Cultural or not, the flames have certainly been fanned by some evangelical Christian groups in counties such as Uganda. I know this is old news for many, but it still amazes me: link
"Homophobia has always existed in Uganda," (a gay Ugandan man) says. "But I would say it's greatly increased over the past two years, ever since American evangelicals came to Uganda."
Specifically, he's referring to a conference in March 2009, when three Americans spoke to hundreds of people in Kampala about homosexuality. One of them was Scott Lively, who told the group: "The gay movement is an evil institution. The goal of the gay movement is to defeat the marriage-based society and replace it with a culture of sexual promiscuity."
It saddens me beyond words. Thank goodness the matter is being revisited by the UN. Better late than never.