Not time to take the foot off

the gas pedal. No. It isn’t time yet. Watch Museveni’s words. Read the transcript. It is certainly not yet time. The bill is still in Uganda’s parliament. And, most importantly, there has not been any fundamental change in the attitude of my countrymates. They are still as out for my blood as a gay Ugandan, homo, as they were before. And the lies are still being told about us.

No. It is not time to forget this bill. It is not ‘no more’.

Am I flogging a dead horse? No. I am not. The bill was a symptom. The disease is still raging. And, I am a Ugandan living, working in Uganda.

And, it is time my countrymates understood what exactly they have been trying to do. Because, I am a human being. Being gay does not excuse their hate, their lack of thinking, their embrace of stupidity.

I am gay. I am also Ugandan.

Museveni’s words make it pretty clear that it was not interests of my humanity, of my human rights which made him give a caution to his party. It was the foreign policy interests. It was the pressure from the US and other nations. That was the consideration, not the fact that the Ugandans wanted to kill and imprison other Ugandans because they are gay.

The Honourable Bahati seems to be entrenched in his fear of me as a gay person. I plan to offer him a chance to meet me and we discuss some of the things that he seems to hold in fear of me. Hon. Bahati, and Hon. Obua-Ogwal. There is no need to fear me, just because I am gay. When you are holding a spear to my neck, of course yes. Then.

But, I don’t believe in you fighting me because you fear me so much. Let us meet. Let us talk. As human beings. As Ugandans.

You don’t need to believe everything that you are told by the people who hate me, even those from America, the Scott Livelys of this world. They have made you make a fool of Uganda. You owe our country an understanding of gay people who are Ugandans. We are here.

Stop believing the words of the Paul Kagaba’s and George Oundo. They are liars and following their own agendas. As the person you have tried to kill, simply because you don’t understand me, I am requesting for a chance to iron out your misconceptions.

Especially the ‘recruiting’. Yes, especially the ‘recruiting’ which you seem so determined to hang round my neck.

Indeed, there is a lot of education to be done. Even of some Human Rights advocates. Remember at the beginning of this, when the bill was just introduced in parliament, when the Civil Rights Coalition to fight the bill was formed? I saw one silver lining. That the Human Rights Activists in Uganda had finally embraced gay Ugandans as human beings whose rights they could fight for. But, they are woefully ignorant of us. This, from one of the leaders of the biggest group.

Appearing on Vision Voice's News maker program this morning, the Executive Director,of the foundation for Human Rights Initiative, Livingston Sewanyana said the Bill infringes on human rights.

Sewanyana calls for more sensitization of the masses about the dangers of the vice before it can be criminalized.

Sensitization indeed. Homosexuality is infectious. Is like a virus for which one needs immunization. I heard that comment on NTV at Nine yesterday, and I was appalled. That was a university student talking about us. Thanks be to the gods another was shown immediately thereafter who came out and said ‘I do have friends who are gay. If it was a virus, why am I not gay?’

Fear, ignorance, false knowledge. False information. That is what is driving the gay panic in Uganda. And, it is a portent brew. Fanned by Charismatic leaders like Ssempa.

Which reminds me, the Christians in Uganda need a good lesson in the Compassion of Christ. I am not going to go there...! But, it is something that is desperately needed. They have been the leaders. From established churches to the ‘Pentecostal’ Churches. They are all bitterly unhappy that they have not got the chance for us to be killed off. Even the Catholic Church whose theology and teaching should have taught them better, they were ambivalent and un-Christian. I listened to Ssempa in amazement as the guy said that the media was ‘lying’ that they wanted to kill homosexuals. Indeed!

Ssempa needs to be sat down and read the bill. In the English that it is written. Or, maybe he needs an American accent like the one he affects sometimes?

The bill has been termed un-Christian. The Archbishop of Canterbury wonders how on earth an Anglican can support it. The Christians in Uganda support it. Because of the ‘external and internal threats’ to the ‘traditional family’. Yes, dear American friends, we need to reassess the export of radical Christianity to Africa. It is Christianity that Christ himself would not understand.

Yes. Our work is cut out for us.

Education. Sensitization. And, making fellow Ugandans know that, I being a gay Ugandan is no threat to them. Is no threat to their children.

gug