Ugandan Judge Orders Newspaper To Cease Gay Outings

A judge has ordered a Ugandan newspaper, The Rolling Stone, to stop outing gays in a country where homosexual acts are illegal, reports the BBC. The editor of the paper has already announced that he will defy the ban.

The paper came under fire for printing the names, addresses and photographs of people it says are homosexuals, along with the banner "Hang Them."

The South African newspaper the Mail & Guardian reports that these exhortations were heeded, with at least three people being attacked since the publication, with more going into hiding. The paper also noted:

This is not the first time that a Ugandan newspaper has outed members of the country's gay community.

In April 2009, the tabloid Red Pepper featured a "killer dossier' titled "Top homos in Uganda named".

In September 2007, the newspaper carried out a "weird sex investigation" titled "Homo terror".

American evangelist Scott Lively has been linked to encouraging a bill that would allow for a death sentence for homosexual acts that has been introduced to the Ugandan parliament, as he visited the nation numerous times advocating against homosexuality, reports Time magazine. He is the author of the book Pink Swastika, which compares gay people to Nazis.

The judge's injunction came after a group calling itself Sexual Minorities Uganda (Smug) requested the publication be stopped, reports the BBC. The pending Ugandan homosexuality bill has not yet come up for a vote.

The American magazine Rolling Stone has no affiliation with the paper, and has demanded that the newspaper change its title.