Christian!

Its a very beautiful Sunday.

No. Didnt go to church. Cant go, when I dont believe. My lover didnt go, because he is disillusioned in his faith. But, he still affirms that he is a Christian. And, I support his right to have any faith that he has. Inspite of his sexuality, my lover is a human being.

It rained, in the early morning. Was an excuse to sleep in. And, have sex...! Yeah, the acts which will be liable to life in prison or death. That took up most of the morning. Highly sinful pleasure. Oh, well, just trying to shock you.

But, seriously, I am writing to my country mates who are Christian, and feel that it is their moral obligation to support the Bahati Bill. That means most Ugandans. And, those who believe very strongly in the moral path of this beautiful country of ours.

Yes, I speak to Ssempa, Nsaba Buturo, Bahati, Stephen Langa, Luke Orombi, and all the others. Leaders in Uganda. I am challenging you to speak out against this bill. The Bahati Bill.

Why?

Well, let me start by affirming that I am a Ugandan. Why do you want me to run out of the country? Why persecute me to that extent? I am your country mate.

Let me affirm that I am not Christian. But, I think you agree that I have a right to any faith, dont you? And, being non-Christian, it is your Christian duty to try and show me the goodness of the Nazarene. This cant be when am in prison, or dead. Because by then I will be beyond the pale, dont you agree?

Another reason? Well, it is making you look very bad. I mean, why are you persecuting me? You have given some very funny reasons, which I will try to deal with.
I am bad. 'course, I am a human being. There are bad and good things about me.
I am gay. Yes, I admit it. God made me that way. And, I dont think that you sending me to prison or having me killed will solve that. I will remain gay. And, you will allow me the human right to disagree with you, wont you?
I sleep with children. You know, that is a myth which I am being accused of. When I open Bukedde, New Vision, I see many stories of 'defilement'. An adult sleeping with a child. The overwhelming majority of the time it is heterosexual defilement. Now, it would be very wrong of me to say that Nsaba-Buturo is a defiler, simply because he is a heterosexual. Why are you going around saying that we gay people are defilers? Kind of disingenious of you, dont you think?
I recruit. Another myth. I dont recruit. Fact is, I have been living with another man, my lover, for coming to 9 years. Gay life in Uganda is very tough. Yes, it is. And, we are proud that we are making that mile stone. I have not 'recruited', just as simply as I failed to be 'recruited' into being heterosexual.

Do I have to give you other reasons? Ok, why do you want me to be killed or imprisoned?

I have just been looking at the Bill again. I am liable to life imprisonment for each of the following things which are very nicely laid out in the bill. If you dont believe me, get a copy of it, and check it.

• Kissing the man I love, and who loves me.
  
  
• Making love, having any kind of sex with my lover.
  
  
• If I touch him at all. Of course I do it, all the time. When we want to make love.. and other things. I feel like touching him just now, where he is, standing at the sink, washing. I like going right behind him and hugging him and kissing the nape of his neck. I love feeling his skin next to mine, cool, or fevered. I love the guy... Ok, sorry, I went over board. Serious question, why should you have me sent to prison for doing this very normal, human, loving things?
  Do you seriously believe that I should go to prison for life for loving my man? Is that Christian of you?
  
  
• And, if I touch someone in this way, and he accuses me of doing such a thing, I am liable to life imprisonment. Really, please, how Christian is that?

And, I will be guilty of aggravated homosexuality, and be sentenced to death, if 

• I have HIV. Imagine, you want me killed because I am a gay man with HIV!!!! I cant believe it!
  
  
• My partner has any physical or mental disability. So, the disabled cannot be gay. And if they are, we who arent disabled cannot love them, on pain of death.
  
  
• When you catch me, I will be sentenced to life imprisonment. If you catch us together, we hope that you will have us imprisoned in the same prison. So, we hope to continue loving one another. But, if you catch us again, we will, as 'serial offenders' be sentenced to death. Again, how much does this reflect the love of Christ?
  
  

I am sorry to preach at you Christian. But, I hurt. Because you are hurting me. Lots. You see, I am a human being like you. And, you are using your clout as a majority to persecute me.

Did you see this small piece of satire? The logical conclusion of what you plan to do with this law will be that there will be no homosexuals in Uganda, once this is signed into law by the President. We gay Ugandans will soon be in prison for life, or on death row, waiting the president to sign our death warrants.

Clearly, I dont think that that is Christian of you. Oh, I have seen what Bishop Ntagali said. He believes that I should be in prison, for a time. I beg to differ. He is a Ugandan like I am. I wouldn't want him in prison, even for a 'while', just because he is heterosexual.

No, I don't believe it is okay even to be condescending and say that I dont deserve the death penalty, but I deserve life imprisonment, or imprisonment at all.

Now, I have laid out all these arguments. They might convince you. Or they may not. Here is another reason which I think pertinent.

• This bill makes you look very bad and bloodthirsty, Christian. How can you say that you love me, and then come up with such a hate filled document? I mean, can Ssempa and Nsaba-Buturo ever convince Ugandans that they love homosexuals? Never. But, you dont have to be in the same boat. If you are Christian, it is your faith, your personal faith. Why are you willing to be lumped with haters?
  
  
• This bill makes Ugandans look really bad in the eyes of the world. You know, there have been attempts in history to kill all homosexuals. Yes, I know, the Mufti wanted us marooned on an island in Lake Victoria. I thought that was crude, but you are even more cruel. After a due process which this bill completely loads against me as the 'offender', you want us homosexuals in prison, or dead. I would actually plead for the desert island the Mufti thought was good!!!
  
  
• Err, the Mufti distracted me. But, this bill is positively Nazi like. I mean, they are the people who once thought that it was okay to wipe out an entire minority. They used legislation, and final solutions, just like this. I mean, they did this for the Jews.... oh, there were also homosexuals who were in the concentration camps. All that is history. Surely, you dont want our beautiful country equated to Nazis? But it is too late. With the bill out, the stamp of church and state all over it, my Uganda is a nazi clone... Yes, I cannot lie myself about that. I actually thought the hate would not reach as far as a bill, tabled in parliament. But, it has.

So, Christian. I am asking for you to reconsider your support for this bill. Will you?

For Christians outside Uganda, I know you can speak better to your fellow Christians in the country. Surely you can convince them that killing of and jailing all gay Ugandans is an act of hate, not love? Just nudge them with a reminder of the love that so touched the Nazarene's teaching.

Christian. You are strong. You have the conviction of your heart. You have faith. It is your faith that I am challenging, even if I do affirm that I do not believe. It is that innate goodness in you that I am appealing to. Oh, you have a lot of political strength. And, I know you can do something.

Just find a way of standing up for and on behalf of this sinner and other gay Ugandans, like Jesus stood up for so many sinners and won their hearts. That is not too much of me to ask you as a Christian, whether you are inside or outside Uganda, is it?

gug