parliamentarian who first introduced an anti-gay bill that carried the death penalty for some homosexual acts reintroduced the bill yesterday, raising concerns among rights activists who have been fighting the legislation.
Homosexuality, already illegal under Uganda’s penal code, is highly stigmatised in Uganda. Opinion polls frequently show the bill’s wide support among Ugandans. Lawmakers other than Bahati have sometimes spoken passionately about the need for such a law, and none have condemned it.
Anyone who “aids, abets, counsels or procures another to engage [in] acts of homosexuality” would face seven years in prison. Landlords who rent rooms or homes to gays also could get seven years.“
Shirley Richards claims that opposing laws against homosexuality is “deception” and “a total disregard for the culture of a people”.
Is she tacitly supporting the policies to execute homosexuals in Uganda?
Gay Lesbian Bisexual Trans-gender & Queer Jamaica 