Anti-gay Credentials.

Sex is always about politics. Or politics is about sex? Or the politics of sex?

One of those ‘teachable moments’ from a feminist. But, there is one thing that I had not appreciated- and that is how much MY sexuality is such a huge political tool.

In Uganda, it is a given. Be a politician, you must be anti-gay. Of course you remember what happened in Zimbabwe, where the opposition has had, per-force to come out gay bashing, because that is what is politically correct. [Latest from Zimbabwe, we are waiting for the trial. You know, I think those guys are going to be 'convicted' and then given a huge sentence so that Mugabe glories in thumbing his nose at the west. Sigh...!]

What really nauseates is the way being religious is by definition, being anti-gay.

No. I am not religious.

But that doesn’t stop me from appreciating the theory that being 'religious' one has to brush up on anti-gay credentials. Ssempa was accusing Kayanja of not being anti-gay enough soon before he came out with his ‘Kayanja is gay’ pastor wars. Orombi and the Church of Uganda drove out Bishop Ssenyonjo because he was pro-gay. Now, I have been following some of the Christian right of America… Engel of TheCall. The story is fascinating, simply because it is a microsm of the whole anti-gay ‘good Christian’ politics of America. And Uganda of course. It’s a deadly mixture. Politics. Religion. Sex. It is volatile, very.

Seems as if no one can be on the side. One cannot be a Christian, and be gay, or gay loving. No, Jesus loved all sinners but homosexuals. That seems to be the underlying theme. And gay hate is love… it is Christian love, however much gay people try to assert that Jesus’ love also included them as members of the human race.

Very interesting, and eye opening.

Why does it concern me? Because this ideaological struggle being played out on a continent thousands of miles away from me, is affecting me in ways that I would not have thought possible. Kind of funny. Thousands of miles apart, culture and politics separating us… yet our destinies intertwined because of ideaologies that concern my sexuality. I would have loved it to be just something between me and my lover…. But seems that that will not be so.

Sigh….!

Talking about Engel, it is kind of tough to say you would want me in prison because I am gay when you are a Christian (professional Christian, I call it), but Engel does articulate that point. 

Influential Right Wing Evangelist Supports Uganda’s ‘Principled Stand’ on Executing Gays.

Far right evangelist Lou Engle is highly influential among the social conservative wing of the GOP (which is pretty much the entire GOP); he has hosted “prayercasts” attended by top Republican politicians including former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, and is involved in many other high profile political activities.

And this “man of God” who has the ear of the GOP leadership believes homosexuality should be criminalized; the nation he admires for their “principled stand” is Uganda. 

Of course, that is the Ssempa, Bahati, and Nsaba-Buturo point of view. No wonder he was really happy to meet them in Uganda when he came. 

As we show in Vanguard's "Missionaries of Hate," during TheCall Uganda, Engle surrounded himself with some of the key backers of Uganda's anti-gay legislation, including Pastor Julius Oyet, Minister of Ethics and Integrity Nsaba Buturo and the bill's author, MP David Bahati.

My musings aside, the Ssempa videos continue to get a reaction from the world. They are interesting, and infuriating. Someone gets to the point of writing an X-rated letter to Martin Ssempa. Is funny to read, and hits some points

Dr Ssempa

I cannot begin to tell you how frightening it is to know that someone like you is "fighting" HIV/AIDS with your bigotry and ignorance. I've just watched your hate filled approach here. among other clips available to the equally ignorant. The downside for you is that people like me also have access to this trash and the passion take you on personally.

I note that you hate what homosexuals do in their own homes so intently that you just couldn't help but to research it, view it and display it. Come on now, admit that it turned you on just a little bit. Because if it hadn't, you wouldn't be so eager to tell everyone about it.

Well, someone is really unhappy about Dr Ssempa’s HIV fighting credentials!!!!

Have a good day. Just watching England try to salvage some pride in the World Cup. Must say it is more interesting than the French debacle…. Was really fun to watch that world class soap opera.

gug

One Teachable Moment

Thanks to dear Martin…!

who is leading a church of homo-haters in disgust and revulsion at what gay men do behind closed doors.  And what do they do?  They “eat da poo poo,” of course, “like ice cream.”

Despite the very real possibility that this sort of propaganda will lead to the death penalty for men who have sex with other men in Uganda, the man is so ridiculous and clearly located elsewhere that Americanqueers have responded with humor more than outrage .  In fact, there’s even a dance remix of the minister’s anti-homo remarks.

Having watched this with my teenaged daughter – it was on her favorite vlog- we had one of those “teachable moments.”

Teenager:  That’s so messed up.  Uganda’s messed up.

Me: Yeah, but they’re funded by American conservative Christians.

Teenager: But Uganda’s more messed up than here.

Me: I hope so.

--

You follow that post, you will find that the Republican Party of Texas believes almost word for word what Martin Ssempa preaches. Yeah, no one has a monopoly on stupidity.

-

Ahem,. Uganda is one messed up country. I know, I am Ugandan, and fact is, I agree. Did you hear of the ‘National Day of Repentance’?

Declared by the President. It was last Sunday.... didn’t blog, my bad. But, it was, actually there. Fact, I am a non-believer. So maybe that is why it strikes me as weird. Other people’s religion, to one who is not so inclined, is weird.

The decision to declare a national day of repentance, according to the organisers, was reached after several prophets approached the president with prophetic warnings of bloodshed, death of political and church leaders, famine, and many other calamities that would befall Uganda as the consequences of her evil deeds.

“These and other acts, which have been or are being committed, have not pleased God. We risk losing out on God’s blessings for this nation if we choose to disobey Him,” President Yoweri Museveni warned in a press statement.

“Accordingly, I have declared that on Sunday June 20, 2010, at 9:00am at Kololo Independence Ground, we shall gather together for a special day of prayer and repentance. This is so that together we may thank God and seek his mercy and forgiveness for this great and chosen nation,” the president said.

When the President of the Republic declares a National day of repentance, I first feel it weird, and then start looking for something underhand. What I thought was happening was a rally... Elections are next year. The president is out in force on one of his ‘poverty’ tours. And, in Kampala, why not hold a religious rally? Have you seen the list of sins to repent of? It was drawn up by the Minister of Ethics and Integrity, Hon. Nsaba-Buturo, so homosexuality must be there somewhere...!

But, what is so weird, so funny, for me as a Ugandan, [errr, you know of how many times I as a gay Ugandan is accused of being non-patriotic, simply because I am gay?], what is interesting is that it seems the inspiration is coming from across the Antlantic, from America. You think I am lying you? Well, let me run and hide in the New Vision. And, as you read this, remember that it IS THE government paper. The government mouthpiece.

America became a blessed and prosperous country built on godly values after its former President Abraham Lincoln on March 30, 1863 appointed Thursday 30th April 1863 as a National Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer for the pardoning of their national sins.

Now, which is which? When I say I am gay, I am accused of being an idiotic, unafrican person. When someone else imports a religion from their colonizers, and, continue to hold onto it… for them they are good.

Don’t worry, friends from America. We are kind of selective in our hypocrisy. We choose to lambast gay rights as of the devil, but we are kind of hypocritical in embracing the anti-gay agenda from the west. Well, we cannot embrace both, can we?

---

One of the reasons that religion seems so weird to me is the issue of faith. We are human beings. Individiuals, different, unique…. yes? So, I would be happy thinking that we can never really agree. But, of course religious dogma says we must BELIEVE in something, in the correct way. Sorry, now I am injecting my personal prejudices into it… cant run away from them. Here is what the Catholic leader from Botswana believes about gay people.

“The Church does not reject them,” he said. “We only reject attendant practices, like sodomy.”

Calling homosexuality a “sickness mostly of our own making,” Seane added, however, that the orientation is not something that the church can “justify,” although the church will “sympathise to see how people who find themselves with such inclinations can be helped.”

“There are interventions that include surgery, hormonal (balancing), and psychological counseling,” he said. “We do acknowledge that such orientation might result from physiological make-up or hormonal imbalance, but you can work on that.”

“Sometimes socialization plays a role, especially in a family that perhaps had wanted to have a girl to such an extent that the parents insist on dressing a son in girl’s clothes,” Seane added.

So, how does one ‘believe correctly’? Not surprisingly, such a point of view is very different from our Ugandan religious leaders who wanted us in prison, or getting the death penalty, for touching, and other heinous crimes. Matter of fact, we kind of educated them a bit...!

Now, the sound of vuvuzelas is in my ears. South Africa against France... and those angry bees from the television have to be listened too. Of course, the French players revolt, and fact that the hosts South Africa maybe out after this match is interesting! Have a great day.

gug

Rumblings

Ever thought about the power of ridicule? Good old fashioned ridicule and laughter…. at something. It may be big and powerful, and obscene, it may be real good serious, but ridicule kind of carries things with it.

What brought it to mind is Pastor Doctor Martin ‘eat da poo poo’ Ssempa.

He is famous. But in an infamous way. Seems the vid has gone viral, with attendant peals of laughter. Well, I have been in audiences when he did the demos, and I was usually very angry. Too angry to be amused, too angered to find anything funny in what he did, what he showed, how he depicted gay people. Of course, what would anger me most would be the hypocrisy of saying that he LOVES gay people, and then go ahead and do the things.

Maybe love is in the eyes of a beholder…!

When the clip hit the web, it went viral, and people realy like it. They watch it, re-blog it, they comment, and I hope they also watch ‘Missionaries of Hate’ the documentary. It is the belly laugh that follows the ‘eat da poo poo’ vid which intrigues me. I thought these things were too serious for me to laugh at them. I mean, my ass is the one in the pan, in more ways than one. But, come to think of it, it is funny-; what Ssempa believed to be his signature tune, is his signature tune. It has made him wildly famous beyond his dreams. And, it is the kind of fame with laughter which would deeply puzzle him.

So, in our arsenal, we do have laughter… but we need to lighten up too!

Anyway, it also makes the ‘taskforce’ famous.

The delay of the bill, coupled with the fact that lots of homophobia was being whipped up seems to have spawned something ugly. I was talking to a gay friend last night while we were watching the boys. Apparently, someone sent his immediate boss a letter very similar to the blackmailing letter here.  They exposed that he is gay, and demanded that he is sacked. It is a tricky situation for him, and he is hitting back as well as he could.

But, what concerns me is that there maybe others like this letter out there. Blackmailing, extorting something. And, some of us are more vulnerable than others. Fact, we are all vulnerable, and work is precious. Are we ready for a truly organized anti-gay vigilante force? And, before you laugh that off, remember what was happening last year in the Pastor Wars. Our good Christian Pentecostal pastors have proved before that they are very, very capable of such visciousness. All in the name of god, of course. Of course, it could be worse. We did hear rumours that the Tabliqs were drawing up names for a hit list… 

Hope those stay as rumours.

On a better note, some gay Christians are hitting back at the gay bashing that Christians subject us too. Come to think of it, it is one of the things that I do like about the Throckmorton blog.... calling out 'Christian hate'. Bigotry is too easy to confuse with being 'religious' or behind the blinders of 'culture'. Those two labels stop thought in its track, excuse a lot of inexcusable things. As I was commenting, some gay Christians are making a stand, here.

many in the LGBT community are willing to concede the entire Christian faith to the likes of Fred Phelps and his “God hates fags” clan. They insist that Christians are beyond redemption, and that the only step forward for the LGBT community is to somehow rid the world of Christianity altogether. (I wonder how they plan to accomplish that!)

Those of us at The Gay Christian Network think otherwise.

We know that there are many LGBT and affirming Christians in the world. We know that too often, we’ve allowed the anti-LGBT Christians to speak for our faith while we remain silent. Frankly, they’ve been better organized and more vocal. And we aren’t willing to put up with that anymore.

Starting, I say, but of course there are many Gay Christian affirming organisations out there. The likes of Integrity, Changing Attitude, Other Sheep.... Maybe the militancy of the Christian Right has overshadowed them?

Yeah, life limps on. Seems like, sometimes. Are you enjoying the World Cup football? Seems like there are the usual upsets….! Well, it is the World Cup.

Have a great day.

gug

Some views from across the Continent

Remember the article on an anti-gay demonstration in Takoradi, Ghana that I did post about here? Well, seems the ‘talk’ about gay people in that West African country is taking the usual path. And, a very interesting one at that. Just gotten across a dissection of the whole hypocrisy of being ‘anti-gay’. Good reading.

The recent story of a gathering of gay men at a party in the port city of Takoradi generated a predictable rash of comments dripping with hatred, disgust and condemnation. Whilst many called for the burning, execution, decapitation or stabbing of these ‘vile’ men with their ‘disgusting’ lifestyle, others lamented the decline of Ghanaian culture and the concomitant importation of depraved western cultural values. For good measure, the bible, the Koran and African traditional religion were invoked ad nauseum as justification for the hatred of such men and their bedroom habits. Under no circumstances, it was argued, should the notion of human rights be extended to such persons, because after all, they were sub-human, doing stuff that even animals would not do. Ghanaians are at their most righteous when it comes to the sex lives of others

I love the conclusion. Rather apt….!

An amusing observation in conclusion. Many have called for the death sentence for homosexual conduct-after all the bible considers it an abomination. Fair point. Then some Ghanaian Muslims started calling for sharia law in order to deal with gays and other such ‘deviants’. Under sharia the punishment is the death penalty. You would expect the ‘Christian’ rabble rousers to nod in agreement over a common cause. But puzzlingly, they descended heavily on the Muslims and screamed that Ghana is a secular state. Really? Rather smartly, all the heterosexual adulterers and fornicators ( also abominations in the eyes of the good Lord and punishable by death according to the bible) realised that if Sharia came into being, then they would be stoned and hanged along with the sodomites, hence their outrage and protestations that Ghana is not a theocracy.

What rank hypocrisy. I am no Muslim, but I say recruit the Taleban to bring on sharia and let’s have a stoning party to deal with adultery, pornography, masturbation and sodomy, among other sins. Then let’s see how many Ghanaians--including those doing the stoning-would be left standing

You know the absurd notion that we gay Africans are not really Africans? The author of that article touches on it briefly-

At the coastal secondary school in Ghana I attended in the mid-seventies, homosexual conduct was rampant but latent, and I have no reason to believe it is any less the case now or that this was/is limited to my school. Yet most of those involved had never come into contact with a white man or seen gay pornography. It may very difficult to understand that some men drool over Michael Essien’s naked torso and tight muscles but are completely indifferent over the lovely Beyonce’s shapely figure , but that is a fact of life-. The strict Ghanaian societal expectations of yesteryear simply meant men who had sexual feelings for men were forced to bury them whilst they went through the tortuous and sometimes unhappy ritual of marriage and procreation that was expected of them, and in many instances, led double lives

And, there is this poignant letter from a gay Rwandese.

I am a Rwandan, but I am considered different because of my sexuality.

Growing up, I faced many problems in my social life, being called silly names like (Cyabakobwa and so on), or being mistreated.  This is something that still affects me in my everyday life.

I always wanted to change and be like everyone else, but after a long fight I failed: I never changed.

When I reached puberty, I started being attracted to men instead of women. I am gay.

Many people think that gay Rwandans were influenced by western cultures. This is a big lie and an insult.

I take myself as a living example: I’ve been in contact with Western Culture through the Internet for two years but I knew I was different since I was 12.

Right now, I am in my twenties and nothing has changed. I am still attracted to men. I’ve never told anybody since it would be called a shame and I would be an outcast in my family. It really is not easy; I didn’t choose that, and I wasn’t influenced by anybody.

I know that there are many children out there, many men and women who are in the same situation as myself.

They are misunderstood, humiliated and forced to act against their conscience, like marrying a person they don’t love.

Take heart brother. Life is tough, but, we are still there. Used to moan like so. It is true, life is real tough, being gay, and African. Great that we still are, and are here.

Pastor Dr Martin ‘eat da poo poo’ Ssempa is still going strong. Here he is featuring at a mass wedding in the northern city of Gulu, with some special friends of his.

The stadium was [decorated] with placards reading: No sodomy, No polygamy and No AIDS. Officials from Omega International said sh290m was spent in organising the mass wedding, which they said was one of the biggest so far in the north.

Pastor Martin Ssempa of Makerere Community Church prayed that the couples use their wedding rings as ammunition to fight homosexuality and sodomy in the country.

Imagine, at a mass ‘heterosexual’ wedding ceremony, taking the fight against homosexuality there…. Oh well, we Ugandans seem to have the only real, obsessive anti-gay credentials.

Now, I speak as a realist. And from lots of experience... most of the older gay Africans are in heterosexual marriages..... Hey, life is tough, and survival is not an option.

Just remember, over in Zimbabwe, a couple of activists are being very obviously accused of political offences, while everyone does know that the problem is that they are gay, and out. I didnt blog about the raid on the GALZ offices in Zimbabwe. But it is another feltering boil.

gug

Death to the Gay

There is a very interesting article on the Throckmorton blog on some of the good old American right religious leaders interaction with our good old Ugandan homophobes. It is worth reading, really worth reading. Probably, you should also read the previous post concerning the Lou Engle visit to Uganda. Oh, the topic, same old stuff. Bahati, Lou Engel, and a new beast of horror, one that had crossed my horizon, but had failed to prick my interest. I guess he really should be a person that I should pay more attention to. He is Apostle /Bishop Julius Oyet. They are all good, Pentecostal, charismatic Christians.

No, I am not glossing over the apology which was no apology from Engel. Nor am I really surprised that American right Christians seem to say something else in Africa, and something else when they are called to account in the US. Nor am I offering any new insight in Bahati the man who wants death or imprisonment for gay Ugandans. But, in Julius Oyet is another Martin Ssempa. A malignant, ignorant hatred that, though quieter, is as repulsive and deadly. The descriptions are apt.

Julius Oyet is anti-gay. Of course, every good Ugandan Christian is by definition anti-gay (sorry, good Ugandan Christians)

And, does he really know exactly what homosexuality is? Well, not realy, concluded Author Jeff Sharlett of the book The Family- an expose of that right wing Christian lobby group.

I rode with Bishop Oyet and Bahati in Bahati’s car to the Sheraton hotel, where I interviewed Oyet for about 45 minutes, recorded. I’ll be writing about what I learned in Kampala in my forthcoming book,….

6. Oyet seems to be quite confused about what homosexuality actually is. After he explained that he was engaged in spiritual warfare with homosexuality, I asked whether he believed homosexuals are demonically possessed.

Oyet: “Um, because it is abnormal. It is abnormal sex, you would say yes. You would say yes. Because one drives you to that. Because homosexuals, they would now eat their own feces. They would eat their own waste. That is what they call golden shower where you lick the anus of someone. Isn’t that demonic?”

Uh!

Remind you of someone? Pastor Doctor Martin ‘eat da poo poo’ Ssempa. The same ignorance, and crowning of the ignorance with a lack of desire to know anything that is positive about the people, human beings that they vilify. [chuckle…. to me, sex is a very positive thing to embrace, not to run away from. Ha ha!]

But, Julius Oyet, this good Christian leader, a Pentecostal Bishop, does come up with some good Christian justification for the death penalty for me in Uganda.

Here’s Oyet on the death penalty: “There is not the death penalty at the end for everybody. There is the death penalty at the end for aggravated homosexuality.”….

His rationale for the death penalty? “If the Bible supports the death penalty which is true and then you call yourself a Christian nation, listen. If I would be killed because I am dying scripturally I can repent to God before I am killed but [if] I am [eliminated] from the Earth that’s ok… if the victim confesses or repents, we can waive it off. Something like that…. In my view, homosexuals should be grateful. But instead they are not. Why I’m saying they should be grateful is because in Ugandan culture if you go and rob someone, if you go and rape a child and people find you, they will kill you.”

If you need any reminders, the death penalty under that bill would be my punishment if I had sex when I am HIV positive, if my partner was disabled in anyway, if I was a repeat offender (uhhhh!, that is why I do have sex with my partner as often as I can. repeat offender, of course!)- and of course; having a below 18 partner, and coercing someone to have sex with me.

I hated this conclusion from the author. I really hated it. But, I cannot say that his observation about the anti-gay activists of Uganda was false. Here it is, in bold

His rationale for the death penalty? “If the Bible supports the death penalty which is true and then you call yourself a Christian nation, listen. If I would be killed because I am dying scripturally I can repent to God before I am killed but [if] I am [eliminated] from the Earth that’s ok… if the victim confesses or repents, we can waive it off. Something like that…. In my view, homosexuals should be grateful. But instead they are not. Why I’m saying they should be grateful is because in Ugandan culture if you go and rob someone, if you go and rape a child and people find you, they will kill you.” [Here he is echoing a point made to me by many leaders of the anti-gay movement -- that the bill is for the benefit of the gays in that it protects them from mob justice, replacing it with the rule of law and a death penalty they can appeal.]

Truth, it makes me want to throw up.

But my nauseated repulsion cannot deny the fact that my countrymates, and very good, upstanding, Ugandans, morally upright, consider that, me as a gay Ugandan am such a freak that I deserve death. Lynching, and if it can be sanctified legally, well, all the better.

Gosh…!

Yeah, and he equated opposition to the anti-homosexuality bill as opposition to God. Really! In truth, with such stellar Christian witness...., any reason for me to express why I would rather not be loved by such solid and good christians?

gug

Gay marriage in California

Yes, I do believe that what happens in California does matter in Uganda...!

Anyway, I am interested in this case. Very interested. A concerned party, I would say. But there is also the fact that there is some very compelling evidence for my viewing 'my' rights as the rights of human beings. Up to and including the right to have a marriage, and a family, however I may define it. And, the definition is mine.

Anyway, here is some interesting analysis of that on going case.

CA gay marriage trial to resume after long break



By LISA LEFF (AP) –


SAN FRANCISCO — The lawyers in the landmark federal trial over the constitutionality of California's gay marriage ban may have to check their dazzling oratory at the courtroom door during next week's closing arguments.


The presiding judge wants them to answer 39 questions before he delivers his verdict.


Chief U.S. Judge Vaughn Walker has already heard 12 days of testimony in the civil rights case, which is expected to eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court.


Walker has absorbed the opposing attorneys' written summaries and amassed a pile of competing briefs from outside interest groups on the limits of federalism and individual freedom.


Now, after a four-and-a-half-month hiatus, he is scheduled on Wednesday to wrap up the trial. Last week, he distilled his thinking about the case to a list of questions_ 12 each to lawyers representing gay rights advocates and the ban's sponsors, and another 15 he wants both sides to address before he later rules.


From former U.S. Solicitor General Theodore Olson, who will be arguing on behalf of two same-sex couples, Walker wants to know what empirical proof there is that allowing gay men and lesbians to marry would reduce discrimination against them.


The judge expects to hear, too, whether he can find that withholding marriage from gays constitutes unlawful discrimination if voters "genuinely but without evidence" believed there were legitimate reasons to limit marriage to a man and a woman.


His questions for Charles Cooper, a former Justice Department lawyer representing the ban's sponsors, are equally precise.


What evidence have they produced to support their claim that same-sex marriage would have negative consequences to the institution of marriage? Conversely, how does denying marriage to gays and lesbians improve the odds that children born in California will be raised by a married mom and dad?


Sharp inquiry "is very much typical of this judge," observed Olson, who frequently was interrupted by Walker during his opening statement in January. "He has done his homework, he is very much involved in this case."


"It just shows the judge is really grappling with the issues," agreed James Campbell, another lawyer for the coalition of religious and conservative groups that put Proposition 8 on the November 2008 ballot.

It is also very interesting in view of this statement tacked away almost at the bottom of the article.

Olson and Boies called 17 witnesses compared to two called by Cooper's defense team. The lopsided count has led gay rights supporters to predict the judge will have an easy time striking down the gay marriage ban.



Defense attorneys, meanwhile, have openly complained that they thought Walker's rulings before and during the trial favored the plaintiffs.


"The problem with the defendant's case was not the defendant's lawyers, it was the fact that there is simply no support for the central propositions they were trying to identify," Boies said.


Andy Pugno, a lawyer who served on the Protect Marriage executive committee, acknowledged that the ban's backers faced an uphill battle in addressing one of the key questions that preoccupied Walker — whether there was any proof that sanctioning same-sex marriage harms traditional heterosexual unions.

"The difficulty with that question is it's asking the defense to speculate about a harm that is likely but would occur only if we were to experiment with redefining marriage," Pugno said. "It's hard to disprove something that hasn't happened yet."

I am no lawyer. Am not american. And, I am more or less recently introduced to the concept of America's 'cultural wars'. But, I do appreciate the fact that homophobia is usually defined as a baseless fear. An illogical thing.... I guess that is what is working out to be here....!

Anyway, it will be interesting to see what comes of this.


gug

THE Gay Agenda

On the face of it, the gay agenda seems to be a real thing…


A ‘deep, dark, vileness’… the words of Steven Langa were made very famous after the anti-homosexuality conference. A ‘creeping evil’ as David Bahati repeatedly states. These guys are actually convinced of this thing. That there is an actual ‘gay agenda’- an organized evil force that has to be fought. Of course, all in the name of Jesus, or the appropriate deities.

And, do recent events tend to show that?

Malawi caving in to international pressure. Uganda stalling in passing its ‘Anti-homosexuality bill’? Here is one Zimbabwean newspaper’s thoughts on what happened.

Gays’ pyrrhic victory in Malawi
GAYS have won a victory in Malawi through coercion and arm-twisting of the Malawi government. Malawi succumbed to extreme pressure from the USA, Great Britain and Europe in general assisted by the secretary-general of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon.
If the United Nations and western nations were as united as they are against the trampling of human rights in Africa as they have been united against the trampling of gay rights, Africa would have very few political prisoners

Oh, the language of the paper is rash, and bitter. Minorities, persecuted minorities tend to think that if others accept them, then it is better. Gay Africans usually find that we are not accepted by others, and others believe that supporting us will tarnish their own credentials. In Uganda, it is only the vileness of the anti-homosexuality bill as an attack on human rights that brought many human rights NGOs on board. They thought of us as untouchables before. But the bill was too vile. They did touch us then. Some feared, nevertheless. The Zimbabwean newspaper, not a supporter of Mugabe, continues its diatribe.

The Malawi gay couple knowingly broke the law against gay marriage; the pair was tried in a competent court of law, found guilty and sentenced according to the constitution of Malawi.

In other words, the Malawi couple should still be in jail, from the writer’s point of view. They are evildoers, breakers of the law. Why were they released? [Shake of the head- the writer, the newspaper is Zimbabwean…!]
Africa, beware of the gay agenda, it continues. This is not pretty.

Africa, beware of “gayonolisation” (a form of colonisation). Why is the West so interested in sponsoring gay couple marriages and practices? The West is well known for long-term planning — with millions of Africans dying of diseases and wars, Africa will have no replacement for its dead if the entire continent is inhabited by unproductive gays.

Hmmmmmm!

Now, we see where the gay agenda is leading. Africa is huge, rich in resources, with a small population. The gay agenda is geared towards turning all Africans into ‘unproductive gays’. Now, now, now, if I was the one who wrote those words, I might be accused of exaggeration. But, I have also been hearing the same sentiment again and again in Uganda. Minister Nsaba Buturo of Ethics and Integrity was fond of asking rhetorically, ‘What will happen when everyone is gay?’ Certainly, many fellow Africans believe that we gay Africans….!!!!!! Absurd. Silly, Stupid. But true. They do believe it.

And what of us gay Africans? Unpatriotic, fighting for the ‘western’ gay agenda…

Gays, for their part, should not crow at all for having won recognition of their unholy war because their actions are diverting attention from more serious human rights abuses all over the world. They are forcing their own acquired sexual preference on African countries.

The whole article is silly. That is a fact.

But this is the kind of serious silliness which has to be addressed.

A gay African is considered a pariah, un-African, un-patriotic. We are vilified in church, mosque, the public spheres and the private. And, fellow Africans believe the lies of gay agenda etc.
Yet, it is also a fact that the recent events in Uganda and Malawi, and Kenya, did draw a seemingly disproportionate attention from the west. Why was that?

In part, I think it is because of the realization that a proxy war is raging in Africa. The American cultural wars. I believe that is the reason why the story had such carrying power in the US. The fact that, though the west is being accused of ‘exporting’ homosexuality, a case was made and literally proven, of the export of hate- homophobia. The war did go back home, to the US… and there, there were some real advantages.

The fact that Obama is US president and not G.W. Bush, the fact that the gay lobby in the US was feeling like flexing their muscles. And the fact that the EU takes matters of equality with European seriousness….
Yet, you know, the reason I think a gay person in the west will support a gay African is because we do identify with one another. The times when gay people were killed, imprisoned, castrated, vilified- those times are not too far gone in the memories of most gay people in the west. Yes, Iceland may have gone the full course, but in Britain, Section 21 is still remembered. The Nazi extermination camps and pink triangles are not merely part of history. They are a very recent vileness. Stonewall, and the post Stonewall anger is still ongoing. I think (or would like to think!) that a gay person in the west understands the ‘less than human’ contempt that many people think we are.

During the times of Reagan, HIV raged as the US government did little, (at least that is what I have learnt from recent history!). So, gay men did what they could. They became the HIV activists. The cost was in lives of friends, lovers, acquitances lost, but the lesson was re-learnt, re-emphasized that we gay humans have to fight, and fight for our very survival.
Those lessons, the fight for gay EQUALITY rather than rights, that to me explains the phenomenon of gay comradeship, across the races, countries, continents. We are different. Adversity, persecution, that makes us the same. And will continue in the near future, I bet. Not any depraved, evil ‘gay agenda’. Just a simple, desperate, need to be understood as different, but equal; also human.



gug

Shall I compare thee…

to a summer’s day?

Once, seemingly long time ago, I was window shopping on Kampala Road. Walked into Aristoc Bookshop, and started doing my usual browsing.

I was into novels. Naturally gravitated to the usual end of the bookstore. But, on the way, I thought I should look through some other books.

Hand took out at random a hard cover book. Found it was some literary commentary on Shakespeare’s Sonnets. The type of book I found naturally boring and a huge waste of ink. Or so I thought.

The book fell open on Sonnet 18, and, lazily, curiously, I read it. And, I have been hooked ever since. I read the Sonnets. Re-read those plays that I hadn’t read in a while. I started frequenting the more ‘literary’ ends of bookshops, looking for hardcore literature, something which amazed me at the time, given my taste in books then. I was used to benching a novel within hours. Literally reading it from cover to cover at one seating. But now, I discovered the joy of reading a verse, and letting it settle in the mind. A few grains of salt on the sea of my mind, to mull, and think about. To appreciate.

Sometimes afterwards, I was traveling. Remember had very little money, but with the time to enter a bookshop. And browse, as usual. There was this copy of Shakespeare’s sonnets. A ‘thrift edition’, and I triumphantly carried it home with me. A memento of a journey that I still carry. The pages are yellow-brown. Marked with my untidy handwriting with notes that I never read. Don’t know why I even put them down. Maybe a reminder of a long forgotten era of school and notes while reading…

I am into poetry. And I still find the Sonnets fascinating.

So, once in a while, I remember my ‘thrift edition’. Yes, I do have a newer book, but the older one is handy, dirty, bedraggled, and infuriating to my partner. And it is so handy that I would rather carry that with me when I am into reading the sonnets.

Today, I woke up to reading Sonnet 18…., or rather, I slept mulling on it, and woke up to it. My love, knowing that he would not be able to part me from it, took some tape and repaired the spine, which gave up spinely duties about a couple of years ago.

Beautiful writing. At one time I did hope that I could write as well. Like looking to the moon, to have and to hold, the sun a crown round ones head.

These days I am less idealistic. Will settle for re-reading the bedraggled sonnets line by line. Mull them over, and write a few lines now and then in another book. The world cup is on. Naturally, the whole city is asleep when an African team, or any of the big ones, is playing. Ghana is coming up with a win as I finish writing. Sigh…. why aren’t I that into football? But, I do declare the men look beautiful.

Oh, did I tell you that I am gay?!



gug

Dirty Fighting...

Down to earth dirty- A facebook group; people against Martin Ssempa and his Mis-informed views of homosexuality.


Ugh!

Reminds me of the days of Idi Amin and soon afterwards. A country should not be ‘infamous’. And, that is a whine, unapologetic. Yes, Uganda is infamous for all the right reasons… as we lead the world in the fight against homosexuality. And, with heroes like Martin ‘eat da poo poo’ Ssempa, why….!
But, we have some counter heroes. Ssenyonjo in the US has been lionized, sharing a podium with Gene Robinson. That is, if you are reading those who appreciate the work that he has done for gay Ugandans. But, there are those who are incensed. And, they are out in force… Gosh! If this was politics for politics, I would be amused. I mean, it is politicians who tend to hit out at one another like there is no tomorrow, and of course surprise us by being chummy in private. Those who think bad of Ssenyonjo’s work are doing their best to show how he is not a Bishop…. Yeah, he is no bishop. He ministers to sheep that are outside the fold. The Other Sheep. I believe one shepherd does not mind that, but then, I am no Christian.

Pro-Homosexuality Anglicans Seek U.S. Government Help
Well, the United Methodists initially pulled ahead in the race towards hell today with their spiritual blender seminary announcement, but the Episcopals, running a close second, have now won by a nose at the finish line. This news broke late today, giving the Hall of Shame prize to the Episcopalians.

But, for a human being that is in now way removed from this war, it is getting really dirty out there. Correction. This is the real world.

Means kind of two things… we have to wake up to it, and the journey is barely started. So, we will have to be really resilient. This war is to be fought at home, and away.

Good news from Iceland. An unanimous decision in parliament on whether or not gay human beings are human enough to celebrate being together in marriage, like other human beings. Its interesting how such an unanimity can be gotten to. Is gay marriage the end of the rainbow? It can seem like so, doesn’t it?

Iceland's parliament unanimously approves gay marriage

By Jessica Geen • June 11, 2010 - 16:33
Iceland's prime minister Johanna Sigurdardottir is a lesbian
Politicians in Iceland have passed a law legalising gay marriage.
The country, which is the only one in the world to have an out gay leader, prime minister Johanna Sigurdardottir, passed the law today.
All 49 lawmakers approved the change, which will see the words "man and man, woman and woman" added to marriage legislation.
The law allows churches to perform gay weddings if they wish and says "ministers will always be free to perform [gay] marriage ceremonies, but never obliged to".
Iceland's protestant church has not yet decided whether it will hold the ceremonies, which replace registered partnerships.
The country's president has to approve the bill but is highly likely to do so as this is a formality and public opinion is in favour of the change.
Ms Sigurdardottir, 67, became the world's first out gay head of government last April, when her Social Democrats formed a left-wing coalition with the Left-Green Movement.
Iceland repealed laws banning homosexuality in the 1940s. In 2006, it widened provisions to give gay couples all the reproductive and parenting rights open to straight couples.

In Africa, we are still fighting to stay OUTSIDE prison walls. The ultimate would be when we are treated in equality with all other human beings. When we are not shurned, nor demonized, held in contempt overtly or overtly, like in laws which deem us unfit to fight for our countries. Equality is a really interesting concept.
The Pope believes that gay people are a very dangerous threat…. Almost like to Ssempa, but not. And, of course you have heard of the guy called Dr. George Rekers. George, ‘I am not gay’ Rekers.’ Life is interesting.
Why would a guy who is gay make it his life times work to deny his sexuality- and persecute those who do accept their sexuality? It is a philosophical question that interests me. A lot. [I just wanted a link to Rekers... Old news that, though with Ted Haggard opening a new, 'inclusive' church and ministry, things may not be as bad as they seem to be.

Hope you do appreciate the tongue in cheek attitude. Makes life that much more interesting, looked at from the side.

Have a great weekend.

And, err, tune in to South Africa. Africa is hosting the biggest party in the world, you know?


gug

Star crossed lovers and Apologies

Poor Steven and Aunt Tiwo…! From PinkNews UK

Yesterday, it was reported they had split up. The pair gave differing accounts of their relationship, while a gay rights campaigner claimed they had been forced apart by homophobia.

Although a local newspaper quoted Mr Monjeza as saying he had been coerced into the marriage ceremony they were arrested for, he told the Guardian he was "no longer in love" with Mr Chimbalanga and was planning a future with a 24-year-old woman called Dorothy.

He said he no longer wanted anything to do with homosexuality.

Mr Chimbalanga said he was "not disappointed" and would find another man to marry.

"There are lots of good men around. I will remain a gay," he said.

Mr Chimbalanga added: "What you should know is that nobody forced him when we did our symbolic wedding in December."

He also claimed Mr Monjeza had been pressured by his relatives to find a woman to marry.

Mr Monjeza's uncle, Khuliwa Dennis Monjeza, said he would ensure a reunion did not take place and claimed Mr Chimbalanga had been warned to stay away.

And, one should give a hearty laugh to the assertions of Steven’s uncle. Poor man…! On the positive side, coming out has good effects, for us as gay people, and to the ‘gay agenda’, that deep, dark, insidious, people killing, and to-be-feared of all things…. When people do know that gay people are real human beings, it is harder for some to convince them that they ‘eat da poo poo’!

Apologies all around?

That is what it seems like to me. First, there was Exodus International. (Or, was there another that I wasn’t aware of?). Then I saw that Canyon Ridge Christian Church was putting out a statement carefully explaining its relationship with Martin ‘eat the poo poo’ Ssempa.  Then, The Call, of Lou Engle also comes up with an apology, which frankly, is no apology to me.

Why all this furore? And at this time?

Maybe the delayed effects of the ‘Missionaries of Hate’ Documentary from Current TV. Matter of fact, I haven’t watched the final. But I did have the luck to participate, and I know a thorough job was done. It is interesting that the problems that are highlighted are those that we have kind of voiced for a long time. Hate wrapped in hypocritical, ‘religious love’ and then sanitized and preached with little real love there. What the documentary does (or, I think it does), is to put in pictures what words have failed to convey. In addition to removing the bias of me being the teller….! The groups in the US which had blindly given support to Ssempa and his friends have had some eye opening to do. At least that is what I think is happening with the running away. Uganda’s Christian Talibans. That is what we kuchus call Martin and friends. But who would have believed us? However it has occurred, it is something good for us. In a kind of way, some breathing space. The homophobia is still going strong in Uganda. And, Martin and his ‘National Anti-Homosexuality Taskforce’ is still alive and kicking. Saw a video on Youtube recently. Not very sure whether it is the taskforce which put it up. He is with his Moslem friends, and Christian friends to back him up, and he, of course is the main spokesperson. The battle is still on.

Martin Ssempa is a truly charismatic leader, and his bee in the bonnet is homosexuality.

That is why it is important that other things do continue.

It is important to continue emphasizing that the homophobic flames, which are fuelled in part by faith, and the politics of having a whipping dog, continue being shown for what they are. Ssenyonjo is continuing that crusade in the US. He is an effective emissary on our part, not least of all because he has actually been vilified, and continues to do so in Uganda because of his stand. You would think that ‘Christians’ would support a Christian for being Christian…. Not in the matter of love for homosexuals, apparently. We are deep into American ‘Cultural Wars’, and we have, perforce to understand them. And use whatever advantages that we can have. Proxy wars can kill, however abstract they are.

Have a good day.

gug

Absurdities

Or, for laughs.

You would think that the proprietors of the 'God Hates Fags' Church would be great supporters of Pastor Martin Ssempa, wouldnt you? Well, apparently not.

Just read this article. Seems to suggest that these guys believe even Ssempa will go to hell. Period. Very interesting!!!!! Or it might be that it has become impossible to come out in support of the Bahati Bill. That would be good, but, why, why is it that some do support it? Guess we are all different.
---
Now, I would say that being gay has inspired my writing. And, it is a gay romance that inspired most of Shakespeare's sonnets [at least that is what I think. Some of the most beautiful love poetry in the world]. But, apparently, it was different with EM Forester. Not discovering that he was gay until 38 years of age, gay relationships kind of zapped his creativity? I am glad that there are people like Elton John, Oscar Wilde, Leornado da Vinci and Shakespeare to kind of weigh back on such an assertion.... People like Ssempa would realy love the former assertion. Here.

The sharp decline in Forster's output has always mystified historians, but now a dossier of his private papers has revealed how growing personal contentment stunted his literary drive.

 After suppressing his sexuality as a young man, Forster, who was known to his friends as Morgan, lost his virginity to a wounded soldier in 1917 while working for the Red Cross in Egypt.

That sexual awakening in his late 30s led to a series of romances with working class men including a tram conductor and two policemen.

After publishing A Passage to India, arguably his greatest work, in 1924, Forster spurned the novel and most creative endeavours for the rest of his life, publishing only occasional short stories, essays and plays.

Wendy Moffat, associate professor of English at Dickinson College, Pennsylvania, who uncovered Forster's secret "sex diary" while researching a new biography of the novelist, said that the energy of his early years was drained by physical fulfilment.

She also believes that Forster lost interest in the middle-class domestic dramas that had been his forte as he dabbled with London's homosexual subculture on his return to Britain.

I am gay. Translation, biased in my view of this. But, I dare think that the 'conclusion' is not something that common sense would support!

On a less humourous note, Bishop Ssenyonjo is making it it all the way to the White house. Good for him. Apparently, by the time I post this, he will have made it there.

gug

A Gay African’s Worst Nightmare.

Apparently, Chimbalanga and Steven of Malawi, the famous gay couple that got married are having problems.

Steven has broken up with Aunt Tiwo, and he has apparently fallen in love with someone and is vowing to get married to the lady.

Time to ring the bells?

I don’t think so. Those guys are under enormous pressure right now. They have gone through the stress of the trial. They have become the national horror show. And, they were in prison. I do live in Uganda, but the kind of pressure that these guys have been living is the very reason I stay lurking in the closet. It is every gay Ugandans, gay Africans’ nightmare.

Tiwo will find it very hard to hide. A transgender at the very least, having identified as a woman, come out and with statements made in the media, Tiwo is really out. As out as any African can be as different. Maybe that might work in her favour. The hullabaloo may go down… or maybe some crazed person may try to convert her or to exorcise the demons, or… whatever. I once wrote about a story from the Daily Monitor of a Transperson in Uganda.

His luck ran out last week when a curious young man tried to touch his ‘breasts’ at a drinking joint, only to get amused when a sponge fell down.

The LC1 Chairperson, Mrs Angella Okello and other women, took him to a separate house to check and ascertain his gender but were shocked to discover that he was a mature man. Drama then ensued as he was stripped and beaten by angry residents who forced him to walk naked for over the 5km stretch to Tororo Central Police Station.

 Yeah. Stripped, searched, marched, arrested. For the crime of being different.

Stephen has the luxury of hiding.

But, is it any easier for him? It is a matter of fact that our communities tend to be very intolerant. His whole world knows what has been happening, and even saying that he will get married to a woman (poor lady…!), that might tone down the pressure. But, will it? In Gulu, in Uganda last year, a woman was burnt to death, for the crime of making a pass at another woman. True, that case is in court.

Remember the anti-gay demos in Uganda that Ssempa led? And those in Kenya that turned violent? Well, here is a report of another demo, this time in Ghana. What is happening in Africa?  The rhetoric is depressingly familiar. Ssempa does have brothers and sisters...!

Ghana stage anti-gay protest

Posted on Monday 7 June 2010 - 11:42

John Afful Jnr, AfricaNews reporter in Accra, Ghana

Over a thousand protesters in Ghana have staged a massive demonstration amidst a heavy downpour in the oil city, Sekondi -Takoradi in the Western region to express their opposition to the growing activities of gay and lesbians in that part of West African country.

The protesters defied to engineer their displeasure as they went through the principal streets of the metropolis wielding placards following an alleged report that close to 60 gays and lesbians from the Eastern, Ashanti and Central regions of that country, have attended a get-together held in Tanokrom and other suburbs of the city.

The Muslim community in Takoradi with support from other religious groups and concerned citizens took to the streets of the Twin city.

The Leader of the demonstrators, Saeed Hamid, told AfricaNews that the demonstration was meant to draw government’s attention to the conduct of the gays and lesbians in the country, particularly in the Western Region.

According to the anti-gay and Lesbians group, even though people had the right to choose various sexual orientations and associate with whatever group they desire, the constitution also frowns on the activities of gays and lesbians.

GROUPS FORMED... ANTIGAY OF COURSE

Hamid said Ghana as a country is mainly occupied by Christians and Muslims, and the practice should not be embraced, saying it could have dire consequences on the country.

"Ghana will suffer more than the experience of Sodom and Gomorrah, should we embrace this practice in this country".

PLAY THE RELIGIOUS CARD. OF COURSE

In a petition presented to the Western Regional Minister Paul Evans Aidoo, the protesters said, the rate at which the youth in the Twin City are putting up the practice is alarming and is much of a concern since most of the young boys involved have health problems and wear pampers.

"How would you feel, if someone puts his penis into your anus?" He queried.

Adding that, the act could jeopardize their future.

HAVE YOU HEARD THESE THINGS SOMEWHERE ELSE? WHY, PRAY, WOULD YOU HAVE SOMEONE PUT A PENIS INTO YOUR ANUS????!!

Hamid mentioned that a lot of expatriates in Tarkwa and Takoradi working in the mining and oil industry were the ones luring the innocent youth into the practice through the influence of money.

BLAME the FOREIGNERS card...

They are therefore calling on the government to clearly state what the law says about homosexuality and possibly criminalize the practice. He was however worried that Takoradi is gradually becoming a hub for gays and lesbians hence their decision to resist the ‘’ungodly act’’.

Receiving the petition on behalf of the President, the Western Regional Minister Paul Evans Aidoo assured the demonstrators that steps would be taken to address their concerns.

The Minster advised the group not to take the law into their own hands by attacking the alleged gays and lesbians in their communities since that would be a breach of the law.

INTERESTING... A GOVT SPOKESPERSON ACTUALLY DEFENDING GAYS?

The group has given indications that it would organize a nationwide protest if no positive response is heard from the government after two months.

The Western Regional Police Commander DCOP Mahama Hamidu, who led his team to offer protection to the demonstrators, described the march as peaceful.

Hey, the capitals are mine. Couldnt help editorializing a little.... Here is the full article. 

But, not all news is bad news in Africa... Here is something else from Zimbabwe and South Africa. I am not gay, ask my wife.And the reporter did go ahead to ask the question! Ahem, I guess gay queries are taking place all over Africa, yes? Oscar Wilde had a quip about this sort of fame…. Better to be talked about, than to rot in our cupboards.

BULAWAYO —Prominent actor and playwright Bhekilizwe Bernard Ndlovu (pictured) has been forced to quell rumours that he is gay after he tackled the controversial subject in his thesis for post-graduate studies.

Ndlovu who was one of the leading actors in the popular soap Amakorokoza and had a high profile marriage with singer, Sandra Ndebele is studying at the University of Witwatersrand, in South Africa.

He said those questioning his sexuality should ask Ndebele who has since had a baby with another man.

“Me gay, of all people, ababuze umaNdebele phela (they must ask Ndebele),” he told this reporter through the social network forum, Facebook.

“Yes my research at Wits was on gay rights. My thesis was about exploring the model that is anti-homophobia for Zimbabweans in South Africa.

“Am proud of my findings and involvement in the kind of work and I must say, I discovered a lot.”

Ndlovu popularly known as AK after his starring role in Amakorokoza could not divulge more details about his findings.

“But I am certainly not gay,” he said. “I actually have to deal with my own homophobia at times (sic), but it is worthwhile.”

Hmmmmm!

Well, life goes on. Me, I am gay. Ask my man.

gug

Exodus International Statement

Bishop Ssenyonjo still tours the  US.

But, there is this statement from Exodus International. They are THE ex-gay ministry of the world. And, they were involved in the ‘Anti-Homosexuality Seminar’ of last year. They have released an apology for the whole thing. First saw it at ‘ex-gay watch. Really interesting reading.

One thing I have come to appreciate is the reality of lies and false denials given in the name of ‘politics’. They really gall me, don’t know why…! We have lots of ‘political correctness’ in Uganda, regarding what can be said about the ruling party. But, there is lots of it through the world. Israel and its ‘terrorist’ blockade-runner activists is one case in point, so is BP and its oil-spill…. Me, I am a plain old traditionalist who is impressed more by truth than by denials and false pretences, so I am impressed by an apology that is heartfelt.

I also regret that Exodus itself or by association, of which there is little or no differentiation in this case, was connected in any way to this conference and its organizers.  Exodus and I do hold to a biblical view of human sexuality but that in no way means that we believe consensual heterosexual or homosexual adult sexual expression conducted in private should be criminalized.  Nor do we believe that those same groups who deviate from biblical sexual thought or expression should be targeted as criminals, deemed unlovable or miscategorized as incapable of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  In deed, we all fall short of the Glory of God and there is but one-way to Him: seeking His Son and acknowledging Him for who He is.

Yeah, I know, I am not alone in appreciating honesty. Ex-gay Watch, and Throckmorton, and Box Turtle Bulletin applaud it too. Of course, what has been happening in Uganda, and in Africa will continue to put the burden on Christians. Christians will continue to be blamed for the anti-gay hostility in Africa still. Not least because the condemnation has been literally wrung out late and with lots of ‘back-looking’. But, that weight of condemnation lightens. By a feather.

So, there indeed has been a bit of a silver lining to the whole 'Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009' As Timothy Kincaid of BTB writes-

It has engendered an international discussion about human rights, it has illustrated the work which continues to be required in much of the world, and it has caused many in the Christian community to question their beliefs and positions.

Some, such as Scott Lively, were revealed as supporters of a culture of imprisonment and death. There have always been those who operate from a sphere of deep hatred towards gay people. And for too long their rhetoric was not perceived as too radical or too extreme to be outside of acceptable Christian thought. For some, this situation revealed their heart.

And others found themselves, for perhaps the first time, speaking out in the defense of gay people. Some religious leaders were embarrassed that they were associated with the bill and the blind hatred in Uganda’s religious rhetoric and took steps to denounce the bill and disassociate themselves from the bias. I am hopeful that they have learned a lesson and will be careful in the future about lending their name and voice to those who act out of hate.

And there were those, like Exodus International, the ex-gay ministries umbrella group, who were made aware that anti-gay activism has real consequences and that “loving the homosexual” has responsibilities that extend beyond trying to “call him to redemption.” Although they claim to “challenge those who respond to homosexuals with ignorance and fear”, for a very long time this “challenge” has been nearly nonexistent and I think that Exodus and its leadership have been awakened to the inadequacy of their response.

For gay Ugandans, the biggest plus that I can point to is the exposure of the malignant 'Christian' hatred of one Martin Ssempa PhD. We knew of it, but it was good the world was made really aware. [Here, the 'eat da poo poo' remix is norminated for a Grammy!]

I do remember that Ssempa is a Christian pastor. Bahati is a born again Christian, and Scott Lively is a Christian Pastor (so is Steven Langa), and they all believe, preach and want to legislate gay genocide in Uganda. Yes, their philosophy is mainly American right derived, and bodies like the Family Research Council do lobby their legislative bodies to make bills like anti-homosexuality bill to become law in places like Uganda. Yes, it is still true that Christians are to blame for a lot of the anti-gay hate in Africa. Christians inside and outside Africa.

It is Heroes day in Uganda, one of those days that opposition party members complain is tailor made for the rulling party. Hope you have a great day.

gug

Extradition of Gay Ugandans...

Remember the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of the Parliament of Uganda (2009)?

One of the really far reaching provisions in the bill was seeking to make sure that no citizen of the Republic of Uganda would ever be immune from that law.
First, Uganda would nullify any international treaties that were against this particular legislation. (Afterall, it was supposed to be showing the way to the rest of the world.)
Then, if any citizen of Uganda (or resident) dared to break the law, not in Uganda, but outside the country, then they would be extraditable, and prosecutable in Uganda.... And, I am not joking. That is the fact of the bill.

See why people consider this bill a legislative 'genocide'? Simply put, no citizen of the Republic would be immune from the law against homosexuality in Uganda, whether inside or outside the country. That was clause 16 of the bill. And of course the punishments were [still are] death and life imprisonment.

Some friendly countries offered us asylum... [Thanks. But you know, the battle was not only asylum. Its true that the migration of Jews from Europe before and during the Nazi era did help save a lot of lives. But not all could have gotten out.]

Anyway, on Sat, the Monitor published an article about the British offer of asylum for gay Ugandans.... and the fact that the law would have required our extradition. I am not sure of the exact context of that conversation, but here is the article.

UK to protect Ugandan gays asylum seekers
By Robert Mwanje
Posted Saturday, June 5 2010 at 00:00
Kampala
The newspaper on May 23, quoted the British Home Secretary, Ms Theresa May as saying her government would block moves by the Ugandan government to force the extradition of Ugandan gay asylum-seekers.
According to the news paper, the move by the British government was applauded by campaigners, who are opposed to a proposed anti –gay law in Uganda. The Anti-Homosexuality Bill was presented to Parliament by Ndorwa West MP David Bahati and it proposes severe punishments for gay sex. Mr Bahati, who says he wants to protect heterosexuals, has tried to find validation in claims that European gays are recruiting young boys in Ugandan schools.
Not an offence
However, according to the report by The Independent, the Home Office made it clear that the UK will only extradite people to their home countries if their “crime” was not an offence in Britain. Homosexuality is not an offence in UK.
A spokesman for British Refugee Action said: “This is a really welcome announcement and a very positive step. Obviously, we will want to sit down with ministers and seek clarification over how a ban on deportations will be administered, but it is excellent news that extraditions to Uganda have been categorically ruled out.”
Not interested
The move follows international protests over the sentencing last week of two gay men in Malawi to 14 years’ hard labour. Early this week, Ugandan gays living in the UK led by Mr Moses Mugisha staged a protest at the Malawi embassy and called for the release of the two Malawian gay men. A Home Office spokesman said: “The new Government is committed to stopping the deportation of asylum-seekers who have had to leave particular countries because their sexual orientation or gender identification puts them at proven risk of imprisonment, torture or execution. We are considering the best way of implementing this policy. In terms of extradition, the UK will only extradite someone if they are wanted for an offence that is also a crime in the UK.”
The Minister of Information and National Guidance Ms Kabakumba Masiko said the government was not interested in gay asylum seekers but maintained that gay activities were unconstitutional and illegal in Uganda adding there is a clear procedure which the government can follow if “we wanted any criminal from another country.”

Whenever I see an article in the news about anything gay and Uganda these days, especially in the newspapers, I feel kind of goose pimply. That particular battle is not yet over. And the elections are just next year. The politicking is gearing up, and, I do fear that we shall be the fall guys.

Yeah, there are clear guidelines when Uganda wants any criminal from another country. And, I just dont want me and mine to be that 'criminal', ha ha ha ha!

Be well,

and do have a great weekend.


gug

Ssempa (and 'eat the poo poo'), Bahati and some Allies

Martin Ssempa and his 'eat the poo poo' is making a hit on the net.

A great hit, apparently. Good for him....! That kind of hate peddling is best countered by the ridicule that he is receiving. Sadly, in Uganda, we are almost completely unable to watch these interesting videos.... They would do much to enliven life. Ha! Going viral indeed!

If you really want to read up on Ssempa's wave of popularity on the web, with the 'eat the poo poo' hit, why, just follow this link. Eat the poo poo!!!!!

----
David Bahati claimed on the 'Missionaries of Hate' documentary extended interview that there are many 'American Christians' or something like that who were in support of the Bahati Bill. But that they were fearful of doing that support in public.

I do know that it is a matter of course that there were American supporters. But so many of the pentecostals were bailing, that I kind of thought he may be overstating that support. Turns out that I was wrong.
You see, in the US Congress, a couple of resolutions were introduced to condemn the Bahati Bill in Uganda. They had bi-partisan support. And, the one from the Senate passed. Not so the one in the House, which apparently bogged down in committee.

Turns out there are people who were lobbying against the resolution, in one way or another. This story broke yesterday, and I was intrigued. An organisation called the Family Research Council, which is decidedly anti-gay, paid a cool 25,000 USD to lobby for their point of view.

I am no American. Just an observer from afar.... but it intrigued me because these guys actually put their money where they believed their hearts believed they should be. And that is decidedly to support the Bahati Bill, in one way or another, as they could. Kind of sober. We can all try to argue that the Ssempa's of this world are an isolated artefact of human life. But, fact is, they are there, they are many, and they are decidedly more pro-hate than they are pro-love, whatever their pretences are. Professional Christians, I tend to call them. Of course their obfuscation and confusion of the point (its called spin?) leaves us with only the fact that they did give 25k USD to do something.... and that is left to our imagination. Yes, Bahati, you do have some not so secret admirers.

Here are more details about that lobbying effort. From the BoxTurtleBulletin, 1, 2, 3, and the Throckmorton blog. And, an article about it from CBS News.

Well, maybe I should just let my incredulity go..... Time for naivety was so yesterday!

Its a beautiful sunny day in Kampala, promising some rain, or a drizzle from the lake.

Have a great day


gug