Ugandan Activists' thoughts and fears

One thing that has not been getting out in the international media has been the reaction of the Ugandan LGBTI themselves. Hey, we are not all that literate. We cannot speak in the country itself. And, apart from me shouting on this blog... There are precious few people saying what we think and fear of this bill. (text here)

In the Advocate is this story. An uncertain future for gay Uganda activists. (We are pretty sure this bill is aimed at us, after all, us as in the activists.)

“Who would want to live in a place where everyone hates you?” Frank Mugisha, the chairman of Sexual Minorities Uganda, asked me recently over the phone. “Who wants to live in a place where you cannot easily do your shopping? Where you think, Am I going to survive today? Am I going to get arrested today? Or beaten? Who wants to live in a place where your friends have alienated you? Who wants to live such a life?”

But in spite of the police harassment, the attacks from local media (he was identified in a Ugandan tabloid as a “Top Homo”), the death threats on his mobile phone, and the attempted blackmail, Mugisha and other activists are determined to stay and work for change in a country where the already criminalized gay population is being threatened.

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Mugisha’s resolve is astounding, given one simple fact: “I could be the first person to be sentenced to life in prison if this law is passed.” He added calmly, “Uganda has some of the worst prisons in the world.” 

And, another

Another person who, while frightened of what the law will do to the country, refuses to be intimidated we’ll call John (not his real name), a physician who also works for an international HIV/AIDS organization. “If the bill passes,” he said, “I will be supposed to do things that I, frankly, will not do. Damn the bill! I will be supposed to report any person who comes to me and tells me about homosexual contact within 24 hours on pain of a fine and three years in prison myself.”

John is equally indignant with the bill’s potentially devastating effects on HIV prevention and services. 

“The doctors’ consultation room will become a trap,” he said. “Instead of a place where a gay person — or any patient — can get treatment.” There is little available information in the country about how gay men can protect themselves from HIV. Even though he is a doctor, John received no training about the health needs of gay people. What he knows has come solely from the Internet. “Giving out water-based lubricant will be criminal, as it could be seen as 'promotion of homosexuality.’ How will it be possible then, to tackle HIV prevention amongst gay men?

“Oh, I had forgotten,” he said with a grim laugh. “They will all be in prison, or on death row.” 

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“‘Family values’ is an American concept,” John said. “It is distinctly not Ugandan. According to my upbringing, I am supposed to protect my brothers and sisters with my life. When [Anti-Homosexuality Bill author] David Bahati was asked on the radio whether he would report to the police a brother who was homosexual, he said he would arrest him himself and take him to the police, even though he knew that his brother would be convicted to life imprisonment or death by hanging. My idea of family values is to protect my brothers with my life. The claims that this terrible bill protects ‘family values’ are laughable.” 

That bill, (text here) is horrible. It is horrible. When sops like taking out the death penalty are offered, like here, I just get angry. Why should I go to prison for loving my lover? Why should I live under the threat of life imprisonment just because I am gay?

"The death penalty is likely to be removed," said James Nsaba Buturo, Uganda's minister of state for ethics and integrity. "The president doesn't believe in killing gays. I also don't believe in it. I think gays can be counselled and they stop the bad habit."

Ruling party spokeswoman Mary Karoro Okurut said she also agrees with the president that some punishments in the bill should be dropped. But she said she will still push for a modified version of the bill when it comes to parliament in late February or early March.

"Although the president is against some parts of the bill, the bill has to stay," she said. "(Homosexuality) is not allowed in African culture. We have to protect the children in schools who are being recruited into homosexual activities." 

And, it is all in support of something, some rumours that are ongoing, that have not been proved. That I am supposed to be 'recruiting' school children. Rumours, false stories, unproved allegations. That is what is behind this bill, the threat to my life and liberty.
I like the fact that the Monitor in Uganda is insisting on asking David Bahati for his 'proof' of our 'recruitment'. Simply put, George Oundo and Paul Kagaba are not enough. Nor are they credible.

 Mr Bahati denies being in a hate campaign, although he has failed to provide evidence to back claims that European gays are recruiting in Ugandan schools.

What do we want? WE WANT THE BILL WITHDRAWN. Sops and mollifications of taking away the death penalty still leave a stupid piece of legislation which puts us in prison for nothing other than us being ourselves.


I agree with Truth Wins Out here.

“The idea that homosexuality can be prohibited in Africa is as absurd and unrealistic as banning oxygen,” said TWO’s Besen. “Gay people are not a threat to children. We do not recruit them. It is clear that the Ugandan government is awash in ignorance and trying to legislate based on false stereotypes and misinformation. Unfortunately, American evangelicals and ex-gay organizations are responsible for spreading these lies and propaganda in Africa.”

 Funny as it may seem, the thought of asylum does not appeal so much. Of course, we have made, and are making contingency plans. That is a necessity. But, it does not appeal. Some friends are putting pressure on their governments to help. Indeed, they are responding, in more than one way. But, asylum is not the option that we think of it. How many of us can afford to leave family and friends? And, how many of us will be allowed out? How many have passports at the moment, to travel? Travel plans, money for tickets, etc etc. Too many questions. Queerty asks, Will the US give us asylum? We do hope so. Grimly.


Someone, writing about 'defilement' and the Bahati Bill in Uganda has a very thoughtful assesment. The whole article is very absorbing. Well written, but, I will pick this out.

This “breakdown of the family” and the fear it has engendered in Ugandans is one of the major pillars of Bahati and company’s arguments for further marginalising and criminalising Uganda’s gay community. This sentiment was echoed by Topher Mugumya, then-programme coordinator for research, information and advocacy at the ANPPCAN Uganda Chapter, who noted in 2007 that the widespread myth that having sex with a young child can “cleanse” one of HIV had led to a spike in child rape by HIV-positive men. This blanket statement, without any substantial qualification, is all that supporters of the anti-gay bill need to further stoke the fire. A quick glance at comments on Andrew Mwenda’s November 10th op-ed piece in this magazine shows just how many visceral, fear-driven reactions there are.

Instead of a nuanced and intelligent debate about the legality and ethicality of such a bill, the discourse revolves around a sinister cabal of homosexuals fiendishly preying upon innocent school children. Perversely, this renders the two terms synonymous, thus permitting proponents of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill to stifle opposition by calling any supporter a homosexual and thus invariably a defiler of small children. Even though the Penal Code Act already includes provisions which criminalise rape and defilement, Pastor Martin Ssempa can still vehemently argue that, “For too long we have had a problem that boys are raped and sodomised in school settings. Now when we deal with aggravated homosexuality, we are trying to provide equal protection before the law.”

 Unfortunately much of the debate over the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009 and the serious problem Uganda faces regarding child abuse seem to have become confused, allowing those like Ssempa to articulate that this deeply unfair bill is one that promotes equality.

That analysis is spot on. I mean, we gay Ugandans are a very convenient scape goat for what has been happening in the country. Most 'defilers' are heterosexual men having sex with girls who are minors. But, it is we homosexuals, men and women, who are taking the brunt of the assault. Because we are supposed to 'recruit'. Even without any evidence of that. Just rumours, and unsubstantiated allegations.


Here is a link which you should follow if you are interested in the Kabaka Mwanga the Second saga. Mwanga of the Uganda Martyrs. I wish I could get the dissertation itself. Apparently, it is there. I will ask one scholar about it... Not my strenght, that. But, you are very welcome to the links.


Now, I am posting this for the afternoon. So, hope your day is good.


Be good.




gug

Spin, done in Uganda

Hey, there was lots of noise, lots of signs of some sort of movement yesterday. In the evening hours... And, I was so confused I decided to wait for some clarity.

On WBS-TV, one of the headlines was that the government had disowned the 'Anti-Homosexuality' Bill. (Bill text here)Now, the Uganda government is very, very big. 70 plus ministers. Helps that they can say they said things that they deny, vehemently, having said later. No, I am not joking.

I am not talking of the NYTimes report. 

President Yoweri Museveni has told colleagues he believes the bill is too harsh and has encouraged his ruling National Resistance Movement Party to overturn the death sentence provision, which would apply to sexually active gays living with HIV or in cases of same-sex rape according to a copy of the draft law.

That, frankly, is old news. Maybe the NYT was trying to play catch up. Where they did go wrong was to say that SMUG had decided to support Museveni in the 2011 elections if this was true. Bullshit. We (LGBTI) are too much into Uganda's reality to support any political party. Even the party perpetually in government. Afterall, they are the ones who own this bill.

But, there was this interesting, new old tid bit.

A top minister suggested scrapping the death penalty in favor of counseling.

''The death penalty is likely to be removed,'' said James Nsaba Buturo, Uganda's minister of state for ethics and integrity. ''The president doesn't believe in killing gays. I also don't believe in it. I think gays can be counseled and they stop the bad habit.'' 

Ruling party spokeswoman Mary Karoro Okurut said she also agrees with the president that some punishments in the bill should be dropped. But she said she will still push for a modified version of the bill when it comes to parliament in late February or early March.

''Although the president is against some parts of the bill, the bill has to stay,'' she said. ''(Homosexuality) is not allowed in African culture. We have to protect the children in schools who are being recruited into homosexual activities.''

 What is new, isnt what is said, but who is being quoted as saying it. The President.

He is the dictator of Uganda. In virtual fact, if you blow off the flimsy trappings of democracy on our institutions. So, since he is said to have spoken, (like THE Emperor, he speaks through third and fourth parties,) then I can surmise that the pressure has gotten to the highest level of government. And, that they are thinking of 'some' kind of modification to the bill.

But, that is all government spin.

What was making all the noise in Uganda yesterday evening was the report that the government was disowning the bill. But, again, take that with a pinch of salt. In the NYT, the government was modifying the bill. In the Daily Monitor today, as reported, the government is doing something else.

Under the headline, 'Govt could stop Gay Bill, Minister' is the story, from which I pick this extract.

The State Minister for Investments, Mr Aston Kajara, yesterday said the government was looking at the Bill with the possibility of withdrawing it. “The government’s official position is that we have enough laws to cover homosexuality acts,” Mr Kajara said. “Government did not sponsor this Bill. It is a private member’s Bill. The government is studying it and we may talk to the honourable Member of Parliament (David Bahati) to consider withdrawing it.”

Spin, spin, spin again. But, the underlying theme. There is some movement. In what direction, I am not sure. Some of this I have already seen, so, I am still watching the tea leaves, trying to figure out what figure comes out. I hope it is not the Grim!

I think the fact maybe that they are looking for a way out. The heat is a bit more than they expected.
Oh, that they own the bill is a fact. Bahati is a member of the ruling party, NRM. And, he couldnt have tabled the bill before approval. From the very top of NRM. Museveni himself, and the cabinet. Poor guy, he is going to be the fall guy. I better not fall into the trap of having pity for enemies before they fail to rise from where they fall.
And, the number of times that Minister Nsaba-Buturo has 'owned' the bill as the government's own are innumerable to count. All government spin. Maybe I should have up a post saying, 'Debunking Lies; The Government does OWN the Bahati Bill.'


So, please, all out there, do one thing. Continue the heat. Because the battle is being fought in Public Opinion, and political circles OUTSIDE Uganda. Please continue the heat, the pressure on YOUR politicians.

Christians out there, your role is still big. This bill is in the Name of Christ. I do know that the government is feeling the pressure. But, it is important that the Christians in Uganda do not wield their mighty weight from the pulpit. Remember, since Christmas day, they have been preaching relentlessly against homosexuality, and overtly and covertly supporting the bill. That is a matter of fact.
And, they are continuing to do so, in the Churches in Uganda. I know, you may not believe it but, in Uganda, Christians have been led by their pastors and preachers, even the Imam's to believe that the holiest thing that they can do is to pass this bill.
Remember the New Years Day note from Pastor Joseph Sserwadda.

The Lord has constantly dealt with me to in the area of governance and national policy over some controversial issues and shown me that, for once, there is going to be a listening ear.

I implore the Parliament to listen to reason and pass the Anti-homosexual Bill with a slight revision on the capital punishment. While we wait, happy new year.

That, in summary is what Christians in Uganda feel. And, Pastor Martin Ssempa is willing to risk by showing massive support on Jan 19th in a demonstration of millions descending on Kampala the capital. It is being announced to the faithful in Christian Churches.

Oh, the battle is not yet over. Not at all.

I am not Christian. And, the Christians in Uganda are infuriating me with their decidedly anti-Christ-like behaviour. Very. So, I will just put in this jab. From SFGate

All of which makes it delightful -- in that nauseatingly familiar sort of way -- to read the story about the Northern California evangelicals whose repulsive views on homosexuality and "curing" gay people reportedly helped shape a new, violently anti-gay bill in Uganda. 

Did you see? The New York Times piece about how Ugandan officials took the American evangelicals' beliefs about the best ways to punish/reform "evil" gays to its natural conclusion, and decided, if all other forcible rehab options fail, it would be perfectly appropriate to simply exterminate the homosexuals?

I mean, why not? If it's certifiably evil, if you can't "cure" it, if it scares the livestock, transmits disease, preys upon young boys and makes the older men fantasize in dangerous and uneasy ways, if God (not really) said it was an abomination, what's the problem?

Of course, the radical evangelicals in question were -- or at least pretended to be -- horrified at this practical summation of their views, immediately wrote panicky letters to Ugandan officials to correct their unfortunate "misinterpretation," as damn well they should have.

"No, no, no!" they sort of said. "We didn't mean actually kill them. That would be wrong. We simply meant gently, lovingly rehabilitate. You know: drugs, imprisonment, maybe some beatings, public humiliation, brainwashing, genital torture, electroshock therapy like the Mormons used to do.

"Barring that, just do what we do in America: psychological torment in the form of relentless, crushing guilt. This will make the evil gay feel so suicidally depressed about his perfectly natural desires, his body, his emotions, who he is as a living soul on this planet, he's bound to come around. See, like most major religions of the world, we work to shame the sinner so horribly that if he doesn't kill himself, you'll end up with a fine, completely numb soldier of Christ! But don't actually kill them. Heavens!"

Ugandan officials, apparently a bit confused about just how this crazy evangelical thing works, agreed to re-draft the bill and take out the killing stuff. "You extremist Christians are so weird," they seemed to say, rolling their eyes.

Yes, the humour is decidedly cutting. Very.

But, the point is, Christian friends, YOU HAVE TO STAND UP AND OWN UP, to the compassion of Christ. In my view, radicals and extremists are showing us the worst kind of Christian witness that there is. So, I implore you, ask your brothers and sisters in Uganda to stop throwing stones.

For my government, they are acting stupid, so, I will have the pleasure of pointing that out. Yes, we Ugandans are acting stupid. No two ways about it.

My lover is complaining that I am spending too much time on this bill thing. So, I will end this post here.

Have a great day.

gug

Uganda In the Foreign Press

It is kind of funny. We Ugandans are quite vain. We value the way Uganda is portrayed in the eyes of the world. Even the government is not immune to that.
I think it comes from the days of Idi Amin, CBE (Conqueror of the British Empire). It is no joke to most Ugandans. We got tired of being the imbeciles of Africa. So, when the government gets good foreign press, most Ugandans, even those who dont support it, give grudging approval. Patriotic. And, a headline story like this in the Daily Monitor (of course, the New Vision is these days producing rubbish only, no news- govt mouthpiece, tamed), When the Monitor has a headline like this, it makes some of them sit back and ask, whatever happened to us?

Foreign press hits Uganda over gays

By Rodney Muhumuza

In a reversal of the favourable publicity that peaked during the 2007 Commonwealth summit in Kampala, Uganda is now taking a beating in the foreign press.

The litany of condemnations, in the US or elsewhere in Africa, translates into a battering that is inspired by the proposed anti-homosexuality law. In some cases, the articles recall the insane days of Idi Amin, whose alleged shenanigans continue to define Uganda among foreigners who have never been here, while many express outrage over the idea behind such a piece of legislation.

 Hey, I am not immune to that. Gay as I am..! I am Ugandan! So, it concerns me, though I am working to see that the story does get out.

No shitting. We deserve it for our stupidity, and if this helps wake us up, so be it.

Know what Ssempa will say? The foreign press is controlled by the gay agenda. All the other Christian leaders who condemned the anti-homosexuality bill, (text here) were labelled collaborators with the Homosexual International. Including Ssentamu of York, Rick Warren and others.

Tacked into the end of the story is the presumed reaction by the government. The Honourable Minister Oryem gives a characteristic answer of disdain.

Mr Henry Oryem, the minister of state for international affairs, yesterday said the government was not bothered by the criticism. “Homosexuality is not a priority for the people or the government of Uganda,” he said.

Indeed? I would have been suprised! With the demonstrations, the government statements not to 'bend over', the promises to show our public disdain and go ahead and kill our homosexuals. And all the other things....!

That retort is curious. If the bill is not so important, let us throw it out, shall we?

That article was talking about this editorial from the New York Times. They had not yet seen this one from the Washington Post.

THE ANTI-HOMOSEXUALITY Bill of 2009 is an ugly and ignorant piece of legislation being considered in Uganda. If it is approved, the gay people of that nation would be subject to life in prison. This retreat from the death sentence originally proposed should neither be celebrated nor considered a concession by the government in response to pressure from the United States and other nations. The proposal is barbaric. That it is even being considered puts Uganda beyond the pale of civilized nations.

The nine-page bill, which says that "homosexual behavior and related practices" are a "threat to the traditional family," is an offense from beginning to end. The framers say it is needed to "protect" the country from those "seeking to impose their values of sexual promiscuity on the people of Uganda." They say the bill is also needed because children and youth "are made vulnerable to sexual abuse and deviation. . . ." Among the corrupting influences are "uncensored technologies" and "increasing attempts by homosexuals to raise children. . . ."

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The legislation talks about the "cherished culture" of Uganda and its "legal, religious, and traditional family values." We respect a nation's right to defend its culture and values. But sentencing men and women to life imprisonment because of their sexual orientation is an atrocity. Gays and lesbians would be punished by their own government for who they are. Contrary to the backward thinking of the Ugandan government, being gay is not a choice. But pushing homophobic laws that foment hate is.

The United States and other nations have urged officials to shelve the bill. So far, their entreaties have fallen on deaf ears……

I can feel the anger, the sheer disbelief behind the words. By contrast, the NYT editorial was mild. It was titled Hate begets hate. This is a rough, ugly indictment. Exactly the kind of language my country mates understand.
Hey, guess what, if this was in Uganda, the WP would be shut down for the next week or so, as the government questioned management about what they have written in their esteemed paper. Thanks, WaPo!

In Uganda, Andrew Mwenda laments the donor blackmail about gays. I would lament it, but, I am a gay Ugandan. The bill will first be withdrawn before I lament the, err, blackmail. To fellow Ugandans, we have to behave like a mature nation, we have responsibilities to OUR citizens. However bad we think they are. We dont have the right to legislate a genocide, simply because we think some people 'evil'. If the world condemns us for being stupid, well, better stomach that and get on with life. Stupidity is NOT helped by denial of the facts, like Nsaba Buturo, Ssempa and Bahati have been doing. Own up, bow your head, ask for forgiveness of your peers. Then we can move on.

Of course, by the time it got to the mainstream media, the blogosphere was almost saturated. But not quite. New revelations everyday. New things turning up. This was the story of 2009. For 2010, it just wont die. Have you watched the video of Scott Lively in Uganda? You will see what a darling man he is. How Christian is his love of homosexuals, and his campaign for this issue. He says he is not gay, like Ssempa, but, he is the world's self confessed foremost expert on gay issues and the gay agenda. I urge you, do watch that first video. Other parts of cyber are also waking up to the story. Here is POZ news. A story worth being aware of.

Here is a bit of analysis examining the Anti-Homosexual bill that I would like to share.

This law wouldn’t be anything new in the world: there are many other countries that still have draconian laws on the books. Most gays arrested in Saudi Arabia escape the death penalty and receive “only” a whipping. Iran has executed more than 100 alleged homosexuals since 1979. India last year finally took British-era laws off the books, opening the door for possible civil unions or marriage.

But Uganda’s proposed law is different in two ways:

It’s new.

It’s Christian.

What a damning indictment. It is new. It is Christian.
And, Christians in Uganda are very, very fervently pushing for it. Yes, they are. Want to read through Ssempa's Letter to Rick Warren? The law is new. It is Christian.

The letters of condemnation and non-support of the bill continue to pour in. Members of Congress from the US, the despicable Richard Cohen, the one who wanted to heal me on the BBC. Correction. He wanted to me to buy into the nivarna of healing for my homosexuality.
The man is a quack. A true quack. What matters to him is self promotion. The making of money. Forget the misery that he leaves at his back. He is a true Ugandan witchdoctor, a self promoting quack who will use each and every opportunity to try and paint himself in a good light! He opposes the bill. And then gives his option of getting the Uganda government to give him a contract for healing of Uganda's homosexuals. Hey, I am not English, nor is it my first language. A quack indeed.

More of Scott Lively's background is examined. And I ask myself, is this the guy who came and set off the 'gay nuclear bomb', the guy who spoke to the parliament of Uganda? A man as vile as this? Check out this guy from Oregon's account of Scott Lively's doing. Few people really like what he did. And, now that a video of the same is out, why, the self confessed world authority is receiving some world adulation.

I will end with this, from Truth Wins Out. Steps to a Genocide. It is blood chilling. I dont invite you to believe it. I just remind you that, just over the border in Rwanda, this thing happened, not so many years ago. This is real living history. Steps to a Genocide. It is sober reading. Of course it is slanted. I dont think there is any writing that is not. But, it is sober reading.

The world said, 'Never Again'? Well, the world needs to listen.

Have a good day.

gug

The Light of Day

The light of day does disperse darkness. Martin Ssempa, Minister Nsaba-Buturo have for a long time been saying things about us gay people in Uganda. They go outside the country, and they are all sweetness and honey.

But, inside the country, their venom and malice against gay Ugandans spills over.

We think of these things they say as ‘normal’. Homosexuals are immoral, evil, imported, foreign, etc etc. Ssempa regularly spits. Yes, you have got me right. He SPITS on television, showing his disgust for homosexuals and homosexuality.

But his friends are not amused by his venom.

Remember, these people are actually Christians. Ssempa doesn’t associate with homosexuals outside the country. Not at all. Simply put, his Christian friends find him un-Christian in his behaviour at home, in Uganda. Remember the Rick Warren video? Or the text here. The bill, this bill here (text) is un-Christian. But Ssempa supports it with all his might. And, he wanted a biblical apology before 7 days were out. I dont know what happened when that didnt happen.

It is not new. It is just that, what he does at home cannot stand the light of day. Funny, what I am as a homosexual can stand the light of day.

Here is a statement from his friends at WAIT training. It is current.6 January 2010 

WAIT Training does not affiliate, endorse, associate or partner with anyone seeking to hurt or wound others. Our goals are to impart skills to help ALL individuals have healthy relationships, to LIVE WELL,  LOVE WELL and if they choose, to MARRY WELL.

Recent developments in Uganda and around the world associated with Martin Ssempa have caused us to sever all former associations with him.

We have requested he remove all wording on his web site that references our organization. If there are any questions about this, please call Joneen Mackenzie RN, President / Founder of WAIT Training at 720 488 8888 ext 201

Come to think of it, it is Christians in the US who are actually leading the backlash against Ssempa and friends.

I agree with this assessment from another blog. Gay America Blog.

Christianity needs to get back to serving the marginalized and out of the business of attempting to control others' sexual orientation.

See, I am no Christian. But, for some reason that eludes me, I still believe that, overall, human beings are good. Of course not when they are baying for my blood. But, they are good.

I actually like Nsaba-Buturo. The minister.

His venom, his rhetoric is heart felt. I have no reason to doubt that he hates me, and believes that I am evil. He doesn’t pull his words. Not with homosexuals. He is very, very candid. ‘There are no human rights for homosexuals”, ‘Homosexuals can forget about human rights”, "Killing them might not help,"

Minister Buturo’s priorities for the 2010 are very clear. He is going to fight homosexuality, ritual murderers and other evil doers. He appeals to the government to report homosexuals and murderers to the police. Here is the link.

He says the government wants to curb witchcraft, embezzlement, drug abuse, homosexuality and pornography in 2010.

Buturo says the government will support Parliament to pass tougher laws to curtail ritual murders and homosexuality.

Dr. Buturo in a statement today appealed to members of the public to report homosexuals and murderers to police.

Homosexuals. We are mentioned in the same breath as murderers. And, notice that we are mentioned all the time. We are the most clear and present danger.

Just saw a comment on Pam’s House blend. Someone says that, in spirit with the Ugandan law, we should have a death penalty for ‘aggravated stupidity’. 

I would have said amen to that, but, I was laughing too hard to type.

I don’t know how I feel about the aid lever.

Hell, I do know. Use it, please. I am ambivalent because I know it can hurt. Threats of sanctions should always be concrete. Applicable. Soft power needs to be able to turn into concrete action. I am sad that it has to occur on my behalf. Unlike Ssempa, I don’t believe that Ugandans people with HIV and women receiving desperately needed medical attention should rather die than Uganda be throttled in its ‘sovereign’ will to kill off some of its citizens. Because they are different. What I do know is that, it cannot stop here. Today, it will be homosexuals. Me, and others. Tomorrow, there will be another group. And, we ARE members of an international community. With duties and obligations to OUR citizens.

Now, I will have to find out how many of my friends, and people who know that I am gay are going to take to heart the New Year’s Resolution to report me to the police for my sexuality.

Surely!

gug

PS. The guys at Box Turtle Bulletin? They continue to have some very good intelligence out of Uganda. Want to know what the three musketeers were doing in Uganda? Here is the link. There is video, thank you very much. All so that you are not mistaken...! I mean, make up your mind about the Third day of the Anti-Gay crusade, when Scott Lively was talking. The images have been preserved, for your assesment.

A Good morning

Grey morning.

I am told that to the east of Kampala, there is no rain. Sun, in abundance. But, in Kampala, the days, the mornings dawn grey.

Not the dull grey of depression-, it is just a variant of the beauty of the day. Later, the sun will be out, and it will be hot. And bright, and clear.

Yesterday was a busy day. Not in that I accomplished much, but in that I was happy to do what I could.

There was one sour note to it. Before I went to bed, I got the chance to throw my voice again at the waves. As gayuganda, of course.

BBC. Don’t remember the programe. Was on with Richard Cohen, the prophet that Stephen Langa represents in Uganda.

Bad introduction?

Richard Cohen is the founder of International Healing Ministries. They heal away the gay…! He is the one who got the invitation from Stephen Langa to come to Uganda. And, he passed it on to his minister, Caleb Bundr…

And, it is his books that have been used, and are still being used in Uganda for the anti-gay crusade.

Oh, I am not kidding you. Stephen Langa holds Richard Cohen as a shining example of how homosexuality can be healed. His books are the bible of the cure. They are selling like hot cake at Langa’s anti-homosexuality seminars and crusades. I am not kidding you.

Biggest problem. Richard Cohen is a fraud.

Simply put, he is no scientist. He is a very big fraud. And, he has been discredited multiple times in his own country, the US. But, in Uganda, he is a prophet. The Prophet.

On the BBC, he wanted to heal me.

I, errrr. I exploded. Don’t think I was coherent, or made much sense. Don’t think I drove home the points that I wanted to. Don’t think I connected. There was too little time, I was too angry, too disgusted that this guy was offering me a nivarna that I knew to be as false as the witches coven that Ssempa believes is at the bottom of Lake Victoria.

His are the words, the ideals, the prophesies which my countrymen have seized upon to ‘wipe homosexuality out of Uganda.’ He is a fraud bent on selling his books, which are demonstrably false.

Hey, if you don’t believe me, check out the video of his show down on the Rachel Maddow Show on MSBC in the US. He is a fraud, plain and simple. Check those videos. They are two, and they are instructive. One, two.

It was a few minutes when I was frothing at the mouth…!

Later, the kind lady presenter told me it was great. Of course she was being kind. [Shake of the head], why do people believe that their feelings about my sexuality transcend my feelings about my sexuality, above my life? Why do they insist on changing me, even at the threat of death or imprisonment?

Point is, I have been through the hell they offer as heaven. Been there. Done that. I have the scars to prove it.

Different cultures? Maybe they don’t understand me. Maybe they don’t understand the livid, vivid pain that they cause me?

I am not sure.

All I know is that I heard one of the prophets of the projected Uganda free of homosexuality. And, I saw red at the arrogance that I imagined in him. But then, I might be mistaken.

Spent a restive night. Woken up to a fresh, crisp, grey day. And I feel good.

Hope the day is good to you.

gug

Hypocrites

Hey, I had to post this. With my comments.

Remember, I asked whether I was too angry... Long time ago, (it seems), I was spilling bile all over my posts here. I was really feeling bad. Hey, those days, my pain had no outlet but the blog. So, Princess, dear lil sis of mine who never visits these days, took me to task. That, I was whining, and whinging. That things were not as bad as I put them to be, that I was so full of self pity. She was joined by Spiralx [glare]

Hey, maybe I was. Full of self pity that is. [sighhhhhhh], she can be tough, lil sis there.

Anyway, I, errr, moderated. And did find that I didnt have to be that bitter. (Just wonder what would have happened if the bill (text here)had come out at that time! The bile on this blog would have chased away most...!) Anyway, when the bill came out, I told her that the gloves were off. She took back her words. Told me that she had not realised that things were that bad....! Hey, seems that our conversations on this were years ago.

One thing that used to irk me was the hypocrisy of people. Now, I find someone who is actually as incensed as I used to be. From Times on line.

The anti-sex brigade are the worst of hypocrites

Those who want to police the behaviour of women and gays do not really have faith in their traditional vision of sexuality

David Aaronovitch

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Diligent readers of yesterday’s Times will have come across the report about the imprisonment in Malawi of two men who had just become engaged. Tiwonge Chimbalanga — a transvestite — and Steven Monjeza, both in their early twenties, pledged themselves to each other in front of 500 witnesses, and then were carted off to jail, and may now face a sentence of 14 years.

The fate of the two men may have gained salience from recent events in Uganda. There the parliament has been considering a draft law, drawn up by a David Bahati, MP for West Kabale, entitled the Anti-Homosexuality Act, whose provisions aim to “prohibit any form of sexual relations between persons of the same sex”, with penalties including life imprisonment and — for “aggravated homosexuality” — the death penalty.

One can only marvel at the Bill’s more comprehensive provisions, such as the one defining that a “ ‘sexual act’ ... may include the touching of another’s breast, vagina, penis or anus . . .” and that “ ‘touching’ includes touching — (a) with any part of the body; (b) with anything else; (c) through anything . . .” 

 ---

But I found myself wondering whether “conservatism” really accounted for the sense of hysteria and imagined threat that seems to animate those who describe themselves, in whatever country, as moral traditionalists. Is what they represent an antagonism to harmful change (in which case they would, always, have a point) or something else altogether?

Let’s start this line of inquiry by asking a simple question. Besides Messrs Chimbalanga, Monjeza and perhaps a few of their friends, are there no gays in Malawi or Uganda and have there been none, in any significant sense, throughout African history? Is it just now, as a product of globalisation, that homosexual Malawians and Ugandans have been brought into existence? It seems unlikely. 

Uhhh! Maybe I should have called this 'Debunking Lies'. For, indeed, Messrs Ssempa, Langa, Nsaba-Buturo, etc are very keen to kill us because we are 'importing' a foreign behaviour, and 'corrupting innocent Africans...!

And, of course, I have to confirm that I and my partner are gay, and Ugandan. African. Hey, my dad used to impress me to cram the names of my forefathers, back when I was young. 7 generations of males. And, they were all African men...! I know, I am African... ha ha ha ha! And, I am gay.

But let us continue with David Aaronovitch

It seems most likely that there are millions of gay Africans pretending to be something else, or else who are tolerated as shamans, or who themselves persecute overtly gay brothers and sisters the better to escape detection. (Of course, like gayuganda here...!)

We are talking here about sexual hypocrisy. The New York Times yesterday revealed that a recent conference in Uganda that prepared the ground for Mr Bahati’s Bill was addressed by a trio of sexually conservative American evangelicals. According to one of the organisers, their theme was “the gay agenda — that whole hidden and dark agenda”. (Ah, quoting the esteemed Stephen Langa. You tube videos of the same are available!)

The conservative evangelical movement in America is famous for many things, and its many sexual scandals are one of its most celebrated products. Take Pastor Ted, as Colorado Springs preacher and leader of the National Association of Evangelicals, Ted Haggard, was known. For years it was all morality and family with Ted until a rent boy called Mike Jones disclosed Pastor Ted’s taste for gay sex laced with methamphetamine. It wasn’t true, said Ted. Then, yes, the bit about drugs was true, but not the gay sex. And then, finally, the gay stuff was true too.

Hypocrite, I crow...! Hypocrites. What of the Senator something 'I am not gay'? Craig or something...

What else but hypocrisy and denial fuelled the toleration of priestly sexual abuse in the Catholic churches in Ireland and America? And what else could one expect of an institution that demanded (not recommended) celibacy and condemned masturbation as a sin? 

----

When you hear someone say “our women are our jewels” you are almost certainly listening to a liar. 

 I love this kind of rant. Truly!!!!

None of this is unfamilar to any Westerner with a sense of history. St Augustine wrote that “whether it is in a wife or a mother, it is still Eve the temptress that we must beware of in any woman” and St Thomas Aquinas considered woman to be “defective and misbegotten”. Yet both partook. And in a low-key way it still survives, this drive towards the internal lie.

Yes, yes, Remind them!

Back to Africa to pull this together. Mr Buhati’s Bill says that it wants to “protect the cherished culture of the people of Uganda ... [and the] legal, religious, and traditional family values of the people of Uganda” from homosexuals. In other words, the structures and sexual mores that he considers to be so loved and natural are simultaneously so incredibly fragile that they must be protected, on pain of death, from even the example of other ways of having sex. 

Forgive my triple emphasis. Seems necessary. Call the liars what they are. Liars and hypocrites! Of course they will not listen. The log in the eye blinds them to everything but the twig in MY eye. But, what a sense of satisfaction I get!

The sexual conservative’s true hypocrisy is that he doesn’t really believe in his own idealisation. Men will be inflamed by the sight of hair, women will bear other men’s children at the fall of a veil, boys will suddenly cast off the tedious ways of heterosexuality and put on the gaudy garb of gayness. In truth, sexual conservatives wants to make everyone else pay for their own dark thoughts. 

Ahem.

Now, to the grand conclusion, which he made the Title...!

The anti-sex brigade are the worst of hypocrites

Uh, indeed, they are...!

Thanks David!


gug

A Nuclear Bomb.

When Scott Lively came back from Uganda in March 2009, he wrote this on his website. 

“On the positive side, my host and ministry partner in Kampala, Stephen Langa, was overjoyed with the results of our efforts and predicted confidently that the coming weeks would see significant improvement in the moral climate of the nation, and a massive increase in pro-family activism in every social sphere. He said that a respected observer of society in Kampala had told him that our campaign was like a nuclear bomb against the "gay" agenda in Uganda. I pray that this, and the predictions, are true.”

Scott Lively’s prayers were answered. Within a month of his return to his country, back in Uganda, a legislator named David Bahati had drawn up a ‘nice piece of legislation’ (his words) with the bold intention to ‘wipe out homosexuality from Uganda’ The text of that legislation is here. 

It is truly a nuclear bomb. To do what Hitler tried to do. Wipe out homosexuality. For the homosexual Uganda who is arrested, charged and convicted, there are only two possibilities. Life imprisonment, or death. Once, the Mufti, leader of Muslims in Uganda suggested marooning all Uganda’s homosexuals on an island in Lake Victoria till we had died out naturally. Since we don’t reproduce. The good Christians of Uganda had a better idea. This bill.

I would feel sorry for Lively, except for the fact that his prayers are actually being answered in full. And, he is reaping exactly what he sowed.

He feels he was duped? No. He wasn’t duped. He is reaping exactly what he sowed. A whirlwind that is affecting him. 

Lively is practicing, for lack of a more appropriate term, "pink-baiting" and I  wonder just how many other countries he has gone to spouting his mess.

It's relatively easy to do. Just pad up the  prospective country as a bastion of morality, throw out some allusions about the gay menace, sprinkle a little lie here and there of gays "recruiting" children (or raping children, whichever would scare people more) and what you have is a moral panic that only serves to enhance the reputation of the person spewing the lies.

The scariest thing is that while, in spite his claim in November about the new hate crimes legislation, Lively is relatively safe to spout his nonsense, those who have to deal with the repercussions of his lies aren't so lucky.

And, he is unrepentant. Just check this comment here. 

One silver lining I see to this is that there is an ongoing honest examination of the anti-gay rhetoric in America. Because it is where this came from. It is the root of this genocidal bill. And, my poor countrymates believe the ‘threat to the family’ which in America is taken as mere political talk. Yes, it is good that that kind of hate speech is coming under the microscope. The New York Jewish Week takes a hard look here.

Uganda is taking another beating in the international press. Rightfully so. I think that ‘stupid is as stupid does’ [was that Forrest Gump…?], and, I am ready to admit that we are being stupid.

Ha!

I am Ugandan. I reserve for myself the right to say that of MY country.

In Uganda, we don’t like to be reminded of Amin’s buffoonery. But, that is what is happening. And, the current president, a man who came in power, (by the gun of course) determined to rid the country of the stupid label after the days of political buffoonery, to be compared to Idi Amin Dada, CBE (Conqueror of the British Empire), that might be the ultimate straw. Wish I could whisper it in his ear. But that is something that might be paid for in my blood. Here is the article.

To many non-Ugandans, Uganda conjures up two sustaining images; One, a small, beautiful, landlocked east African nation, once called the “Pearl of Africa” by her British colonizers. The other, a country ruled by African strongman Idi Amin, recently immortalized by the 2006 Oscar-winning performance of Forest Whitaker in, “The Last King of Scotland.”

A new image could be emerging for Uganda. One that would eclipse any other notion and one that Ugandans are hotly debating: one of the few countries in the world to implement the death penalty for gays and lesbians.

That article is worth reading.

I love this quote, which is repeated on another blog. These are the words of our leaders. Notice, one is one of the leaders of the opposition in Uganda’s parliament. Another is the estimable Minister of Ethics and Integrity. The one who says, ‘Killing them (gays) may not be ok.’

Gettleman quotes a member of parliament, Kassiano E. Wadri, who says that he detests gays and when he encounters a gay person, he thinks, “You need to break him.” Wadri’s sentiments are echoed by Uganda’s minister of ethics and integrity, James Nsaba Buturo, whom Gettleman quotes in yesterday’s article. Buturo’s stance on gay human beings and human rights: “Homosexuals can forget about human rights.”

Sadly, killing us gay Ugandans, breaking us, exiling us, marooning us on an island in the lake. Those are sentiments which fellow Ugandans express, right in our faces. They don’t know us. But, they are very willing to say they will kill us, right in our faces.

It is sad. But, has the world really waken up to the seeds of this kind of vile hate speech? 

Indeed, Hate begets Hate. As the NYT follows up in an editorial. 

“You cant preach hate and not accept responsibility for the way that hate is manifested.”

I like this summary, more because it doesn’t absolve my countrymates of their responsibilities to logic and thought. Yes, the Americans are culpable, because of their stupidity. But, the Ugandans are also culpable. Because of their continuing stupidity.

Set the fire they can't quench. And, at best, their defense is: "We didn't know!" At best, they were totally ignorant of the culture, and just saw speaking in Uganda as another opportunity to make money and get notoriety back home. I mean, hey—it's not like they wanted anyone killed; they just wanted to be able to crow to the rubes back home about what great anti-gay missionaries they are and justify holding out the coffers once more. "Your dollars will help stop the gay agenda in its tracks all over the world!" But they didn't want anyone dead. Heavens, no! Geez, we didn't expect the Ugandans to take us so seriously.

At best, they colluded with murderous bigots because they were too uninformed, cavalier, daft, hasty, greedy, eager, selfish, irresponsible, ignorant. Too something to understand what the fuck they were doing.

At worst, they colluded with murderous bigots because deep in their hard, dark little hearts, in places they never reveal in press releases, they don't much care if gay people die, as long as their names aren't anywhere near the death warrant.

And it is still good to examine Uganda in a broader context. Whither the Christian faith? What trends. Get that thoughtful opinion here. Of course, Christian scholars will be studying this for years to come, I think. Glad to know I am living history. But, I really hate being in the middle of it! 

Andrew Sullivan calls it ‘American Christianism’. It is too long that this has not been examined, been under the radar. I looked at the whole Anglican Schism thing as the South Bullying the North. I was amused. But this doesn’t amuse me. Not least because I am at the wrong end of the sword.

Someone reminds me that I have not yet got the 20 Million USD that Minister Nsaba-Buturo promised was on its way….! Yes, it hasn’t yet arrived. Am still waiting, Buturo. And, the holiday season is over. Waiting, waiting…! 

Well, I have to go check with my bank manager about some money which hasn’t yet graced my account.

A new day, a new year….

Have a great day. Let us see what this day will bring.

gug