The Washington Post ran an impassioned editorial January 7, condemning the anti-homosexuality law being considered in Uganda.

Originally calling for the death penalty, the bill now calls for life imprisonment for �homosexual behavior and related practices.�

The bill is ugly, ignorant and barbaric, writes the Post. �That it is even being considered puts Uganda beyond the pale of civilized nations.�

I hate to quibble with such righteous talk, but just who is calling whom civilized?

If by �civilized� the Post means good, Western, developed, and all the rest -- wasn�t this the week we learned that it was �civilized,� American fundamentalist Christians who helped inspire this legislation -- and even write it?

Equating civilization with rights and justice is easy shorthand for editorial purposes, but it�s bad history and lazy journalism.

A report by Political Research Associates has called the growing anti-gay movement in African churches a �proxy war� for US culture battles. Uganda�s long been a target for US evangelicals. Three, Holocaust denier Scott Lively, Caleb Lee Brundidge, a self-described former gay man who leads �healing seminars�; and Don Schmierer, a board member of Exodus International, all traveled to Uganda and helped build the anti-gay foment that spewed forth this legislation.

Even such a �civilized� man as inauguration speaker Rick Warren praised the Ugandan ministers who back it. Anti-gay missionaries routinely tell African church leaders that gay rights are part of a colonialist agenda. It may be inadvertent, but the Post�s use of this language plays right into their argument.

The fact is, although demagogues in many countries argue that equality is a Western value -- and that gay rights activists, like feminists, are tools of imperialism � lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people exist everywhere, as do homosexual practices, always have, and there�s plenty of history to suggest that homophobia and homophobic practices are the imports.

Traditional African religions blessed same-sex marriage. It was 19th century Victorian Christians who called that barbaric -- and their 21st century fundamentalist descendants have continued the practice. Uganda itself has had at least one king, back in the 1880s, who was arguably gay.

Indian anti-imperialist Gandhi, on a visit to Europe, was once asked what he thought of Western civilization. His response? �It would be a good idea.�

Perhaps the Washington Post should rethink its word choice when rightly condemning hateful laws. There�s plenty of �civilized� bigotry out there.