Saturday Rumblings

It rained in the night.

And, in the morning. Woke up to make love. Rain and love mix, the gods of fertility looking over us. [ha, cheeky me. wonder what Bahati would say to that!

Slept again, to wake up, read, think, and get off to work. Walking through the rain, writing a poem in the taxi while we waited for it to fill.

And, I have been thinking again. Of the things that we can do, and fail to do. Of the selling of our souls to achieve our aims.

Ever wondered why so many gay men are into HIV prevention?

No, I am not talking about Martin Ssempa. That one is a loony. [why do I abuse him? I am not. I am simply stating an unpalatable fact.]

Here is one revealing blog post at the Body.  The same anger fuelled me, at times, about the Bahati Bill. They will never understand it. Maybe that is good, because they will never understand why we will win. They may win a battle, the war is ours. Because we fight for our lives. Literally.

Yesterday, I got to know that the religious leaders who came out to support us against the Bahati bill by presenting the petition to parliament, are getting lots of backlash. They are being abused. They are being threatened.

Someone once called me anti-Christian. I laughed. Labels just show off a person's stupidity, especially when they are thrown around like aka Ssempa, man of god. Remember 'Sodomites'?

Now, I am quite willing to go out on a limb for these guys who dared in the face of the hypocritical hate speech from the official church in Uganda, Catholic, Anglican, and the Pentecostals, I am willing to defend them. With all of mine.

That priest, the one that Ssempa ridiculed that his qualifications to fighting HIV are much less than his, I remember him. The brave and strong and leading Man of God, Canon Gideon Byamugisha. Google his name, and you will not find the feaces and ridicule that is thrown around the name of the Gay Porn Freak Show Pastor Martin Ssempa.

Bishop Ssenyonjo. Elderly, grandfatherly man. Bishop Emeritus of the Church of Uganda. The lone African voice of dissent from the unified homophobic view of the African Anglicans at that Anglican Conference. I know, he was excommunicated? I am not sure of the details. But, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, in his righteous wrath speaks of him disdainfully as Ssenyonjo. Denying him a life time of work for the church, the studies that he did. And, he is a PhD. Not the Bichupuli PhD that Ssempa pushes….. That is like Obamas. Or, Museveni's that he recently got from Makerere. But those two guys will be hard pressed to sign their names like so Obama PhD, or Museveni PhD. Sadly, Ssempa signs like so. Ssempa PhD!!!!!!

Uh, Ssempa would miss that joke.

I also acknowledge the fact that Retired Bishop Balagadde Ssekadde of Namirembe Diocese was among the signatories. I thought he would also be amongst the people presenting the petition. He wasn't, and I wondered. I salute you sir. Not like this guy who wrote to the Monitor expressing his shock. It is better that the shock is because of love, than because of hating.

It is extraordinary. People call themselves Christians. And, they spew hate from both ends like there is no tomorrow. And, when some other Christians stand up and say that, enough, the hate flows to them also.

I salute you Canon, Bishop, and the others. I know, you will face more hate. And, I hear you are planning some prayers, to teach Ugandans some love. I wish I was going to be there. You almost tempt me to step into Church after a very long while.

----

I do know this guy. Pushing it, isnt he?

 

How often do gay guys think of suicide? Maybe that doc will know. Or, icearc? Hey, Icearc, have you gotten into that? Have you ever talked to a guy who comes to you and tells you 'I am contemplating suicide,' and then he says, 'I am gay?' Challenge, how would you react? Refer him to Steven Langa and Ssempa for counselling?

 

Just teasing, dude. I know, I know, sometimes I can be a pain in the butt. And, don't you read anything into that. Just get used to my hopeless sense of humour.

And, you are amazing me, icearc, the leaps and bounds you are making in your growth as a human being. Once upon a time you were timid. But, adversity brings about the best, and worst in us.

I do like this examination of the man of god, Ssempa, that you made in this post. 

I was signing off, then realised that the American anti-gays are still sending more missionaries on the gay conversion step. To Kenya, which, with a gay pogrom in Mombasa last month, shows lots of promise. Here is Truth Wins Out. 

Brothers and sisters in Kenya, beware. It started in Uganda. The evangelists come.

Be well

 

gug