Liberian President Pledges To Vet ‘Extremist’ Anti-Gay Legislation |
Last month, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf — a Noble prize winner — made headlines when she refused to speak out against laws criminalizing homosexuality and predicted that legislation that would place additional restrictions on gay people would likely fail to advance in the legislature. On Tuesday, responding to international condemnation of her dismissive attitude, the president has released a statement clarifying her remarks. ‘”I will never condone discrimination against any group,’’ she said, adding that she reserved her constitutional right to block what she called “extremist legislation” intended to marginalise a particular group on account of their sexual orientation or practices.’”
NEWS FLASH
Liberian Government Says It Will Defend Gays |
The Liberian government issued a statement last week promising to prosecute members of an anti-LGBT group who threatened activists with death. In the statement, the government said it “supports the rights of any of its citizens to hold dear their traditional values, [but] it will neither countenance nor condone any form of intolerance whose objective is to stifle the exercise of individual freedoms and the advance of civil liberties.” The statement also said that security agencies would investigate the threats and arrest anyone threatening gay rights advocates. The group, the Movement Against Gays In Liberia, issued a “hit list” of LGBT rights supporters last week, promising “to go after them using all means in life.”
Liberian Anti-Gay Group Issues Hit List |
The Associated Press is reporting that an anti-gay group in Liberia distributed flyers listing the names of gay rights supporters and threatening violence against them. The Movement Against Gays in Liberia, which distributed the flyer over the weekend, promised “to go after them using all means in life.” One supposed member of the group, Moses Tapleh, was quoted as saying, “We will get to them one by one,” and said those activists could face “flogging and death.” Currently, Liberian law criminalizes “voluntary sodomy,” with punishments of up to a year in prison, but two new bills have been introduced to make same-sex activity and marriage a felony, with longer prison sentences for each. Last month, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a Nobel Prize winner, said she would not sign a law to decriminalize homosexuality, but predicted the two new bills would not make it through the legislature.
Liberia’s President Sirleaf Defends Controversial Stance On Gay Rights |
Nobel Peace Laureate and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is standing by her country’s anti-gay policies amid controversy stemming from a joint interview with former Prime Minister Tony Blair. In a letter to the Guardian, the Liberian government claims that there are currently no anti-gay laws in practice within the country, although voluntary sodomy is a criminal offence and can result in up to three years imprisonment. The letter then attempts to clarify President Sirleaf’s comments: “What the president is on record as saying is that any law brought before her regarding homosexuality will be vetoed. This statement also applies to an initial attempt by two members of the Liberian legislature to introduce tougher laws targeting homosexuality.”
The State Department is speaking out against Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s recent remarks in favor of criminalizing homosexuality. During a press conference yesterday, spokeswoman Victoria Nuland reiterated Secretary Hillary Clinton’s contention that gay rights are human rights and promised to “express some surprise and concern” with Liberian officials over the President’s sentiments:
QUESTION: Okay. And then is this something – should – since you’re in the habit now of answering hypothetical questions, should they go ahead and approve these laws? Is that something – given the Secretary’s speech in Geneva, which was quite strong, is this something that could affect U.S. assistance?… I mean, in general, if countries go ahead – if countries take measures that discriminate against homosexuals, is that something that under this Administration could lead to a review or a suspension or anything of U.S. assistance?
MS. NULAND: I think if there were major pieces of legislation that discriminated against any group, we would have to take that into account in our relationship and it would be a cause for concern.
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During a rather awkward interview with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Sirleaf — a Noble prize winner — reiterated her support for Liberia’s restrictions against homosexual behavior, adding, “We like ourselves just the way we are…We’ve got certain traditional values in our society that we’d like to preserve.” Last year, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on nations around the world to treat gay rights as human rights, while the United Nations and the UK have similarly urged African countries to repeal their antiquated anti-gay laws.
Liberian law currently classifies “voluntary sodomy” as a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison and if President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf — a Noble prize winner — has her way, the country will maintain its anti-gay policies, despite the global community’s call for the decriminalization of homosexuality.
During a joint interview with former Prime Minister Tony Blair, Sirleaf reiterated her support for the current restrictions and said, “We like ourselves just the way we are.” Blair — a long-time supporter of equality for gays and lesbians — winced uncomfortably at Sirleaf’s answers:
SIRLEAF: We’re not going to sign any such law [to decriminalize homosexuality] … I won’t sign any law that has to do with that area. None what so ever. We like ourselves just the way we are….We’ve got certain traditional values in our society that we’d like to preserve.
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Last year, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on nations around the world to treat gay rights as human rights, while the United Nations and the UK have similarly urged African countries to repeal their antiquated anti-gay laws. But rather than toning down the rhetoric, lawmakers in Libera have introduced two bills that would “make a person guilty of a second-degree felony if he or she ‘seduces, encourages or promotes another person of the same gender to engage in sexual activities’” and “would make gay marriage a crime punishable by up to 10 years in jail.” Activists also report “at least six homophobic attacks in the capital, Monrovia” in the last six months.
Sirleaf predicted that the mesures won’t make it through the legislature.
Liberia Now Considering Two Anti-Gay Bills |
In addition to the “Kill the Gays” bill proposed by former First Lady Jewel Howard Taylor, Liberia’s legislature is now considering a second bill introduced by Rep. Clarence Massaquoi that would criminalize homosexuality. While the new bill does not allow for the death penalty, it can apply to anyone who “seduces, encourages, (or) promotes another person of the same gender to engage in sexual activities,” with punishment of up to five years imprisonment.
NEWS FLASH
Liberian Ex-First Lady Proposes ‘Kill The Gays’ Bill |
The former first lady of Liberia, Jewel Howard Taylor, has introduced a bill that would allow homosexuality to be punished with the death penalty. Taylor, now a senator, also wishes to ban same-sex marriage. Both the U.S. and Great Britain have said that foreign aid may be cut if persecution of homosexuality continues, but countries like Liberia and Uganda seem to be recommitting themselves to oppressing their gay citizens.
The State Department is speaking out against Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s recent remarks in favor of criminalizing homosexuality. During a press conference yesterday, spokeswoman Victoria Nuland reiterated Secretary Hillary Clinton’s contention that gay rights are human rights and promised to “express some surprise and concern” with Liberian officials over the President’s sentiments: 
Liberian law currently classifies “voluntary sodomy” as a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison and if President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf — a Noble prize winner — has her way, the country will maintain its anti-gay policies, despite the global community’s call for the decriminalization of homosexuality. 
