American ‘Rolling Stone’ vs. Ugandan Anti-Gay Tabloid of Same Name

The American popular culture magazine Rolling Stone will pursue legal action against the virulently anti-gay Ugandan tabloid newspaper of the same name, The Advocate reports.

Rolling Stone on Tuesday sent The Advocate an Editor’s Note for the upcoming Rolling Stone issue that hits stands on Friday. In it, Rolling Stone details how it sent the Ugandan knock-off a cease-and-desist letter following the latter’s publication of photos, names and addresses of Ugandans it called “homos,” under the title, “Hang Them!” One of those photos was of Ugandan LGBT advocate David Kato, who successfully sued the paper following the article and was murdered last week in what is widely believed to have been an anti-gay hate crime.

The American Rolling Stone’s exploration of possible legal action against the Ugandan tabloid may prove largely symbolic, as the former publication does not own the rights to the title in Uganda.

Here is the text of the Rolling Stone Editor’s Note:

“The tragic murder in January of David Kato, a gay activist in Uganda, once again drew international attention to the vile and hate-filled rhetoric of a newspaper calling itself Rolling Stone. Last fall, the paper – which is not affiliated in any way with the magazine – published the addresses of Kato and others it identified as “Top Homos” under a chilling headline: Hang Them.

“We immediately sent the paper a cease-and-desist letter, ordering it to stop using our name, and we are exploring every available legal option to help end its ugly campaign. Kato himself had bravely taken on the hatemongers: Last month, after he sued the newspaper, Uganda’s highest court ordered it to pay damages and stop inciting violence against gays and lesbians. We honor him and his heroic example.”