A Massachusetts pastor has landed in federal court to defend himself for sharing his opinion on homosexuality and pornography.A foreign group called Sexual Minorities of Uganda (SMUG) filed suit against Scott Lively based on the Alien Tort Statute (ATS). The ATS provides a cause of action for violations of international laws that are “specific, universal and obligatory.”
Courts have found torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity; summary execution, prolonged arbitrary detention and forced disappearance to be actionable under the ATS.
The lawsuit claims that beginning in 2002, Lively preached in Ugandan churches and shared his opinion on homosexuality and pornography. It further claims that as a result, some members of the so-called LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) community faced discrimination—and one in ...