Happy 4th of July

A friend reminded me yesterday that today is the American Independence day. Happy 4^th of July to my American friends. I am informed that it is an important public holiday in your land.

Some reflection- the whole anti-gay sentiment in my own country has kind of had an effect on my thought processes. On the one hand I was being accused of being evil because I am gay, and not being African or 'patriotic' enough because I insist on flaunting my sexuality-, and the righteous indignation of my country mates-

I am being long winded. Suffice to say that the whole concept of patriotism has taken a very health blow in my mind. Of course I am an African, and a Ugandan. I am what I am- am also gay.

So, now I embrace my humanity above other things. Suspect identities to me include my ethnicity, nationality, and of course religion....!

But, Happy Independence to my US friends.

There is humour and then there is humour.

Imagine, in one country, some people want to send their queer country mates to Uganda.... Ha! Uganda is infamous.

The country is Bulgaria. Of course, sending their queers to Uganda is not really to compliment them in anyway. Here is the story.

Anti-Gay Bulgarian Nationalists Want to Send 'All Queers to Uganda'

"All Queers Go to Uganda" reads one of the slogans of the some 100 Bulgarian nationalists who rallied against the 2010 Sofia Pride gay parade. Photo by BGNES

Around 100 Bulgarian nationalists have gathered to protest against the “Sofia Pride” gay parade Saturday.

The nationalists have been carrying posters saying “Gays want death for Bulgarians”, “Homosexuals out of Bulgaria, to keep our children pure”, “Bulgaria is a place for normal people – gays should go to jail” and “All the gays, go to Uganda”.

According to the organizers of the protest, about 10 nationalist organizations have participated.

Just rubbing in my point- now you understand why I would feel more connection to the queers of Bulgaria, a country where I have never been!!!!

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I am a self confessed Ssempa basher.

Sometimes I remind myself to reign in... It simply would not do to be what I hate. And, I just don't like the man. But again, I have to remind myself again and again why the guy is bad... a liar, unchristian, using his gifts of charisma to lie and hate, etc, etc. Yeah, I do have to do that, or else I will forget how dangerous the man is. And, of course I have to be thankful to the guy...

I'm also especially proud of how our gay sex brings out the crazy in anti-gay zealots everywhere. NOBODY is as obsessed with how gay people have sex as the people who claim to be disgusted by it. Thank God for people like Pastor Martin Ssempa, whose "eat da poo poo" rant lifted from Vanguard's "Missionaries of Hate" episode on Current TV went instantly viral.

But one thing which amuses me is the way the internet has kind of spread his perfidy far and wide. He is the face of Uganda, and African gay bigotry and prejudice. Christian gay bigotry and prejudice. And, I keep coming across new mentions of Pastor Doctor Martin 'eat da poo poo' Ssempa every now and then. Makes for fun reading. Sometimes. Many times.

But, in the comments here, a markedly racist person is in 'debate' with another person and the other kind of comes up with this comment.

Your degree is just as useful as Martin Sempa’s PhD, as is your reearch, because you justify your bias based on your limited knowledge about the other. Your argument is just as intelligent as ‘they eat the poopoo’

The next time you wonder where people like Martin Sempa come from, or how they’re formed, look in the mirror.

Ugh... that is below the belt, surely? Bigotry, prejudice is markedly similar, whether it is aimed at sexual orientation, 'foreigners', race, etc. When I did follow the line of commentry, I found that it had flown way past the other persons understanding. Yes, Logic is a perception. Kind of like a belief. And, some people embrace their logic with religious fervour... and it leads to some very hilarious results.

Duh, I will end with a quote from Bishop Christopher Ssenyonjo. From the US, he went to Ireland. He has been on a speaking tour, and has done much for many to put a face on the homophobia that there is in Uganda, especially amongst the Christian circles. [no... I am not mistaking him for Ssempa]. Maybe the statement should be that, Uganda produced people like Ssempa (and Idi Ami, etc), but it would be prejudicial to say all of us Ugandans are just shit. Like any prejudicial generalisation, it simply wouldnt be correct.

Ssenyojo has been lionised and has been preaching in churches and talking about being gay supportive in Uganda. That is in the west, where his witness is being received.

In dear Uganda..., well, he is not allowed to preach. Because of his stand, he is vilified, by the denomination that he served for more than 40 years of his life. He was thrown out of his church, was requested not even to put on his robes. Yeah, I did see that letter, which was addressed to him by his surname, with not even the courtesy of his proffessional and academic titles. Here are the observation of the Vanguard documentary 'Missionaries of Hate' reporter about Ssenyonjo.

MvZ: There was interview with a retired Anglican Bishop who’s been maligned for the work he does ministering to gays in Uganda. His church has essentially ostracized him and ahead of one of these anti-gay rallies, people hung posters for the event outside of his office. It’s silly, but when you see people taunting an old man you can’t help but feel bad.

Here are the uplifting words from that old gentleman.

"… they [homosexuals] may be different, and they are, but we should live with differences.” He went on to call for education because, "I have found that a lot of the prejudice against LGBT people comes from ignorance."

He concluded his sermon at Christ Church Cathedral Dublin on Sunday with the prayer. "Almighty God, we believe that in Christ there is no discrimination against race, colour, gender or LGBT people. We pray that you guide us with your Holy Spirit so that all hate campaigns including those against LGBT people may be transformed into peace, justice and reconciliation. Amen."

And, yes- despite much of the bad and evil that there is in this world, there is also good. Love as opposed to hate. Good as opposed to evil. And, we can always pick out the difference, even when hate tries to mascarade as love.

Have a very good day.

gug

Going through the news

South Africa is sending an ambassador to Uganda. A High Commissioner, as us former British colonies call those officials. And, wonder of wonders, the guy is a homophobe! Yeah, that is what our big brother to the South believes is the kind of person who should represent them here….!

Oh, our big brothers have failed to lead in Africa. Since the days of Mandela, they have failed to capitalize on the power of that name, the reverence we hold it in, and other things like their economic and military might. Look at Zimbabwe. Of course, I am a cynic politician. And, maybe the guy is no homophobe. But, apparently the SA Equality Court has some outstanding charges against him. For being a gay basher.

Apparently he is also a racist. Sighhhhhhhh!

In Malawi, the government will not intervene in the courts of law on behalf of the gay couple who were arrested and charged for having a gay wedding. They see it as ‘indipendence of the judiciary and courts’ and ‘national sovereignty.’ We do love that card. And, by the way, the Constitution of Malawi states that there will be no discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation. Fantastic!!!!!

Mauya Msuku, the couple’s lawyer, said the laws under which Monjeza and Chimbalanga were charged were archaic and unconstitutional.

“The penal code criminalizes homosexuality or same-sex marriages but under the Bill of Rights in the new Constitution it is clearly stated that no one should be discriminated against on the basis of – among other things – sexual orientation,” he said.

Anyway, the two love birds are still in prison. And, the country is having a media frenzy. One of them is actually sick, one of the couple. When I see this, I remember the case of Brian Pande, in Uganda. He was just like these guys, in one of our eastern towns called Mbale. Arrested with his mate, jailed, released on bail after some days, and he died soon. From supposedly a meningitis.  He was 20 years of age.

This gay hate and devilry thing is nothing new, in the US. 

Someone in an opinion piece examines the fact that gay hate speech is actually tolerated in the states. It is expected of the gay bashers. What is amazing is the fact that some people like Bahati will take it to the logical conclusion. If gay people are such a bad and evil part of humanity, why then don’t we eliminate them, wipe homosexuality out of Uganda? That, is the stated aim of Pastor Martin Ssempa.

In the US, there are people who, increadibly, speak like them. They call it freedom of speech. And, they accept it. Look at the whole article here. [Well, in Uganda, they do hold some interesting press conferences, so maybe we are not that very different!]

In Australia, should Uganda, the Kill gay bill, become an election issue? Eh? Even I don’t think myself that important. To myself, of course. To others, ehhhh!

The Mail and Guardian of South Africa has a thoughtful article to ‘Beware the Gay Bashing Evangelicals’. Is it a breed of people, that thing to beware of?

I do love for once being the centre of attention and debate.

I know, it is pretty expensive. I don’t want it to be about debating my life and liberty. Thank you very much, I would rather it was errr, someone else’s life and liberty. But, it seems like it is mine at the moment. [sighhhhhh!!!!]

Gay Bashing Evangelicals. We have them everywhere in Uganda. Homosexuality is the whole of the Seven Deadly Sins.

But, the thing is, looking at this bill, (text here) as an isolated, Ugandan issue, you fail to grasp the obvious. Like my gay brothers and sister have shown before, it is something that touches each and all of us. And, the rest of the world because we are also HUMAN. It is a simple issue of human dignity. Human equality. Even the word rights is a misnomer. We are talking about EQUALITY for people, even when they are also kuchu, gay.

It is actually a hilarious, funny and serious article. Though provoking. Do read it.

I am informed that David Bahati is not attending the International Prayer Breakfast as he said he would be. Yes, here is the link of someone who did the research. 

Now, I know I have up a petition to ask that he doesn’t go to America, to which I am referring people, here.   I am sending him a letter to ask him to confirm or deny whether he is going to America. I don’t think it is too much for me to contact a legislator who is in Uganda’s Parliament, and, I am a Ugandan. You think it is bad?

So, I am sending him a letter, copying it to the Monitor, which published the news article. Will update you if he replies. He has never ever replied my many thoughtful, thought provoking letters.

Mass Murderers for Breakfast.

Ugh! No, no, no. The term is not mine. No, it isn’t. I have just picked it up here. A person who has a story remarkably like mine. About being gay, and being Christian. He is remarkably forgiving. I am still working out the bitterness, even now. Realising that the Mass Murderers who advocate death to gay people are not the only Christians, and not really Christian, that is having lots of therapeutic effect on me.

Just have a peek at my life as it was… through the eyes of a total stranger. Another gay man. 

When I was 22, I experienced a born again conversion and spent the next seven years seeking to change my sexuality.

I’m not here to dive into the minutiae of the “cure the gay” movement or debunk its imbecilic philosophies. Suffice it to say that in my quest for straightness, I did everything I was told. I read Christian self-help books and studied the Bible for hours. I entered counseling and attended men’s group meetings. I prayed. I prayed for hours every single day, on my knees and sitting in my room and alone in my car. My sexuality did not change one iota. If anything, it became more undeniable as I worked out other lifelong issues

---

I certainly agree with this conclusion of his... Not about me having religion, certainly.

But I’m certainly not here to say no one should be a Christian, or even an evangelical. I believe in the value of religious practice, and that nearly any path that gets you there is valid.

What is not valid, obviously, is to criminalize anyone’s sexuality. My adventures in the world of super-conservative religion had a happy ending. Not so for our brothers and sisters in Uganda.

I seem to see myself in the lives of many people out there. Like this one again. A look at what the US was like, 30-40 years ago. And, the parallels with Uganda. Sigh, I wish Bahati did read history. I do wish it. But, this article is kind of instructive. What is happening in Uganda is not unique, nor is Uganda as holy as it thinks it is, trying to lead the world…!

A high school in the US has brought me to tears.

Yet this blog post is becoming way too long. But, the unsought for kindness of strangers is one of the many blessings, silver linings that I am seeing in this fracas and debate about my life and liberty.

Southridge High School is staging a march against the bill. Here is what they are doing. My heart, my thanks are with you people. Thanks again.

From a grateful, happy gay Ugandan.

Hey, some people want to kill me. Or imprison me. But, what is more cool is that some people that I know nothing about are ready to rally on my behalf. In the name of a common humanity.

Thanks again!

gug

Bahati in America.

Seems to be the hot topic.

Well, he says that he is going. He says he is attending, and, apparently he is supposed to be speaking. Share the podium with Barack Obama. Here is the Monitor link.

Mr Bahati, according to reports, may speak at the event where President Barack Obama – a gays-tolerant liberal president, is also expected to attend. On Friday, Mr Bahati said he would attend. The event is organised by The Fellowship- a conservative Christian organisation, which has deep political connections and counts several high-ranking conservative politicians in its membership.

“I intend to attend the prayer breakfast,” said Mr Bahati - himself a part organiser of the Ugandan equivalent of the national prayer breakfast.

Hot topic. He has lain his bed. He shall lie on it. Let him have joy of it.

I have no opinion on where David Bahati should travel or not. After all he is the elected representative of his people. But, I would really love to hear that he has visited his constituency, Ndorwa West, and seen the poverty and pain that his constituents live in. And, that he is doing something about them. But, most likely, he will not be visiting them soon about any developmental thing. He even hopes that the bad donors who are giving HIV drugs to people in his constituency stop because they are insisting he does not pass a bill to kill homosexual Ugandans.

But, his travel plans, and where he goes, that is for the governments and citizens where he is going. [shrug, shrug, shrug]

But, from what I am reading, people are not happy at all. Not at all. And, by people, I mean Americans who have been following this ‘Kill the Gays’ bill. One comment on this blog is that it is an opportunity for him to be arrested and tried. For inciting genocide. I guess that would happen in Holland and Spain. Not so?

Here is what one incesed guy blogs.

It's Put Up or Shut Up for Barack Obama

David Bahati, author of the Ugandan "Kill the Gays" bill, and Ugandan Ethics and Integrity Minister James Nsaba Buturo are expected to come to the United States to attend the National Prayer Breakfast.

Let's be clear: These people are proposing genocide against gays in Uganda.

They should not be granted a visa.

If Barack Obama does not want a diplomatic dispute over this, I think that he is wrong, but he then has another option: Be the first President since Dwight Eisenhower not to attend the breakfast, saying that he will not break bread with them.

If he does neither, he is immoral, and he is a coward, and he does not deserve the public trust.

It is possible that Obama will take steps to prevent this, such as pressuring "The Family", the secretive Christo-Fascist group that has organized the prayer breakfasts, to dis-invite them.

But if he sits down to break bread with people who are this deeply evil, he is giving his personal imprimatur to genocide, and anyone who supports gay rights should not support him.

No. Before you do ask me, I do not believe that David Bahati, author of this Anti-Homosexual Bill, (text here) should share a podium with any leader.

I do think that Mr Bahati has been duped. He has been lied to. He has embraced those lies. But, he is an adult human being who has CHOSEN to believe those lies without questioning, without researching them, without proving them against knowledge that is freely available in the world.

He has chosen to embrace his bill. He has chosen to write and defend a genocidal bill.

For that reason, and, because he is an adult human being, I have no compuction saying that he should not share the podium with any leader of the world. Least of all Barack Obama, who we Africans hold in iconic awe.

The only leaders he should share a podium with are Hitler of Nazi Germany. Pol Pot of Cambodia, and maybe Franco of Spain. And Idi Amin of Uganda

That is brutal, it is tough, it is rough.

But, that is what I think, and I am not going to be shy recommending that for a person who believes me and people who are like me are so bad we deserve the death penalty and life imprisonment. No. I am no Christian to turn the other cheek. He is the Christian. He should turn the other cheek. I have not yet seen him do it.

You remember when the Red Rug published names of 'tycoons' in Uganda who are 'promoting homosexuality'? One of my friends was exposed like so. He has been effectively relieved of his responsibilities, and the company seems ready to fire him. But, he is not yet fired. Looking for a 'reasonable excuse', maybe.

That is what I also risk. No, I have no compunction advocating for David Bahati having a taste of what he wants other human beings to have, what he is making sure that I have.

I hadnt noticed Dr. James Nsaba-Buturo's prayer at the recent meeting of the National Executive Committee of Uganda's ruling party. Here.

He asked the Minister of Ethics and Integrity, Dr. James Nsaba Buturo, to lead the opening prayers. Buturo prayed to God to protect Uganda against promoters of homosexuality and corruption. 

Anti-gay hysteria indeed. To Ugandan Christians, and it is being rubbed in by the Churches and the pastors (if you havent, do read the post about Ssempa's World...) Homosexuality is the most prominent evil. Period.

And, I am a homosexual.

And, a promoter of homosexuality!!!!!!

Be well

gug

Not yet

Not yet there.

But, keep up the pressure.

The Archbishop of Canterbury condemns the bill.

In an interview with the British Telegraph newspaper, the leader of the Anglican Church, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has publicly condemned Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill that would literally enable the Ugandan government to hound gay men and women to death if the penalty of "aggravated homosexuality" is not removed.

In the interview, Dr. Rowan Williams talks about the schism facing the Anglican Church, his relationship with the Vatican, and also comments on legislation tabled by Ugandan MP David Bahati that has been dubbed the "Kill the Gays Bill":

“Overall, the proposed legislation is of shocking severity and I can’t see how it could be supported by any Anglican who is committed to what the Communion has said in recent decades,” says Dr Williams. “Apart from invoking the death penalty, it makes pastoral care impossible – it seeks to turn pastors into informers.” He adds that the Anglican Church in Uganda opposes the death penalty but, tellingly, he notes that its archbishop, Henry Orombi, who boycotted the Lambeth Conference last year, “has not taken a position on this bill”.

Late in coming. Of course, of course. Does little to shore up his moral leadership. Not when he has literally been bullied into making the statement. Maybe it gives him some cover... His Anglican brothers in Uganda will not accuse him of  'neo-colonialism'. Maybe....

 Article continues with an analysis I dont like, but, which is most likely true.

The Anti-Homosexuality Bill now looks set to become law in February, 2010 if it passes through parliament unfettered.  

I dont want the bill. Truly. It should be thrown out. So, should I settle for no death penalty while I am still criminalised and legally hounded in my own country. Extraordinary. Or, very human. I still want freedom in my own homeland. Me and my partner still hope for freedom.

So, not yet.

Which makes me more hopeful that the kind of pressure below is better.

Get me right, I have been pushing for Religious Leaders to condemn the bill. Because they have the moral authority, to do so and are listened to in Uganda. And, because this bill is made in the name of God and religion. Bahati's statements continue to show the mentality of Ugandans.

This condemnation will force my genocidal country mates to re-think. They believe they are more Christian than any other person. They believe they are morally upright. I want a check on this moral superiority which makes the Bahati bill no less than a symptom. I want it killed. I dont want it resurected. For my safety, for the safety of other gay Ugandans, the defeat of this bill is something that is necessary. It may not occur, but, denting the moral authority of the preachers of hate may be something that we settle for. Not yet. Not enough.

So, an American Senator comes out also, against the bill. Unfortunately this is the kind of language that my people understand. They claim we are a democracy, when we act like a dictatorship... Oh well. But, the President does understand any threat to the military. Real or imagined.

US Senator joins critics of Anti-homosexuality Bill

ANGELO IZAMA

Kampala

A senior American Senator has warned that relations between Uganda and the United States would suffer because of a proposed Bill against homosexuality.

Mr Russ Feingold, who chairs the Senate’s Committee on Africa, said he was outraged by the Anti-homosexuality Bill proposed by Ndorwa West MP David Bahati.

“Its passage would hurt the close working relationship between our two countries, especially in the fight against HIV/Aids,” Mr  Feingold said in a statement released by his office. According to Mr Feingold, he has expressed his concerns to the US State Department and to President Museveni personally.

Mr Feingold is currently pushing through a law to compel the Obama administration to provide direct military assistance in dealing with the Lord’s resistance Army. Calls for political action by donors and rights groups against the Bill which is expected to pass easily in the House have mounted ever since it was tabled several weeks ago.

True, we are not yet there. Not at all.

Monday morning. Another week, another day. Christmas is near. Just doesnt feel like so.

Have a good week. Keep pushing.


gug

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I hadnt seen this. Funny, the Monitor has stepped up into the gap. They are really reporting positively, (well, that means that, they are not supporting the bill! Well, you know where I stand.)

They have been slow, they have been reluctant. But, they have stepped into the gap which the New Vision has very studiously avoided. A well reasoned article. Wish I had written it myself... But, I didnt! An excerpt.

Sexual violence apart, Ugandan women, especially in rural areas, suffer deplorable health services.  The country’s maternal mortality rate, at 435 deaths per 100,000 births, is one of the highest in the world.  This is an aggregate figure: it is even higher in the poorest rural areas, where most women give birth at home without qualified help.

 

According to aid agencies, 62 per  cent of Uganda’s clinics lack basic medicines and 65 per cent of health worker posts remain unfilled.  Women suffer most from these gross service gaps because it is they who assume the main responsibility for family care and they who are generally last in the queue for medical attention.

And what if international donors, who supply more than one third of Ugandan government revenues, cut aid in response to the outcry over the Bahati Bill from their own citizens?

It is understandable that Ugandans should see this as bullying, a new form of cultural imperialism; and it is fair to point out that the West’s human rights halo is not looking so shiny after Switzerland’s overwhelming vote to restrict the religious freedoms of their minority Islamic population.

But donor governments are under real pressure from their own citizens and may be forced to trim aid that, in many cases, is tied precisely to targets such as improving health services. Who would be the losers here?  Overwhelmingly, Ugandan women.

Hey, you ask yourself, with all these ills, why are we still determined to fight the ill of homosexuality? I think I should be flattered that my sexuality is so important. Of course I am not. Not when you want to kill me in the name of your god.
But, with all these ills, why are we determined to deal with this particular one?

I will give you Honourable Bahati's answer.

 "We are not going to yield to any international pressure – we cannot allow people to play with the future of our children and put aid into the game. We are not in the trade of values. We need mutual respect."

 To that, well, I will not add another comment.

UK, France, USA

Yeah, condemnation for the bill flows in.


But, be assured that Ugandans will not allow 'foreigners' to discuss their values.


In the words of Minister of Ethics, Nsaba-Buturo, anal sex has no human rights. Sadly, he forgets that it is human beings who have anal sex. 
Here is the article about the UK government 'concern'

UK government 'concerned' about Uganda's anti-gay law

By Jessica Geen • November 6, 2009 - 15:44

The UK government has released a statement on the proposals in Uganda to execute people who have gay sex following condemnation of the bill from France and America.

The bill, currently before parliament in the African country, would create a new crime of "aggravated homosexuality".

Those convicted of having gay sex with disabled people and those under the 18 would face the death penalty.

The bill also imposes life imprisonment on those who have homosexual sex. Although this is already the case in Uganda, the new law widens the definition of the offence.

Other offence include promoting homosexuality, aiding and abetting homosexuality and keeping a house "for purposes of homosexuality".

In a statement given to PinkNews.co.uk, a spokeswoman from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We are concerned by the introduction of a private member's bill on anti homosexuality in Uganda.

"Adoption of the bill could do serious damage to efforts to tackle HIV and its criminalisation of organisations that support homosexuality could, in theory, encompass most donor agencies and international NGOs.

"The UK, alongside our EU partners, has raised our concerns about the draft bill and LGBT rights more broadly with the government of Uganda, including with the prime minister and several other ministers, the Ugandan Human Rights Commission, and senior officials from the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"We will continue to track the passage of the bill and to lobby against its introduction."

This week, France's foreign ministry released a statement condemning the bill. It said: "France expresses deep concern regarding the bill currently before the Ugandan parliament.

"France reiterates its commitment to the decriminalisation of homosexuality and the fight against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity."

In America, leana Ros-Lehtinen, (Republican, Miami), Tammy Baldwin, (Democrat, Wisconsin), Gary Ackerman, (Democrat, New York) and Howard Berman, (Democrat, California), have written to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warning that it had severe implications for the freedom and safety of gay people.

Some Correspondence

Dear Gug,


I am struggling with a decision and would like your insight. I am a gay American. I recently became aware of the treatment of gay men and women in Uganda.

A friend of mine has a charity organization here in the U.S. that supports a school in Uganda with books, money, uniforms, and more. For several years I have supported her in her cause to raise money for that school. With this new information, about the treatment of gays in Uganda, I am no longer certain I can support this cause.

On one hand, I feel that I must support the school to educate the next generation for knowledge is power. But will that power be used against people like me? How could I ever go to teach at this school knowing that I might be prosecuted for my feelings and believes?

My stomach is sick with the stress over this situation and any comments and guidance you have is very much appreciated.

- Doug

---

Hi Doug,

That is a tough problem. Even for me.

I mean, on the one hand, I am busy crying wolf about the way my country mates are treating me, just because I am gay. Yet in the long run, I realise that they are my country mates. And this is my country, and my people.

Sorry, I cannot help seeing your problem from my point of view.

They abuse me that I am a sell out. That I am not African, not Ugandan. They insist that it is right for me to be sent to jail for life, just because I have a man that I love, and that I make love with him. The president believes it is ok for the churches to preach hate and ignorance about me. The churches are united in that. It is okay to talk hate to me. It is okay for the Muslim leader to frankly and openly talk about me dying in the ghetto of an island, simply because I was born gay, and he does not understand it. Because he considers that it is okay. It is moral for me to get HIV, according to the head of the HIV commission in Uganda. Increadible, but the man charged with guiding the country's HIV prevention believes that the best way to do HIV prevention amongst gay Ugandans is to stamp out homosexuality, a 'vice' that is rife in schools, according to him.

I am a Ugandan. But I am a pariah in my own country.

Should I reject my country? Because they reject me?

I will not. Well, I am stubborn stupid, I must confess. If someone believes I should do something one way, I try the contrary way. But also because, why, why should I be forced out of my country? Why should I be forced to believe that I am worse than I am? Once I believed that. But I know I was wrong, and, despite the 'moral indignation' and condemnation of my country mates, I will not leave the country, as one, a Minister in the government demanded. That we homosexuals go away, because the people of Uganda rejected us.

And what does this have to do with you?

I have a stake in this country. It is my country, despite those who would force me out, just because I am different. I have rejected the Christian religion, because they will not have me. My country, well, to hell with those who think I should not be in it.

Simply put, they will not stop me from loving my country, because it is my country. And their efforts to silence me will not work. Simply because I will not have it.

You are a gay man who is giving your money, out of the good of your heart, to people who will potentially spit in your face. What advice would I have about that?

On the one hand, you are doing something good. Something commendable. School fees and education is one of the surest way out of the rut of poverty in Uganda. And in Africa. Those who are educated on your money will have a better life in the future. That will be because you, out of the good of your heart, has given them something.

On the other hand, Ugandans have bitten the hands of givers. The Church of Uganda made a big deal of rejecting money from the Episcopal Church in America. Why? Because of the 'homosexual' leanings of the Episcopal church. They called press conferences to reject the 'homosexual money'. With lots of fanfare, and pharisaical self congratulations on their good deeds, rejecting the 'homosexual agenda'. You will give the money, and they will accuse you of ulterior motives. Of pushing your homosexual agenda. Because you are gay.

So, should you stop giving?

I am afraid I have worked myself into a corner. When I started answering your letter, I wanted to tell you to continue giving. Because I cannot sincerely say, of some kid out there, depending on your handout for school fees, and the hope of a better life in future, that you should not give him or her this hope. Because of the stupidity of the kid's elders, who are intent on making you the giver an enemy, because of their ignorance.

But you are also a human being. And, much as you felt you needed to give, you are also hurt by Ugandans' hate speech. And rejection of you. They will take your money, and in church and mosque tell the world how bad and immoral you are. Or reject it with all the fanfare that they can generate in their selfish gesture.

No. I cannot have a clear answer. I can only hope that you come to a decision that you are comfortable with.

I know that many people, gay people outside Uganda, do have problems like this. To listen to all the hate speech and believe that, according to our leaders, this hate speech defines all Uganda, all Ugandans? No it does not. But it hurts. It does hurt gay people everywhere, even in Uganda.

No clear answer, I am afraid. But thanks for the support you have been giving Ugandan kids.



GayUganda

Claiming Asylum as a Gay Person

Habeeb has claimed asylum in the USA. Ndyanabo did so in Canada. All are Ugandans who have taken a chance to ask for asylum in another country, on the grounds that being gay in Uganda is detrimental to their continued wellbeing. It cannot be fun leaving one’s country because of what one is.

My attention was drawn to the discussion on this blog about that subject. The contention was that, since the UNHCR has a mandate to recognise that a person is persecuted because of his sexual orientation, then it is a bonafide reason to seek asylum. Yet few gay people from Africa do so. Why is that?

Maybe it is because we do not know about it. The lack of hope in our countries makes people trek across the Sahara for a chance of a better life in Europe, or America. They risk death, on the sea, in the desert, in being stowaways. All for the chance of a better future. So, when they get there, why don’t they claim that they are being persecuted because of their sexual orientation?

When Ndyanabo claimed asylum in Canada, his name was splashed across the papers in Uganda. I thought immediately that he has burnt his bridges behind him. He must get the asylum, because he cannot afford to come back to an outed state in Uganda. We have to consider that. If I claim asylum on the grounds that I am gay, what if I don’t get asylum? What if I am shipped back to Uganda? I will be in a worse state, outed when I would not want to be. It happened recently to a woman deported from the UK. Maybe the govt will not pursue me, but what about my family? I may find myself without the all important family support that is necessary to survive.

Yet there is another consideration. Ugandans in the diaspora live in closely knit communities. They look out for one another. They remember each other as a family abroad. And guess what would be a problem if you said you are gay? You would lose this social support. Most of us do carry our homophobia with us into the diaspora.

And another point which comes out very clearly in the discussion here is this. How many gay Ugandans are comfortable with that identity? The answer is very few. Most of us would rather have the ground swallow us than admit to our love for people of the same sex. We have little knowledge of who we are. We know it feels right, we are continuously bombarded by information from church, family, mosque, government and society that it is not right. Would we claim that identity? Read the Habeeb story. It gives a pretty good summary of what is.

Would I claim asylum on account of being a homosexual from Uganda? I would think about it a lot. I would certainly not leave this country on a whim. I love it. I would leave only when forced by circumstances. And claiming asylum because I am gay would be something to do under some considerable duress. Speak of being between a rock and a hard place. But survival is what matters, and Ugandans are masters of survival.

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