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Friday morning.

Overcast, grey. Some wind is shaking the tree branches, and the promise of an afternoon of heat. Must say woke up in great good spirits. And, after some reading and work, find myself very chipper.

So, what of the day, how to plan it, and how not to mess it up?

In casual reading of the news... I kind of hate the naked bias that seems to seep into all articles about my sexuality. The politics of my sexuality. But, cannot dodge it, especially when I gather info from the net. There are two warring sides. Because I am gay, I am necessarily on one. But that will not phase me. There are things that I can do about it. Life is too precious to be spent in needless 'ideological wars' even when they are about my sexuality.

But, this is some very serious news.

There are some who claim that homosexuality cannot be 'physical'. That we are just faking our gayness. Needless to say at this particular point in time, science does have very different views about that particular point of view. No. I am not 'scientist' enough to try and prove that... I will leave it where it is.

But, once it is accepted that we are part of humanity, some people insist that we are sick, and need to be 'cured'. And, what about 'prevention of the sickness of homosexuality? Apparently, there is a study that is ongoing to 'prevent little girls from growing up into lesbians....!

Can homosexuality be prevented in the womb? The first known experiment to do just that is underway and it's stirring controversy.

A group of New York clinicians is gearing this prenatal treatment toward girls and women with a condition called congenital adrenal hyperplasia. CAH is a serious hormonal disruption that sometimes results in ambiguous genitalia.

Previous research has shown that females born with CAH have increased rates of tomboyism and lesbianism. A steroid called dexamethasone, or DEX, has shown some success in preventing this. It's why researchers in this study believe it has promise in preventing girls from turning out to be homosexual or bisexual.

What is wrong with this? Surely if a parent doesnt want their kids to be gay, they should have that option?

Warko science. Why is it that homosexuality has always been in human populations? Why is it there? Why has it not been eliminated by 'evolution'? What purpose does it play in a populations? I am gay. I assert it. Of course it is difficult growing up gay. But, am I sick because I am gay? Am I sick because I am different from the rest of my straight brothers and sisters?

I have had a tough fight accepting my sexuality. But, I would not 'prevent' what I am. Was it to be genetic or anything else, it is what I am. Why should I be less?

No. Gut feeling. There is something seriously wrong with doing an experiment to 'prevent' homosexuality in unborn children.

But, horrendous as such a thing is, is it in fact happening? That is what the report says . Matter of fact, it makes me feel sick, that my sexuality is considered a sickness. Here is more analysis

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Here is a good, thoughtful article on the rise of Pentecostalism in Africa. It is a growing force. It is a matter of fact that it is mainly ideologicaly from the Right in America, and many of the things that are espoused are basic Christian right. What is frightening to me is the power, and the lack of thought; the exploitation of our ignorance and under-education. It is happening in Kenya, in Uganda, Burundi, Nigeria. It is happening in many other countries in Africa. Just thoughtfuly read this article in the Economist. Extracts below.

there is no doubt that, as elsewhere, Kenya’s politicians have underestimated the drawing power of a fresh generation of Protestant churches, most of which were set up in the 1980s.

Officially Pentecostals and other “charismatics” count for no more than 5% of the population. In reality, their ministers preach to about a third of the country every week. Their rise reflects an important trend across Africa. According to the World Christian Encyclopedia, about 17m Africans described themselves as born-again Christians in 1970. Today the figure has soared to more than 400m, which accounts for over a third of Africa’s population. And as in Nigeria on the other side of the continent, they are now having a noticeable effect on public-policy debates in east Africa. Regardless of the outcome of the vote on the constitution in Kenya, for example, their interventions are likely to make abortion a defining political issue in the country. Similarly, the efforts of new churches in neighbouring Uganda have made political controversies out of homosexuality and the right of Muslims to convert to Christianity.

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However, there is also plenty of hucksterism. You will be blessed with health and wealth by God, congregants are told, especially if you give generously. As in other parts of the world, the new churches in Kenya and Uganda provide a place for the ambitious poor to get ahead. Yet the real competitive advantage of the new churches in east Africa seems to be their willingness to tap, at least subliminally, into traditional beliefs. “They give full play to the enchanted mentality, which holds the world to be inhabited with ghosts and spirits,” explains Paul Gifford, a professor of African Christianity at the University of London. It makes economic sense: getting spells lifted and spirits cast out on a Sunday morning saves money on a visit to the witch doctor during the week.

New churches are good at exploiting gaps in the market and profiting from them. A Ugandan Pentecostal preacher, Martin Ssempa, for instance, has mined a rich seam of homophobia in Uganda to help build up his standing. He and other Pentecostals pushed for the tabling of an anti-homosexuality bill in the Ugandan parliament, which advocates spying on gays and proscribes imprisonment for sodomy. Earlier versions of the law called for the death penalty in some instances. Mr Ssempa has in the past had ties with a prominent American evangelical, Rick Warren (who has condemned the anti-gay law), and with Uganda’s born-again first lady, Janet Museveni. “In Africa sodomy is an abomination,” he says. Some of his actions, such as screening gay pornography to his congregants, look clownish and self-publicising, but Mr Ssempa has been astute in targeting students at Makere, Uganda’s best university. Other Pentecostals have also had success in Uganda with missions to convert Muslims to Christianity.

Duh!

Now, that article has disturbed my digestion. If you doubt the power of 'religion' in Africa, just read this article by the Honourable Nsaba-Buturo, one of those new pentecostal Christians. He believes. And, his faith is quite wrapped up in his politics. And, he is a noted politician.

The fact that the President very openly and callously uses his faith for political gain is besides the point. For Buturo, the line between faith, morals and politics got blurred so badly that he believes they are one and the same thing. For him it may get to the point when belonging to his political party may be the right faith.

In any case, have a good day.

gug