Advertiser Backlash For Ugandan Paper

Last month a Ugandan tabloid published a list of that country's alleged "top 200 homos." Following a petition campaign by All Out, one of the paper's major advertisers has pulled out. Via press release:

Orange, a subsidiary of France Télécom, announced its decision to pull their advertising from the website of Red Pepper on Friday, after 77,329 All Out members called on them to remove the advertisements and commit to protecting LGBT employees in Uganda. Red Pepper, a prominent tabloid, recently listed the names and, in some cases, photos and locations of LGBT people in Uganda -- an action reminiscent of the 2009 outing of Ugandan activist David Kato in the (now defunct) tabloid Rolling Stone, who was murdered two days later. “We commend Orange for their leadership in reaction to the Anti-Homosexuality Law” said Andre Banks, Executive Director and co-founder of All Out, an international organization building the global movement for gay rights. “Orange’s decision to withdraw their advertising and to explicitly support their LGBT employees should ring alarm bells for Ugandan politicians and business people about the impact this law could have on the national economy”.