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SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Dec. 9, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Liberty Counsel filed a brief opposing the latest efforts by Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) in its lawsuit against Pastor Scott Lively, in which SMUG seeks to silence and impose significant financial penalties against Lively for his speaking and writing about his biblical views on homosexuality. Liberty Counsel's filing is in response to a brief filed by SMUG as a last ditch effort to save SMUG's case from dismissal after it utterly failed to present evidence supporting its claims at a summary judgment hearing last month.
SMUG has failed for four years to produce a shred of evidence to fit its sensational claim that Lively committed "crimes against humanity"-akin to genocide and war crimes-by "conspiring" to "persecute" the LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex) population in Uganda. SMUG has unwittingly revealed its secret and corrupt goal to intimidate Lively into silence, along with any American pastor with a heart for African families. Liberty Counsel's response lays bare for the court SMUG's deception.
SMUG deems every pro-family advocate in Uganda to be a "co-conspirator" in a "criminal enterprise" to "persecute" the LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex) population of Uganda. In addition to seeking bankrupting financial penalties from Lively, SMUG is asking the federal court to prohibit Lively from, among other things, preaching at Ugandan churches and lobbying or advocating against same-sex marriage in Uganda.
"Even after 100 hours of depositions and 40,000 pages of documents, SMUG has no evidence whatsoever connecting Lively to any act of so-called 'persecution,'" said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. "SMUG has always claimed it was not trying to hold Lively liable for his speaking and writing. Yet the more SMUG writes, the more obvious it becomes that SMUG wants to punish Lively for his beliefs.
This is clearly a vendetta against Lively for speaking about homosexuality and God's design for the family in Uganda," said Staver.
About Liberty Counsel
Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.
