Monitor on Jinja

The demonstrations happened in Jinja. And, for some reason, they didnt make it in the New Vision (they no longer report any news....!)

And, Monitor took its time reporting on the demos. Why? I dont know. But, I am picking their report to pieces here.

The Timeline.

• Sunday 14 Feb, the Inspector General of Police tells Ssempa that there will be no Million Man March on Kampala. Asks him to meet him Tuesday for a discussion.
• Monday 15 Feb, March in Jinja happened. Drew hundreds, lasted 2-3 hours. Even if it was 'impromptu' Here are some of the reports.

All images are from the Monitor

• The Monitor e-paper also reports that the Police blocked a similar demonstration on Tuesday in Kampala. That is what I was hearing from the fm stations yesterday. So, it does look more and more likely that Ssempa is going rogue. And, by the way, he has been announcing civil action, prayer and fasting through Lent. And, the an Easter Present of the bill as Law.
  Hmmmmm! Definitely rogue. Will be interesting to watch.

The reports from Jinja-

Hundreds of Jinja residents took to the streets on Monday in support of the anti-homosexuality Bill. Chanting messages peppered with anti-gay slurs and displaying placards denouncing the practice, the demonstrators made their way around the town led by religious leaders in a procession that brought business to a temporary stand still.

Western leaders rebuked

The demonstrators also criticised Western leaders’ disapproval of the Bill. “Obama leave Ugandans alone,” “Obama to hell with your aid,” were some of the messages written on the placards.

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 “Of what importance is homosexuality to us? It is as if we have no brains. Let them keep their homosexuality and keep their money as well!” a woman among the shouting crowd yelled. 

Speaking following the procession that lasted about two hours, Pastor Martin Ssempa, one of the prominent supporters of the Bill, said it was a shame that the US president had taken to supporting the un-African custom and expected Uganda to follow suit. “Obama even if you do not give us money for medicine for our people, to hell with that money, we would rather die but die in dignity,” he said. 

He added: “This is Uganda and we also have our rights just like the Americans have theirs. We decide for ourselves what is good for us. So these leaders should leave us alone to make our own legislations that are good for us.” The clerics, who preached against the practice at a crusade held at the Kazi Mingi grounds in the town, also claimed the media had failed in its duty to fight the practice.

Pastor Matthias Sserugo said: “The anti-gay federation is not here to express their hatred for homosexuals but to tell them that they can change and society can accept them once more.” President Museveni recently expressed opposition to some sections of the proposed Bill noting that they would harm Uganda’s foreign policy.

Indeed. Straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel.

Hmmmm!

Seems like there is lots of interesting stuff going on.

Be well.


gug

Don’t blame yourself

(To all well wishers and supporters. And friends out there. This is a message to you.)

When this bill becomes law. Even as harsh as it is. Don't blame yourself

I am feeling low. So, there is no better time than this to write a maudlin, depressed article. ‘cause I am feeling low. Oh, you will learn the reason, from a post, if it is not yet up.

Opposition to the Bahati Bill has been fierce. Outside the country. Very, very fierce. More fierce than I would have expected. Beyond expectations, actually. We have managed to have the world aware of the bill. Put it out there in the conscience of the world.

My country has been condemned, internationally.

Nuremberg Laws and the Nazi Holocaust have been cited. History is a tough teacher. But, none of us ever learnt from it. We are all determined to repeat its mistakes. Including genocide.

I know, there are some who will claim that the fierce, horrified opposition from the rest of the world made this bill pass.

No. It didn’t. It will not pass because Ugandans have a knee jerk reaction to ‘political interferance’. It will not pass because Ugandans are having this need to appear very good. And, it will not pass because Ugandans have a highly developed sense of morality. If you think that is true, just check the Ugandan newspaper websites on the number of children that have died because of ritual child sacrifice in Uganda this year alone. At least 100, by the last count. We are as immoral as any other people on earth. But, we do hate our homosexuals. Passionately.

It will pass because our government wanted it to pass. It will pass because our President wanted this bill to become law.

And, it is going to pass, because our people believe in their right to persecute homosexuals.

That is the plain sense of it.

I know, told you I was feeling low. That is the time to write such sober truths. Today, in the Monitor in Uganda, the headline is ‘I oppose Uganda’s Gay Bill’. And the speaker? Obama. And, the Monitor weighs in at the international opposition that has been falling on Uganda’s ears. Closed ears, I must say.

In parliament, the opposition is united behind the government. In support of the bill. Maybe a few ‘odious’ clauses will be removed. Like the death penalty. Or, maybe not. But, opposition and government are happy to pit their political fortunes in defence of the bill.

Maybe, to maintain the semblance of no government involvement, Minister of Ethics and Integrity, the Hon. Nsaba Buturo is going to maintain a vestige of silence. He was not supposed to comment, before. Seems like he has forgotten that he did. And, of course, it was supposedly a ‘private member’s bill’. My foot.

So, the government, like the Church of Uganda, have no 'official position'. Well, hypocrisy of that magnitude doesnt pass here. Both the Anglican church of Uganda, and the Government of Uganda, strongly, unequivocally support the Anti-Homosexual Bill.

Both the Church of Uganda, and the Government of Uganda are lying. You can as well hang me for that. As for being gay, of course

The Monitor is coming out as a strong, and fierce advocate for us. Very, very suprising. Someone has shifted minds and hearts there. It might have been Val Kalende, who once did work there. I know, because, Monitor writers are also Ugandans. They also have similar prejudices to other Ugandans. We are all the same. Not angels, no. Of course, the more obvious reason is that the government has been trying to keep a lid on the story within the country. So, the Monitor, independent as ever, is up to tickling the government ever sensitive sides. They have also reported on the research institution which Uganda may not get, because of the bill. Remember the contrasting report yesterday.

The Independence, Andrew Mwenda's magazine weighs in with 'Dont kill in God's Name' It has been on sale for a few days. Is online now.

Elsewhere, Uganda's Muslim minority is being blamed for the Death Penalty Provision in the law. There is nothing as embarassing as a lie written. I must say I dont understand America's cultural wars. Why tell lies in the name of god? Forgive me, I am unread, an African, a disbeliever, or unbeliever. But why espouse some values and then so blatantly lie about them?

This is the editors note, from Anglicans United that I am writing about.

[Ed. Note:  It is imperative to remember that Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi and the Ugandan House of Bishops has condemned the inclusion of the death penalty in this bill.  That inclusion is the work of the Islamic majority in Uganda and the Anglicans have disassociated themselves from it.  Cheryl M. Wetzel]

 My strength, and weakness in this debate, on which my freedom and life depends, is the fact that I can almost not lie. Why lie, when facts are stronger, are researcherble, are more moving than barefaced lies? Damn, I can even look myself in the face and say when I am lying.

I mean, Uganda is majority Christian. There is no majority moslem here. And, the people who wrote the bill would be horrified to be told they are moslems. They are very, very proud Christians.

And, I am sure that Orombi supports this bill. Fully. Totally.

He will not go out like Pastor Ssempa and offer his very vocal support. And, I bet he sat back and tried to read it when condemnation was coming in left right and centre, and Cantebury wondered out aloud how an Anglican could support such legislation.

There is that website called Virtue online. It is amazing. The virtues that they are supposed to promote are Christianity. Call me an old fashioned guy, but lying to me is not very Christian. Especially, in the case like Uganda where these lies are having the horrible consequences of the Bahati Bill.

Someone asked me to keep putting up the text of the bill.

Far as I know, the text, as published in the Uganda Gazette, (gazetted, I believe is the word), the text does not change. Even in committee. The committe makes recommendations and these are voted on in the session of parliament. I think that is the law. I admit, I am no lawyer. And, at the moment I am too much in a funk to care...!

So, the text of the bill is like so. It has not been ammended. It is still like so. The recommendations of the committees will be voted on in the 2nd and 3rd reading. Oh, it will pass. Dont kid yourself. Dont chide yourself. That bill will become law in Uganda.

The current posturing leaves me little hope but that.

The next post on Defence of Uganda explains why the bill will pass. Despite the International outcry... And, here is more reason why. The article on 'defence of Uganda' predicts that the bill will pass unanimously. Frankly, I have no reason to disbelieve that. Here is why. Even those who want to talk, fear being labelled gay.

But gay Ugandans won't be the only people down there. Erias Lukwago, a first-term lawmaker, says he doesn't like the bill but can't afford to disagree with it in parliament.

"I'm telling you I cannot. I fear the reaction of society to be associated with gays — highly stigmatized, ostracized. Even for this interview alone it might be perceived that the gay community is paying me," he says.

Until the political climate changes in Uganda, Lukwago says he is keeping his mouth shut.

Hey, have I infected you across cyber with my bad mood? Very depressing, isnt it? Now, I must go out and read a poem. To cheer myself up.

Cheer up. The bill will pass. Dont blame yourself. We shall still fight.

So, have a great day. You should. We are still alive.

gug

Two Divergent Opinions. In Uganda

Debate, in the Monitor.

Yes, they seem commited to debate. Independence is a funny thing. Monitor journalists may be homophobic personally, but, they are susceptible to reason. So, when there is a debate on, they dare to tackle debate about homosexuality in Uganda.

Sadly, the biggest circulation paper is the New Vision, a government daily, which once upon a time was strongly inclined towards debate. Now, it is so silent that you may laugh. They are hobbled. By ‘policy’. Poor New Vision…’for a better Uganda’!

Here are two opinion pieces from the Monitor.

We must not lose the battle against homosexuality

REV. DR. FRED S. MWESIGWA senior lecturer at Uganda Christian University, Mukono 

fsmwesigwa@educ.ucu.ac.ug

And, why MUST we NOT lose this war? His arguments run along this.

• A minority have NO rights in a democracy.
  I quote “I strongly argue that this will be a bold statement about how democratic Uganda is. Madill has a wrong notion of democracy that subscribes to the view that a minority who decide to promote un-African and un-Godly sexual expressions should have their rights safeguarded in a democratic country.”
  
  
• In the ‘West’ Christians are running away from homosexual accepting churches.
  
  
• We should not allow a ‘dictation’ by the minority through ‘political correctness’
  I quote, “one of the main problems of the western world is the acceptance of the dictatorship of the minority whereby in order to be seen to be politically correct, the majority will eventually give in to any wayward group to save face. In some countries of the western world, it is now a human right to walk naked in some areas and some beaches have been gazetted nudist by naturists. Question is, if you concede ground to homosexuality, aren’t you opening a flood-gate for other aberrations like bestiality?”
  
  
• We should not ‘compromise on moral issues’
  And, in Uganda of course, homosexuality is a bigger moral issue than rampart corruption. Of course.
  
  
• Ugandans are ‘some of the most loving human beings on earth’ “but they hold true to strong cultural and religious values that abhor the sin of homosexuality, much as they love the homosexuals and desire to see them change.”
  Well, I am a Ugandan who is gay, and, I am yet to see this very starling characteristic of my countrymates. Hey Christians, when will you ever understand the hypocrisy of loving the sin and hating the sinner… or the other way around!
  
  

And, we end with this dire prediction. “The time is now for Parliament to declare whether Uganda should dance to every tune that is played by western countries. If the Anti-homosexuality Bill fails to be passed, as sure as night follows day, I can visualise a plethora of sexual aberrations that will be fronted as human rights issues in Uganda in the not so distant future”

Well. what a BROADSIDE!

But, there is a divergent opinion, which seems weak besides that well coached and arousing call to action.

It matters to understand uniqueness of gay people

KIFLU HUSSAIN

Mr Kiflu is an Ethiopian Refugee living in Uganda

kiflukam@yahoo.com

For a moment, I thought I had written the story. Yeah, the ‘uniqueness of gay people’!!!!!

But, then I saw first the laying down of heterosexual credentials. NB. In Uganda, you MUST be able to convince others that you are not gay.

But, he brings about another of those things which, for some reason, Africans see as wrong. Left handedness. I can vouch for such a story. I do remember, in my primary, a child being beaten for writing with his left hand. Made an impression that has never deserted me.

• “Except me, all my family members are right handed. That left handedness was discovered when I began to go to school. Right away, a self-righteous teacher made it her mission to set me right from the devilish position of the leftists. She didn’t succeed except leaving in my psyche a lasting negative impression of schools.”
  
  
• Almost three decades later, I found myself in a concentration camp at the outskirts of Addis Ababa.
  “One early morning, I heard someone screaming. When I followed the voice, a habitual offender jailed for the second time for aggravated robbery and another one sentenced to life for murder, was brutally clubbing a fellow inmate in front of a prison guard. When I asked the guard, why he sanctioned the beating, he answered simply “he’s dirty.” Another inmate who noticed my bewilderment told me that the hapless boy is gay.”
  
  
• Then, he comments on the Public ‘Dialogue’. Well, it is good that my impression of the football hooligan atmosphere was not a figment of my mind. And, I also was impressed by the pseudo-science of Mr Stephen Langa.
  ”While the panelists from Hon. Bahati down to Prof. Tamale presented their respective position well, the audience, especially, those favouring the bill behaved almost like football hooligans.”
  
  
• Unfortunately, since the bill itself is intended to feed on peoples age-old prejudices, it’d have been no wonder to witness worst scenarios. Still, thanks to that dialogue that inspired me to do my own little research, I found out that Mr Stephen Langa’s assertion on the possibility of a homosexual being converted has little scientific foundation. From Sigmund Freud down to successive scientists confirmed that conversion for the most part is neither possible nor desirable. Hence, I concluded that despite Langa’s commendable effort to cloak his presentation with pseudo-scientific facts, the scholarship of Prof. Sylvia Tamale and the pragmatism of Major Rubaramira Ruranga carried the day.”

It is a pity the guy is a ‘foreigner’, an Ethiopian. I would have lauded his reasoning. Of course! But, he is at least an African (Sniff!). We are not totally hopeless…!

gug

You cannot recruit people into homosexuality

Hey, the Monitor did publish MY letter. Remember the conversation I once had with them? I am tempted to ask what has changed...  But gift horses are not to be questioned.

Here it is.

You cannot recruit people into homosexuality

As a homosexual, I am very concerned about the allegations made by Mr George Oundo and the Family Life Network (FLN) about gay Ugandans. Mr Oundo has confessed to recruiting children, which is a very serious matter that the police should follow up.

I am gay but I have never engaged in recruiting children into homosexuality. Mr Oundo’s allegation that he has been recruiting children is something I find simply ridiculous because it isn’t possible to change one’s sexual orientation. Are straight people recruited into being straight? In the same way, homosexuals are not ‘recruited’.

Oundo and FLN allege that huge amounts of money are being spent on ‘recruitment’ in schools and universities. From the amounts quoted, I think gay organisations would be the biggest, strongest organisations in Uganda. They would be donors! Being gay may make be different but I am not evil.

 

Gug

gayuganda@gmail.com

 

A Not so Private Conversation

It was private, that is, until I decided to put it here. I am just being cheeky.

Some background. In Uganda, we have two major English dailies. The red rug is a rug, so I will not grace toilet paper with the ‘news’ monica.

The New Vision is the government owned newspaper. Once upon a time it was fairly independent. That was till the end of 2006, when the President decided that it was not fitting that the government paper criticizes the government. So, it lost its independence. Now, it only speaks what the govt wants. And gives editorials like the totally confusing one here and here.

And there is the Monitor. An independent. I think at the moment it is owned by the Aga Khan or something like that. Has a reputation of independence.

So, last year, when we wanted to have our national outing, Monitor was a very good place. Maybe the only place we could go to! And they did us some good things. I mean, they did report very objectively. It riled Ssempa so much that he started a campaign against one of the Monitor Reporters, an intern from America. Her crime, according to Ssempa, was ‘promoting homosexuality’. No, the newspapers editors said, she did not do that. She was just doing her job, reporting what her editor had asked her to.

But Monitor staff are Ugandan. Maybe we lucked on an American intern as a total bit of serendipity! So, even when we had generated that debate, there used to be a quirky kick from some of the Monitor staff.
This past Saturday, the Monitor headlines were searing. ‘SODOMY IN BOARDING SCHOOLS’. I cringed. Did not read the article till the next day. Oh yes, I posted it here. Doesn’t mean I read it! Just the fact that, a straight person would also not like to be accused of all the 'straight' rapes that occur... And I knew that something like that was going to happen. In fact, as a letter from a reader puts it in today's Monitor, 'Research has shown a close relation between homosexuality, drug abuse and spread of AIDS!'

[Let the witch-hunt begin. Lynch the homosexuals!]

The next day, I came across another article in that Monitor. The one from the experts. I was riled. So riled that I found little relief in the post. Experts do need to be experts.

And I thought I should send it to the letters to the editor.

I was surprised to get an answer. Usually, letters to the editor are either trashed (majority) and a very few answered. I know that!
Now, I will let the correspondence do the talking…

---

gug has sent you a link to a blog: Blog: GayUganda Post: Demonised? Are these 'truths' true? Link: http://gayuganda.blogspot.com/2008/06/demonised-are-these-truths-true.html

Man [or woman?],
Just leave us alone. We are clean and ramrod straight.
H

--
Leave me alone. And just do not sell your papers on innuendos and untruths about me.
Mr H, LEAVE ME ALONE. I NEITHER SOLICITED FOR YOUR ATTENTION, NOR DID I ASK YOU TO WRITE UNTRUTHS ABOUT ME. JUST LEAVE ME ALONE.
You just have to learn that we are human beings, and we do suffer from your irrational hate. If you were to ignore us it would be ok. But you go ahead and write lies from 'experts'. Then what the hell will the red pepper do?
Leave us homosexuals alone. It should be us saying that, not you.

GUG

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Who sent me the link in the first place?

And secondly, it does not matter to me what this or that western ‘scientific’ agency says or does to whitewash sodomy, it is very easy to see where they would be coming from, if you read my meaning. Why else are you clowns fighting tooth and nail to get yourselves accepted if sodomy was acceptable to nature in the first place?

H

--

Hi H,

thanks for the information.

I did not send you the link. I sent the link to the Letters Editor at Monitor. I thought that is what we are supposed to do, write letters to the Editor? Forgive me if I got it wrong.

Thanks for your raging hate. Thanks for accusing me of things which you have no idea that I do or not.

All that you know of me is that I am gay and Ugandan. And of course that I was riled at the monitor article, citing 'experts' which a cursory search of the web would have shown to be ill informed.

No, I expected better of the Monitor. Of the Red Pepper, I did not expect anything better. Sorry, I thought I bought a copy of the Monitor, not the Red Pepper.

Be well H,

and god bless your hate with love.

Gug

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Ok, and there ended the correspondence! Yeah, I was not my cool suave self. A bit over the top and all that. A bad day, I admit!

I’m gay but not because of money

I had missed this letter in the Monitor! I saw the article that the guy is railing about and I was not happy. But I have given up writing to the papers. It seems as if only the negative sentiments are published.
But this gentleman wrote, and the Monitor has published it. I love it. I am showing it wholly as it appears in the Monitor today 20 Sept 2007.

Kudos to you, Mr Robert Ekyomuhendo of Kasubi.


I refer to the article Homosexuality is where the money is by Mr Gawaya Tegulle (Daily Monitor, September 15). It defies understanding how far we seem to go to justify our prejudices. I’m gay, a homosexual and a Ugandan. But according to Tegulle’s logic, it is impossible for me to be gay and Ugandan.

And if I’m, then it is because of money coming from outside. My struggles are dismissed by a person who touts prejudices without facts. Mr Tegulle, (happily for him) belongs to the 95 per cent of my country mates who disapprove of what I am. But that does not mean that I will become straight. My rights as a human being are trampled upon because I’m gay.

When I protest, people have the freedom of speech to say that I must be funded from outside. I don’t seem to have the corresponding freedom to say no.
Logic and research are put aside. Hatred, a willingness to believe any ill, and to write long epistles justifying these things. We are supposed to move around in nappies, we are abused as not being Ugandan.

We are demented. I’m happy that many countries in the world see my sexual orientation as normal. They accept that I’m a human being. But I’m disappointed that fellow Ugandans are convinced that I’m not.

Robert Ekyomuhendo, Kasubi

HIV Prevention in Uganda

One thing really bothers me about HIV prevention campaigns in Uganda at the moment. They are purely and shamelessly driven by the morals of ‘good sex’. Does it work?

Someone has decided what constitutes good sex, and that is what is being promoted, in the name of HIV prevention.

For example, the current fad is that older men are preying on younger girls to have sex. So, campaigns are under way to target ‘something for something love’ and ‘cross generational sex’. It is being funded by the AID from the American Peoples (USAID)! Sorry, I was wrong. It is PEPFAR.

Sorry to all Bushites, but his influence is lasting more than a generation in Africa. Problem with these campaigns is that for me as a gay man, gay sex is considered immoral. So when will they decide to mount an HIV campaign for gay men in Uganda? They have not yet!

PS. Please, please, look at the spread from Daily Monitor today. Stupendous!

GayUganda