Ethiopian worshippers target US gay tour

Ethiopian church groups have called on the government to block a planned visit to the country by a US-based company that organises tours for gay people. BBC News reports that the groups were particularly angry that the itinerary published by the Toto Tours company includes religious sites. ‘We are humble and loving people, we come with no harm in mind and yet we are being threatened with harm,’ said tour group operator Dan Ware. The president of Selestu Me'et, a coalition of Ethiopian Orthodox church associations, said ‘they should not be allowed to leave their mark’. Consensual homosexual acts can be punished by up to 15 years in jail under Article 629 of the Ethiopian Criminal Code.