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News & ArtsSaturday, May 22, 2010
Homo Britain to Malawi: Free Those Men Or Risk Losing Aid
Posted by Dan Savage on Sat, May 22, 2010 at 8:00 AM
Britain will review its aid to Malawi if the Government refuses to free two gay men who were sentenced to 14 years’ hard labour this week. Andrew Mitchell, the International Development Secretary, came under pressure yesterday to begin withdrawing £19 million of British “budget support” for the Commonwealth country’s Government.... The Department for International Development (DfID) is understood to be considering reducing the proportion of aid paid directly to Malawi while maintaining the overall amount of £80 million donated to the country each year. Up to to 40 percent of Malawi’s budget comes from foreign donors.
Western governments—governments with openly gay elected officials, governments whose foreign aid budgets include revenues collected from openly gay taxpayers—have the leverage to free Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza.
2
Do Western governments—governments with openly Christian elected officials, governments whose foreign aid budgets include revenues collected from openly Christian taxpayers (many many more openly Christian elected officials and Christian taxpayers than homosexual ones...)—have the leverage to impose Christian values on other governments and societies?
3
@2: It's not about "homosexual values", as you imply. It's about basic human decency.
And if you've ever heard of colonialism, you'll know that a lot of those governments and societies already had Christianity and its values imposed on them by Western powers.
And if you've ever heard of colonialism, you'll know that a lot of those governments and societies already had Christianity and its values imposed on them by Western powers.
4
3
try again, Jr.
To Danny it is all about "openly gay elected officials" and "openly gay taxpayers"
try again, Jr.
To Danny it is all about "openly gay elected officials" and "openly gay taxpayers"
5
Even if the money is pulled, it will only affect the lives of a few corrupt, government fat cats. It means they will have one less mansion for a while until which time an emergency flood or famine pops up in their country and then they can score again off of the Bono-inspired donations that are sure to come. Yay, foreign aid to Africa - it's saving the woooorld! (...oops, that's right, nearly 500 BILLION DOLLARS has been squandered there over the decades - keep up the benefit concerts, Bono! Woo hoo!)
6
When was the last time somebody actually made good on one of these threats? And don't the US and the UK maintain friendly relations with (and send aid to) countries that treat gays and lesbians even worse than Malawi does?
7
@4: Well, now, Alleged, aren't you the bright spark! You think that societal acceptance of minorities was something made up by the Homoseckshual Agender?
It's xenophobes like you who turned back boatloads of Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany.
It's xenophobes like you who turned back boatloads of Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany.
8
While I agree with the motive - threatening financial harm if they do not comply? Isn't that terrorism?
Not that the US isn't already party to this kind of financial terrorism with Cuba. I guess when it comes to fiscal aid it's more of a grey area.
Not that the US isn't already party to this kind of financial terrorism with Cuba. I guess when it comes to fiscal aid it's more of a grey area.
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No, it's not "terrorism," @8. It's your money; you can give it to whomever you choose. Or not give it, as the case may be. This is no more terrorism than refusing to give money to that panhandler you'll meet on the street today is.
10
Yes yes yes! Go Lib-Con! Now this has made my day and restored some of my flagging national pride
11
Selective quoting by Savage.
Gay International Development Minister Alan Duncan wrote in pinknews.co.uk: Britain “must be wary of calls to use aid money as a political weapon”.
I've explained at length on sdgln.com why Savage (and others) should talk to gay African leaders before encouraging actions which have the very real potential to harm them.
Gay International Development Minister Alan Duncan wrote in pinknews.co.uk: Britain “must be wary of calls to use aid money as a political weapon”.
I've explained at length on sdgln.com why Savage (and others) should talk to gay African leaders before encouraging actions which have the very real potential to harm them.
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