This Is Huge! This Is A Ground Breaking Case.

A federal judge in Springfield MA has agreed to hear the law suit against Pastor Scott Lively, he is being sued by Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) for his involvement in anti-gay efforts in Uganda.

Sexual Minorities Uganda v. Scott Lively
Center For Constitutional Rights

On March 14, 2012, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Sexual Minorities Uganda, a non-profit umbrella organization for LGBT advocacy groups in Uganda, against Abiding Truth Ministries President Scott Lively. Filed in the United States District Court in Springfield, Massachusetts, the suit alleges that Lively’s involvement in anti-gay efforts in Uganda, including his active participation in the conspiracy to strip away fundamental rights from LGBT persons, constitutes persecution. This is the first known Alien Tort Statute (ATS) case seeking accountability for persecution on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

The judge in the case ruled on the motion by the defendant’s counsel the Liberty Counsel, a conservative evangelical legal group affiliated with Jerry Falwell-founded Liberty University to drop the law suit. He is allowing the case to proceed.

Historic ruling: Judge orders anti-gay Scott Lively to stand trial for crimes against humanity
Extremist anti-gay US pastor is accused of engineering the Uganda 'Kill The Gays' bill, saying LGBT people are the 'new Nazis' and recommending Russia's 'gay propaganda' laws
GayStarNews
15 August 2013
By Joe Morgan

For the first time, a federal US judge has ruled a persecution of LGBT people is a crime against humanity.

This sets a precedent ensuring the fundamental human rights of LGBTI people are protected under international law.
[…]
Michael Ponsor, the US District Judge in Springfield, Maryland [Massachusetts], said: ‘Widespread, systematic persecution of LGBTI people constitutes a crime against humanity that unquestionably violates international norms.’

‘The history and current existence of discrimination against LGBTI people is precisely what qualifies them as a distinct targeted group eligible for protection under international law.

‘The fact that a group continues to be vulnerable to widespread, systematic persecution in some parts of the world simply cannot shield one who commits a crime against humanity from liability.’

This case revolves around two issues; free speech and the Alien Tort Statute; Pastor Scott Lively will argue that he has a right to say what he thinks about LGBT people and he did nothing more than express his opinion. While the plaintiffs will argue that he lobbied the Uganda legislature to pass the bill that would have made being LGBT punishable by death, the lobbying would be a violation of the Alien Tort Statute.