Martyr's day in Uganda.

The Malawi couple have been shown on TV thanking the President for pardoning them. So would I, 14 years in jail is something. Hey, I am no Mandela....!

Yet it bugs me, why would I have to thank someone for pardoning me when I am sure I have done no wrong? I make a ceremony with my lover and someone then goes ahead to throw me in prison for that? After due process of course....! Sigh. It sure gals.

3rd of June. Dont remember why the day was made a National holiday, but it was. Most of the time I have been thinking about the blackmail letter. Decided to go with GayNairobiMan's advice. Tell them to go throw themselves in the lake.

I guess Blackmail will always be there. As long as we do need to live in the closet, there will be those who want to take advantage of our condition. Whether it is for money, or some obscure cause, etc. But, as and when we can, we should tell them to go dunk their heads in the toilet..... gives them a much needed wash.

Martyrs' day. A commemoration of the day that one of the kings of Buganda was so incesed at some of his pages refusing him sex that he went ahead and killed them. Some former lovers by his own hand. Funny thing is that, that inconvenient fact had been forgotten when history was being dressed up. It would have been too easy to show that homosexuality in Uganda predated the Christian religion....! Thanks to the raging anti-gay fires, this has been forced to the fore. And then, we are being painted as the villains..... simply because we take after one of our precolonial forbearers.... Oh well, there is no satisfying these guys.
I am glad of one thing. Ssempa had boasted that around this time, there would be an International Anti-Homosexuality Conference in Kampala....! Wish I could remind him of that. He had promised a 'Million Man March' on Kampala (to support passage of the bill), the passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill as an Easter 'present' to the country, and then the conference on 3rd June, to carry the anti-gay campaign to the world. Sigh....!

But, let us not forget that the 'anti-homosexuality bill' is in parliament. And, it has support from the vast majority of Ugandans. So, as it is election year in 2011, (and the govt desperately needs a whipping boy to detract from corruption in official cycles etc and deflect attention), the Pres took advantage to the full. It was Martys' day... The story in the government owned New Vision

Museveni warns on dangers of sodomy

Thursday, 3rd June, 2010     

PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has commended the Church for its strong stand against homosexuality.

He asked the clergy and African leaders to guard against Western culture, warning that the continent will end up eaten by homosexuality if they relax.

“The African Church is the only one that is still standing against homosexuality. The Europeans are finished. If we follow them, we shall end up in Sodom and Gomorrah,” Museveni warned.

The two cities were burnt by God over their wickedness, according to the Old Testament of the Bible.

Citing his parents who joined Christianity 50 years after it had been introduced in Ankole region, the President said it is unwise for people to embrace new cultures just for the sake of it.

Museveni made the remarks while addressing thousands of pilgrims who paid homage to the Christian martyrs at the Church of Uganda shrine in Namugongo near Kampala yesterday.

The function, organised by West Ankole and Namirembe dioceses, was attended by Anglican bishops and clergy from across the country.

The function marked 124 years since 45 Christian converts, 22 Catholics and 23 Anglicans, were killed on the orders of Kabaka Mwanga II, for refusing to denounce their faith.

The majority of the martyrs were burnt to death while others were beheaded and castrated in 1886. The 22 Catholic martyrs were canonised by Pope Paul VI in 1964.

Applauding the martyrs for acting bravely against “immorality in Mwanga’s palace”, the President urged the congregation to emulate them to develop the country.

“These young men (martyrs) stood for cleanliness, truth and righteousness,” he noted.

“I hear there was homosexuality in Mwanga’s palace. This was not part of our culture. I hear he learnt it from the Arabs. But the martyrs refused these falsehoods and went for the truth, which is why we are honouring them today.”

He commended the martyrs for rejecting the “dehumanisation of people through homosexuality” and advised gay rights activists that Africa’s resistance against homosexuality is historical.

“When they hear us fighting homosexuality, they think we do so because of religion. No. Even before religion came, we were against it and many other vices,” he stressed.

Earlier, the guest preacher, the Bishop of Harare Church of the Province of Central Africa, Dr. Chad Gandiya, had condemned “the rapidly increasing” homosexuality in the world and asked the faithful to fight it.

“We are living in a world which is upside down. Some people talk about wicked things as if they are good. We need people to stand up for the truth and reject homosexuality,” Gandiya said.

And, the same from the Monitor.

“The church in Africa is very strong and has been at the fore in fighting homosexuality and moral decadence. We must look for modern ways of instilling discipline in society. The Europeans are finished and if we follow their western culture, we shall be headed for Sodom and Gomorrah (the two places which God destroyed because of sexuality),” he said

Well, it was Martyrs' day in Uganda yesterday. So, a bit of gay bashing was just in order...!

BUT. The major takeaway lesson is, the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009 of the Parliament of Uganda is not entirely dead.

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The Uganda Martyrs and other things.

A round up, of course.

Lets start with a laugh. The Bahati Scanner is soon to be installed at all major entry ways into Uganda. Want to see what it looks like, what it will do?

No. Sadly, that image is not mine. The person signs it...!
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The Uganda Martyrs. They have been used to justify the genocidal tendencies of Ugandans against gay Ugandans.
Bahhhh! It is a convenient excuse. After all, I am gay, and Ugandan. I was bred, born, grew up and studied in Uganda. I know for fact that the reality of this history was not widespread until recently, when the dear religious leaders saw fit to use it to justify their anger and desire to kill gay Ugandans. A Chrisitian justification of hate.

It may be funny, but for the fact that I dont find it so. I know history is written by the winners. But, I will not justify riots in Uganda that target Ugandans of Indian extraction, because of 'historical grievances'. Shame upon you, Ugandan Christians.

A Solitary Walker had me on that path of reflection. Want to read more about this? It is here.
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Remember the National Prayer Breakfast supposed to be in Washington to which Obama is invited, and will attend? It is organised by the Fellowship. Bahati, Buturo and others are members.
Box Turtle Bulletin reports that, despite reports that he will attend, David Bahati is NOT attending. He has retracted the fact that he said that he would. Interesting, hey? Ho, Bahati phones in and says he is not attending. It is him who had said he would. It was on the Voice of America, and Throckmorton recommends that it is Must see TV. I will talk to my internet provider... (Evil glare...!)

But, there are other Christians who are organising a parallel prayer event. Lutherans. In America. That continent is full of suprises, I must comment. They want to counter the homophobia, the hate that others are apparently preaching in the name of Christ.

Here is the article. And, their suggestions.

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Jim Inhoef, US senator condemns the bill. Seems he was asked for a long while, till, at last? But I dont know US politics that well. What I gather is that he is the US equivalent of David Bahati. But, he condemns the bill. Truth Wins Out is not satisfied....

By the way, what happens if the bill, (text here) does not contain the Death Penalty for Homosexuals like me? It will still be heinious. And, of course i will be arrested for spreading homosexuality on this blog. And for other things. Is life in prison for being gay preferable to outright death penalty? If I was to choose, I would choose Death. And, I am not joking.

Here is a chilling assesment of what is left with the death penalty removed. It is in Bay Windows.

Bahati’s willingness to remove the death penalty suggests that these (OUR) objections might not be falling on deaf ears. That marks a heartening turning point in the fight against the Bill, but it might be premature to call this a victory in and of itself. Even without the death penalty, the legislation has a number of troubling provisions that are receiving far less attention. The Bill prescribes up to three years in prison for anyone who does not report any friends, family members, or total strangers who they suspect of engaging in same-sex activity, and seven years of imprisonment for anyone who "aids, abets, counsels, or procures another to engage in acts of homosexuality." The Bill also prohibits the "promotion of homosexuality," including the production or distribution of pro-LGBT media, funding or belonging to a pro-LGBT organization, or even voicing support for LGBT rights, and would punish offenders with five to seven years in prison.

And, this is of particular note. The fact that 'homosexuality' as defined by the bill can be constituted from something as innocent as a 'touch'. The Homosexual Touch.

Although same-sex activity is already punishable with life in prison in Uganda, the Bill would forbid any touching with the intention of homosexuality. It would allow the state to forcibly test LGBT people for HIV. And it claims to withdraw Uganda from any global treaty that recognizes the rights of LGBT people, setting an ominous precedent for the recognition of LGBT rights as human rights. All of this is justified as a bulwark against same-sex marriage and a prohibition against rape and pedophilia -- pointedly ignoring that all of these are already criminalized under existing Ugandan law.

Heinious indeed. Draconian, impossible, cruel. But, Ugandans believe that all these things are necessary in the name of kicking homosexuality out of Uganda. And, that it follows Christian principles.

And, Christians like Ssempa and Bahati tell lies to support the bill. All in the name of Religion and Values.

And then, a thought provoking analysis.

With such strong opposition to the death penalty, it is unclear how often the punishment would actually be used against LGBT people in Uganda. Nevertheless, there are a number of provisions in the Bill that are likely to have immediate and chilling effects across the country. The ban on LGBT organizing would swiftly be used to shut down pro-LGBT groups, who would be unable to appeal the Bill if it passes. The legislation would codify the most dangerous stereotypes about LGBT people into law, legitimizing violence by families, communities, and private actors. Criminalizing intent to commit homosexuality and requiring people to inform on each other would almost certainly lend itself to blackmail, extortion, and false accusations. In countless ways, the Bill gives homophobes every tool they need to arrest and harass LGBT people for any reason whatsoever.

 

Thus far, it has been deeply heartening to see how strongly opponents of the Bill have spoken out against it. Nevertheless, it is troubling to think that this support may wane if the "Kill the Gays Bill" is merely used to blackmail, arrest, torture, and persecute LGBT people instead. With or without the death penalty, this Bill would be one of the most repressive and anti-democratic measures in recent memory, and would make a mockery of the international human rights regime. The true test of our political, religious, and civil society leaders is not whether they oppose the death penalty, but whether they are prepared to insist that LGBT people are entitled to the full range of human rights protections that all people are supposed to enjoy. Anything less than the dismissal of the Bill in its entirety undermines those protections and our commitment to the rights of all people, everywhere.

All people. Everywhere.

I like that. It is not a struggle for Rights. It is a struggle for EQUALITY. That is why I fight.
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Uganda, Africa's most failed state? What about Somalia?... This is from the American Chronicle.

I think that is over board. Curiously, I was recently in Kenya, and was shocked to find that our eastern neighbours believe that Uganda is a failed state. And, they pity us. It was a shocking indictment of the current regime and president. Who celebrated 24 years in power on Tuesday.

Hey, is that Sedition? Maybe. But, cant we speak the truth as others see it? Should we just stick to the Bahati Bill? Let me scurry back into my closet!
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Hey, a meeting calls. Ceaser, et al

Be well


gug