Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Homophobia Sweeping Africa Like a Disease, says Rights Group Joe DeCapua 16 December 2010 The group Aids-Free World says thereâs a wave of âhomophobia sweeping across Africa.â Itâs calling on the African Union to take urgent measures to stop âa growing and insidious contagion.â Co-director Paula Donovan says silence on the part of the AU about the issue is similar to silence during the early days of the AIDS epidemic. âThe problem is definitely getting worse. Homophobia seems to be spreading like a contagion from country to country in Africa. And the efforts to criminalize homosexualityâ¦(have) been taken up by increasing numbers of parliaments and promoted by increasing numbers of African leaders, including heads of state and prime ministers.â In the news A number of anti-homosexual incidents have been reported recently in Africa.  Uganda has considered legislation that would impose harsh penalties for homosexual acts.  One measure even called for the death penalty in some cases. In Malawi, a male couple was prosecuted when their gay relationship became public. Donovan says other incidents can be found Kenya, Zimbabwe and most recently Ghana. AIDS-Free World Paula Donovan, co-director, AIDS-Free World Bernice Sam, program coordinator for Women in Law and Development (WiLDAF), called for Ghanaâs constitution to be amended. âIn Ghana, to our dismay, an advocate for womenâs rights spoke publically about the need for the constitution to be reviewed. She saw a loopholeâ¦that would allow gay marriage and that would not allow for the criminalization of homosexuality. And she said publically on tape that we donât want gay marriage in Ghana,â says Donovan. Sam is also quoted as criticizing attempts on the continent to recognize the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders. Donovan says, âWe were shocked to hear the statements coming from her. As I think anyone who is aware of and supportive of WiLDAFâs work would be shocked. You know, you simply canât categorize the rights of lesbians, gays and other sexual minorities as separate and distinct from the rights of all human beings. To hear this sort of homophobia being promoted by people who purport to be human rights activists is incredibly troubling.â 30 years later In the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, a number of African leaders stated that homosexuality did not exist in their countries, that it was a matter for Western nations. Some 30 years later, it remains an issue. âIâm not quite sure what happened to trigger this new wave of homophobia across Africa. I think that it probably happens in any human rights debate. That people who are theoretically in favor of human rights can speak in platitudes and then suddenly, when they see a particular subset of the human population about whom theyâre fearful and distrustful, then they start to rethink their general support for the human rights of all people,â she says. She says many African leaders have embraced the idea of ending stigma and discrimination against those living with HIV/AIDS, but she adds the sentiment doesnât go far enough. âItâs been pointed too narrowly at people who are already HIV positive,â she says, âWe need to understand that stigma and discrimination is what drives people into high-risk groups. And so, as long as you discriminate against people and drive them into the margins of society, then youâre going to exacerbate your HIV problems.â She adds that âtolerance, openness and refusal to discriminate have to apply to people before they are HIV positive, as well as after.â .