Ethiopian Newspaper: U.S. and Europe are Spreading Homosexuality

A popular Ethiopian daily newspaper claims that the United States and Europe are planning to "export, spread and promote homosexuality" in the country.

The article, which was published in Yenga Daily on June 18, says that homosexuality was an "infestation" that is increasing and that an estimated 16,000 people are carriers of homosexuality.

Ethiopia, located in east Africa, does not recognize LGBT rights, and homosexuality is illegal and considered a sexual crime. According to a Pew Global Attitudes Project, in 2007 a whopping 97 percent of Ethiopian citizens disfavored homosexuality. LGBT activists have also reported an increase of homophobia.

"I am an activist working to address the health and social problems of LGBT people in Ethiopia. I've got no idea from where and how the article got such 'statistics,'" an anonymous Ethiopian LGBT activist told Pink News.

"I strongly disagree with this campaign which is a part of the local religious leaders in collaboration with homophobic religious organizations that we know are actually based in Sweden, United Kingdom and others countries," the activist argued. "They want to incite the government and the society at large to further stigmatize, persecute and attack the LGBT community in Ethiopia."

The newspaper claimed that gay men and women have about 75 sexual partners a year and that some are so promiscuous that they have up to seven or nine sexual partners a day.

The article continued to slam gays and said that their "practices" are being "exported" into Ethiopia by foreign exchange students who come to the country from the U.S. and Europe. It also says that the students are really there to spread gay culture and "recruit" street children. The story alleges that the United Nations, Embassies of European and North American countries, international non-governmental organizations, are working together to spread homosexuality.

The article goes on to say that it wants the Ethiopian government to block all porn websites because they will spread "social evil."

This week Ugandan officials announced that nearly 40 non-governmental organizations would be banned because they said the groups were promotion homosexuality and recruiting children.

"The NGOs are channels through which monies are channeled to (homosexuals) to recruit," Ugandan Ethics Minister Simon Lokodo told Reuters.