Nsaba Buturo’s Change of mind

Saturday was a beautiful day. Yet there was something in the New Vision which lifted my mood and made me want to sing the whole day.

There was this article, which I am lifting whole from the paper.

UNBELIEVABLE! These could be the only kind words from the ethics and integrity state minister, Dr. James Nsaba Buturo, to homosexuals.

He has come across as anti-gay on many occasions, prompting the gay-rights activists to push for his blacklisting. They were claiming that Buturo was violating the human rights of some citizens and peddling homo-phobia.

Could this be the reason why he is now singing a different tune? Buturo has criticised medical practitioners who discriminate against homosexuals living with HIV/AIDS. He said that although the Constitution does not condone homosexuality, they should not be denied medical facilities.

“I condemn medical practitioners who deny Anti-retro-viral drugs to gays. No one wants to acquire HIV/AIDS. All human beings are equal before God,” Buturo said in an interview on Monday.

Dr James Nsaba Buturo. A PhD in economics, I believe. A Christian who is fundamentalist. He has not been kind to us ‘homos’ as he calls us.

I do welcome even this small change in his mind. I don’t know how genuine it is. Is it? I do not know. The things that he has said and done in the name of ‘resisting homosexuality’ are many.

In 2004, as State Minister for Information, and official government spokesperson, he held a press conference and informed the country that he had learnt of a despicable plot to promote homosexuality in the country, in the guise of preventing HIV, and it was being promoted by UNAIDS. His words were very unkind. UNAIDS being a diplomatic institution, was sent a strongly worded protest note. The then Country Representative of UNAIDS was ‘relocated’ to some other country.

Since that time, no NGO dared to touch HIV prevention amongst gays in the country. If the UNAIDS Country Rep was not immune, then who was immune to the government’s wrath?

The things that Mr Buturo has said in the previous 3 months since the press conference have been incredible venom. He wondered how on earth we could have held a press conference when we were ‘illegal’, what was the police doing? He repeatedly said that he knew us and was ready to move on us. He went to the demonstration against homosexuality as the government representative. Homosexuality was against 3 laws, that of god, the country, and morality? He told us to migrate out of the country. That we were unacceptable. We have no rights according to him.

The vitriol flowed, the venom envenomed the debate. Some of the people who would have supported him were really surprised. It was too much hate in the name of love.

I called him a homophobe. A person with an irrational hate or fear of homosexuality. I just cannot understand why he hates me so much when he does not really know me. Human Rights Watch attacked the government, saying that it was sponsoring Homophobia.

That was hardly three months ago.

And suddenly, his tune has changed. The news editor found it unbelievable. I did too. Why? Why of a sudden does he find that we are human beings? Why does he of a sudden find that we do deserve treatment at the hospitals? Why is he blaming doctors now? How come he finds that no one, (not even homosexuals), deserves to get HIV?

Of course what he said was mainly political. I have not heard of any doctors denying us treatment. But I know that he is one of the major reasons why we still have no national programme to prevent HIV amongst Kuchus in Uganda.

It was a brilliant day, Saturday. A very beautiful day, inside and out.

GayUganda

Homophobe

A mind closed to the leech of knowledge,

A heart hardened to love’s tender flower,

A soul deadened to the warmth of humanity

Eyes that will not see,

Ears that will not hear,

A mouth overflowing with hate’s logic.

Nsaba Buturo

gug 22/08/2007

Battle lines Drawn

Ok,

First week of the campaign gone. An interesting week. Personally, and on the public front. For the public, fickle as ever, the need for 'new' news is taking over. What happened last week is something already in the past.

We cannot claim all the victory. The publicity has been fueled by those who hate us. Those who have much to gain from the homophobia. Pastor Sempa, I can figure out. A populist, pandering to the American right. He is obsessed with opposition to the 'gay agenda'.
The Church of Uganda, in its schismatic form is very much at logger heads with us. Wish I could get Desmond Tutu's letter to the primates and publish it in the local papers here! We are constrained by the very fact that the general public simply does not know what is happening in the rest of the world. That tends to mean that they get the govt or official view, without the debate.
Nsaba Buturo. This guy has more than a personal agenda. He is hate, dignified. He is convinced that there should be no debate. It irks him that there is a debate. And he does want a Nigeria style law. This interview is quite revealing Rights for the pentecostal churches. Taking more away from the homosexuals.
And of course the government, and the big man himself. Its a lie that he would even think of opening to us!

The fact that 95% of our countrymen are against us is a worrying thing. We have been assured that the police will most likely not act on us. We are not sure about the 'other security forces', which tend to work outside the law. But the fact is that there is something we have to consider. So called 'mob justice'. We can be lynched, if the public is stirred up sufficiently. And that is why the hate filled church sermons, the outing on radio and TV and the publishing of the names and places of work and residence is particularly a problem.
The record for mob justice is not encouraging. And a homosexual is a very nice person to draw the ire of a public that does not trust the police. They have been asking why we are not arrested!!

But that is the negative side.

On the positive, we have a debate. A very serious debate. We can hit back with the truth to undermine the many lies that are being aired. And they are many, and challengeable. And they are something which the likes of Sempa and Nsaba Buturo believe we cannot challenge. We need to work on this part of the strategy. Because that is the way to go. And we have a huge gun that has not realy featured. HIV.

Personally, I have noticed that my workmates are talking. And the people in my neighbourhood are talking about it. But no one approaches me. And now I know that they know, I am just a figure on the streets to them who is a known homosexual. Was talking to a brother of mine. He was telling me about the day that Dad came to warn me about police looking for me. Apparently the old man was not happy about the publicity. But then, blood proved thicker than the anger. And he did come to warn me.

Empowering it is. Living with my lover as an openly gay couple. In Uganda. An open secret. Everyone that I seem to care about knows! Yes, some suggested I run and hide, and I told them, including the brother that I was talking to yesterday that that was not on my mind. Rather, I was thinking of talking on TV about it. Now, that did throw him.

Interesting. A few years back I would have run and hid. Today, I will not. Rather, I talk about it. Empowered by my 'unofficial' outing. The fear is usually more than the actual bad things happening. But I am in a pretty privileged form. I am very independent, financially, mentally, and in my thinking. Not so many others.

This weeks should prove something interesting. We seem to have retreated. At least I think our detractors so believe. But have we?

Some of us are scared. So scared that they are actively working against the campaign! Well, we are human beings. Never expected to have the same kind of desire or dedication. But to fight to stay in that closet! Some we shall have to drag out screaming and kicking. Time we got out. And yes, we are asking for something that is normal, because we are normal human beings. To be left in peace. To have the same right to information like all other Ugandans. To have the same access to HIV prevention as the rest of Ugandans.

Time is for us to be not more, not less, but just human. To assert our humanity. Thats it. Thats all.

GayUganda

Times of Revolution!

They are challenging times. Challenging to me individually, but also generally speaking.
Once I thought that I would have nothing to fear. Now I have known fear, and been forced to think of contingency plans.

Yet, despite the fact that there are problems on the ground, the issue of openly debating homosexuality in Uganda is exhilarating. It is consuming my mind, and what I am doing all the time. I was ambushed. In a way. Maybe it should have been predictable. But the passion of the population is not. Of course few support us!

Minister of State for Ethics and Integrity Nsaba Buturo. There are guys who sincerely believe that we kuchus are a threat to them. He is not acting on corruption. He is not acting on the thieves. But he feels strongly that it is a god given duty for him to stir up hatred against gay Ugandans. To block their very efforts to talk. To block the debate. As minister of information, he managed to gag the very independent minded government paper at that time. Now, he is targeting the independent media. He wants it stopped. We should not be given a forum. We should not talk. We should not be allowed. The only allowed message on the media should be about the evils of homosexuality! And he wants a Nigeria style law. Take away basic human rights from homosexual Ugandans. Make it a crime to write this blog.

And the media is hugely in the hands of the church. They own TV stations, and fm stations. And theirs is a message of hate. They have decided to target individuals. No, the discussion is not about the issues. But the individuals.
So, the Monitor Reporter is under attack. Because she reports objectively, thus promoting homosexuality. The activists are being haunted. The masks are being slipped off. And when known, the pastors are reading the names on the media. Gosh, how puny is our strength compared to them! They have everything!

Yesterday I went to see the guys. And gals. Brave they are. But it is taking its toll. In Kampala at the moment, being recognised as a trans is not a blessing. One gal was forced off a bus. They didnt want to travel with this abomination.
They are not sleeping well. They are moving from place to place.
And the gay community is also scared. Stop the campaign. It is blowing apart our closets!

True.

But it simply has to be done. The closets are killing us. We need to get out of them and realise that we are gay human beings, gay Ugandans. There is nothing like dying in silence. We shall raise the brouhaha.

And more. Now we turn to HIV.

How it feels; Coming Out

Well, so this is how it feels being under pressure of outing? A funny feeling in my stomach. The head seems to be overly active. I am finding it a problem to convince myself to get out of the house. I am wondering who has heard it now. Or when the ones I see will hear of it. And I am kind of impatient. Why is it that my mind is so consumed by my possible outing but everyone else seems not to have an idea of what is going on with me? I mean, the whole world should be a storm now, if I go by what is happening in my mind!

Its good that the world is not like that.

The religious leaders were shocked at the press conference. One of the Moslem ones decreed we (kuchus) should be killed. That the Quaran says so. And the Christian ones weighed in with their own condemnation of the abomination of homosexuality. Only the Pentecostals missed an easy quote. But maybe the quote from Pastor Ssempa was unprintable! And the good Minister for Ethics and Integrity, the homophobe Nsaba-Buturo wondered how come this was allowed to happen. I have a feeling that it caught them flat footed. They just did not think that gay Ugandans would be coming out at this moment in time. I think the ethics minister would have wanted the police to stop the press conference. Come to think of it, it took place about a km from the Central Police Station in Kampala! He is supposed to meet the Minister of Internal Affairs (in charge of police) for urgent consultations.

The Inspector General of Police was more cautious.

And on the personal front, a sister wanted to know whether that was me in the papers. Guess the process of coming out is going apace. In the nervous mood that I am in, when my dad gave me the cold shoulder yesterday I thought it was because of the news that was consuming my consciousness! Later I settled down. It was a different matter. Of course he will get to know, sooner or later. But don’t I hope it is much, much later!!!!!!

Why don’t they leave us in peace?

GayUganda