and Yukkuri it is not just any ‘Christianity or Evangelicalism’ it is the Theocratic (that means they want to run our government and may already do so) FAMILY..
doing this. Read the book learn about them, they want the US to be a Fascist/Nazi country and begin killing those who are different too.

I also made an error in assuming my friends/family truly knew what we face in society. The in-your-face hatred expressed by some during the New England marriage battles was a shock to those close to me and that very realization is where true change happens. (Really folks, come out of the closet whenever you can, if we’re ever going to win a popular vote – although the very premise is a travesty of justice – this is how it will happen!)

Robert points out Brown condemned the Ugandan actions. Stephen Harper of Canada – a conservative no less! – did the same. It appears Mr. Obama is missing in action again…

You’ve clearly missed the point of my post if you’re going to make comments like that. Part of the reason why this has caused such an uproar is because of the many hateful comments that were posted, many by Brits.

I have lived between the UK and US for the better part of fifteen years and so I am fully aware of the progress that has been made – progress that truly shames the US. However, this discussion has highlighted the fact that the British cannot afford to be complacent about homophobia either. As a nation it treats its gay and lesbian citizens better, in general, but it still has its share of bigots and they are just as hateful as the worst in the US.

It wasn’t that long ago that my partner and I were physically removed from a public bus in Edinburgh because we were holding hands. It wasn’t that long ago that a good friend of ours had dog sh*t thrown at him in the street because of his sexuality. Britain likes to paint itself as being a reasonably tolerant nation and for the most part it is, but this discussion has helped highlight how far it still has to go, and hopefully will counteract the complacency that many people, including yourself apparently, have towards the issue of homophobia in the UK.

I won’t deny that the worst abuse I’ve suffered has been in the US. I won’t deny that I feel a lot more comfortable when I’m in the UK and show my partner a lot more affection when we’re on British streets, but homophobia exists beyond the poorly educated and the religious extremists in the UK.

Many of the people who responded to the BBC’s discussion were clearly educated, intelligent people, and the things they said horrified me. British politicians may not be held hostage by religious groups and extremists as they are in the US, but the British people know how to hate as passionately as anyone.

Enlightened? I give Britain credit for the progress it has made, for the efforts it continues to make while efforts in the US stall, but no one reading the comments made could possibly confuse Britain for an enlightened nation.

What many of you fail to realize is that there is a general complacency in many so-called “civilized” and “enlightened” countries towards homophobia. It’s different in the US, where the issue remains a key discussion topic, but in countries like the UK there is a notion that homophobia is limited to the ignorant and the extremely religious.

Why is that? Because discussions about issues like this are limited to sites like this one, with a pro-gay bias, and fringe sites with a strong anti-gay bias. And so many allow themselves to believe that homophobia is not a big issue, that it’s a prejudice held by a tiny minority, that it’s bigotry that couldn’t possibly touch the so-called educated middle classes.

And what has this debate shown? That the UK is not as enlightened as too many like to believe.

It has brought the situation in Uganda to the public’s attention in a way a simple news article couldn’t. It has exposed the level of homophobia in the UK in a way no site like this one ever could. It has provoked discussion, and has shocked many who believed that attitudes like those expressed in the debate were a thing of the past.

I’ve spoken with some of my friends in the UK just this morning, and many of them were genuinely surprised that there are people in their country who still believe that homosexuality should be a crime, that gays should be put to death. They demonstrated a similar attitude to many of you when this topic was first raised here, believing that this sort of thing could only happen in a “savage” African nation, and yet the debate has highlighted for them the fact that there are many, too many, who would like to see similar laws enacted in the UK and every other nation around the world.

The debate, in short, has served as a barometer of public opinion and exposed the fact that the UK, like the US, still has a long way to go. It’s easier to see it in the US. Take it from someone who lives part time in both countries – homophobia in the UK is not as obvious. There is not the same degree of religious fanaticism. The religious groups do not have the same hold over politicians. Crimes motivated by homophobia are either less frequent or, more likely, less reported in the media. All this has cultivated the notion that homophobic attitudes are held by a tiny minority at the fringes of society.

I sincerely hope that people can get past their outrage at the BBC for daring to discuss a controversial issue like this and focus on what was actually said, on the still high levels of prejudice in many countries.

After all, when it comes down to it we discussed the issue on this site – all the BBC have really done is launch a discussion in another way, in a way that provoked people to respond rather than simply reading a news story and moving on. In my book, any discussion about these issues is better than no discussion at all.