If U.S. evangelicals don’t denounce the new law, then they share responsibility for the evil committed.
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Anyone who saw the movie "The Last King of Scotland" knows at least a little about Uganda, or more specifically, it’s former dictator, Idi Amin.
Amin was capricious, brutal and staunchly militaristic and feared by his supporters and detractors alike. Rumors about Amin abound, including stories of cannibalism, so it’s no surprise his record on human rights was somewhat lacking.
But Amin is long gone now, and Uganda seemed to be on a bumpy road to better days. But not for gay men.
Current President Yoweri Museveni has been arguably better than Amin. But he is still no friend of gays. In fact, a pending law titled the "Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2009" has chilling provisions.
Current law in Uganda makes homosexuality a crime punishable by life in prison. The new law goes a step further: All HIV-positive gay men are condemned to death.
Gay men who have been accused as "repeat offenders" are punished by death. Anyone who knows a gay man but fails to report him to the government can be imprisoned for three years. The same penalty is indicated for people knowing transgendered people, lesbians or bisexuals and not informing the government. I can safely say Uganda will not be in the "Damron’s Guide" anytime soon. But there are larger issues.
Our government, in response to this and other human rights abuses has told Uganda, "If adopted, a bill further criminalizing homosexuality would constitute a significant step backwards for the protection of human rights in Uganda. We urge states to take all necessary measures to ensure that sexual orientation or gender identity may under no circumstances be the basis for criminal penalties, in particular executions, arrests, or detention."
To which Uganda’s Ethics Minister James Buturo responded, "They have come to me in great numbers, and we are discussing it diplomatically, but we are also telling them to mind their own business."
I know many folks would be tempted to just walk away and shake their head saying, "Well, it’s Uganda’s problem."
But here is the catch. The guy who introduced that horrible law is sponsored and guided by American hands.
According to "The Family," a new book by Jeff Sharlet, the same folks pushing the Anti-Homosexuality Law also are members of the team organizing the Ugandan National Prayer Breakfast. That group gets money and guidance from powerful fundamentalists in the U.S.
Sound crazy? It does until you check out the connections between this group and foreign governments.
David Kuo, former special assistant in George W. Bush’s Office of Faith-Based Initiatives and a former member of The Family, says, "The reach into governments around the world is almost impossible to overstate or even grasp."
This group is also known as "The Fellowship," and several of its members have been involved in sex scandals in Washington, D.C., including the "C Street Center" residents Sen. John Ensign and Congressman Chip Pickering.
Author Sharlet, in an interview on NPR, summed up the activities of this allegedly Christian group with the following: "… the very people — America’s elected officials who believe in human rights — we would expect to pressure Uganda’s lawmakers not to make such a bill law are turning out to be its biggest supporters."
So what can we do?
First we can write our representatives and senators and suggest that trade with Uganda be halted. Currently we do approximately $141 million in two-way trade with the country.
Next, we can ask that our diplomatic relations with this country be suspended as a signal that we mean business.
What the Ugandan government is proposing is effectively genocide for LGBT people in their country. They seek to destroy or imprison all LGBT people and their friends and relatives.
This is not only unacceptable, but inhumane, and so we must also demand that our spiritual leaders condemn this activity as well.
And that brings me to Pastor Rick Warren. You remember him? The homophobic guy who gave the invocation at the inaugural?
He was asked point-blank on "Meet the Press" if he condemned the Ugandan law and he replied, "As a pastor, my job is to encourage, to support. I never take sides."
Of course, he has encouraged Ugandan pastor Martin Ssempa, who is one of the endorsers of the Anti-Homosexual law by having him as a guest speaker at his church!
If I sound like I am upset, it’s because I am. What upsets me most is that our country’s leaders, both spiritual and governmental, have not spoken out. It seems obvious that they will not speak out, either, unless we encourage them to.
"Drat! You mean we are going to have to write or call politicians and other leaders and actually demand that they do this?"
You betcha!
I ask the rhetorical question: If not now, then when? If not us, then who?
That question was asked by Rabbi Hillel almost 20 centuries ago when he said, "If I am not for myself, who is for me? If I care only for myself, what am I? If not now, when?"
It’s a question we should ask ourselves on a regular basis.
Hardy Haberman is a longtime local LGBT activist. His blog is at https://dungeondiary.blogspot.com.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition December 4, 2009.
The sad thing about this topic is that genocide of LGBTs has been going on in Iran, Iraq and other Muslim dominated countries, yet not a word from the LGBT media. But when the evangelicals make such noise the LGBT community starts to take notice. Selective politicization of murder appears evident and is unacceptable. It is not just Uganda.
Hi there. Am a Ugandan who lives in Uganda and, frankly, this article is full of bull. To begin with, the bill is what it is, a BILL. A private member’s bill to be exact.
Uganda is a democratic country. The bill won’t become an act before significant changes are made to it. Personally I don’t think the death sentence will apply for any of the offences. Parliament is debating the bill. You can have a look at the hansard’s on the day the bill was presented here:
https://wthrockmorton.com/initial-parliamentary-discussion-about-ugandas-anti-homosexuality-bill-2009/
If I may ask, since when did one country try to influence the outcome of a bill of another country.
Finally to the author, you are no different from the evangelicals you so demonise. Using Idi Amin to create an atmosphere that manipulates your readers. It’s called scare mongering.
But I wouldn’t expect anything more from someone trying to justify anal sex between two men. And for the record, the bill is going to to passed. If you care about your fellow homosexuals (I cannot sugar-coat your condition by calling you ‘gay’)engage in some activism to cause your government to give homosexuals in Uganda one way tickets to your capitals. Yack….
It’s a deal Spartan- you send your gays here, and we’ll stop sending you foreign aid and buying your exports.
Ugandans, a majority of whom have completed less than four years of schooling, clearly know better than we do.
Have fun in your next famine!
Just how much do you think you give us in aid. It’s official – the government is not interested in any aid with gay strings attached. Plus, you guys are now competing with China to give us aid.
Uganda is the food basket of East Africa, in case you do not know.
As for the you not buying our exports, which will soon include oil, I beg to differ. You would gladly buy oil from Satan himself.
Any aid cuts to Uganda over the bill will not deter MPs from passing the bill into law.
It is revealing that support to Uganda literally translated means abidding with the givers regardless of what
Ugandans themselves think.
The people of Uganda existed and survived before the WEST came in to give it support and will continue to
survive with or without handouts from abroad.
The law is meant to restore the cultural values, virtues and norms of Ugandans which homosexuality is
targeting, especially among children.
Ugandans know or believe that homosexuality involves practices that are dangerous and high risk to the
human body which is designed for heterosexual functions.
Finally , A country that is willing to fight the spread of this abomination. Now if only the WEST would follow
suit,we could rid ourselves of this vile filth.
I for one as Ugandan i support the bill becuase such dirty cultures from abroad are infecting us .Go to our prisons such deeds are at thier climax
We can live without your funds
This law appeals only to the ignorant and uneducated. The fact any of you are saying they do not need aid or trade contact with the rest of the planet is laughable. The world is not the same place that it once was when everything was regional and international contact was not a big deal. If they pass this horrific nazi like law the country deserves to be isolated and relegated to obscurity. Grow your own food, build your own tools wallow in your ignorance and hate as you slip back into the 12 century. I am sure your country and citizens have much to contribute to the global community but as long as you choose to be genocidal the you should be entirely shunned by the developed world. Every hardship from stemming from that choice will be well earned. We do not need you and we will not follow you .. go your own way but know you will be alone and deserve to be.
Spartacus, China recently became the first country in the world to open a state owned gay bar and homosexuality is completely legal there- in fact every major Chinese city has a thriving gay scene these days.
Uganda is nothing more than a useful pawn in the short term for China, but once the world turns to renewable energy sources, even China won’t need your petrol.
To clarify, a report on Reuters says that the bill will most likely pass but maybe with changes.
“Likely changes may include modifying the death penalty to life imprisonment….”
The final wording is still not available.
One more update from Uganda:
An Ugandan Anglican church leader, Canon Gideon Byamugisha also calls the bill “Genocide”. Interview appears in the online version of the UK Guardian.
Spartan (ironic to use this name since the Spartans had no objections to homosexual practices), you seem to focus a lot on anal sex. And, Ugandan, I assume you are referring to anal sex when talking about “dangerous” and “high risk” practices. If the purpose of the law is to protect persons against anal sex, why does it target lesbians as well (who generally have the most “safe” sexual practices, also with respect to the spreading of HIV)? And who does it not target the many heterosexuals who engage in anal sex? And should the act not also prohibit sado-masochism among straight people, as also being a dangerous practice?
Of course, the bill is only there due to homofobia, a wish to take the populations focus from other problems, corruption etc. And even for good Christians who might find homosexual sex morally reprehensible, it should be unacceptable with punishment, cf. for instance the official view on homosexuality of the catholic church.
The law of any government should be designed to give every individual the maximum freedom possible that allows everyone to experience a fair and equal sense of freedom.
It is unethical to take away an individuals freedom because you dont like what they choose to do with that freedom.
God is not partial to anyone. God gives a tramp, the Pope, the Dalai Lama and homosexuals equal respect.
I have no respect for religious tyrants: people too sexy for their hate, too sexy for their lies, and too sexy for their self-righteous genocide. We must expose the demons for the evil control freaks that they are.
This is such an interesting issue which ever way u look at it. Uganda is still a backword country just developing and still treasure the norms and believe in the bible or religion alot for that matter. Being a president, Museveni should take care of the most pressing issues like hunger, immunizations, LRA and DRC issues at the borders before interfearing with people’s life styles. I also believe that blance of trade is a major issue here and shouldnot be contradicted with one’s gender. Different countries can trade to gether with out the issues of social conflicts. Uganda just had a seet on the UN trade for 2009-10, i dont think by violating human rights this will be a good thing. I agree 100% that killing or imprisoning a person bse of thier sexuality is same as murder and that should be a capital offense. so this bill is a capital offense commited by Museveni. And anyone who justfys killing these people just imagine if that was your own kid or family, sister or brotherthat u very much know is a good person but the prefer something else sexually. And again I dont see the difference if guys can have anal sex with their wives and gal friends, how differnt is it if its with another guy. come on people we are in the 21century if u welcome technology with open arms from the west u may it as well well come everything that comes from the west. By the way am proud to be a Ugandan.
Yo dudes, aren’t we missing the point here?
Don’t LGBT Ugandans deserve to have a life and the freedom to define for themselves how they will live it?
Dear Ugandans,
I address you as a fellow human being who cares deeply about the world and people of all races, religions, genders and yes…sexual orientations.
I humbly beg you to please learn from your Rwandan neighbors. I’ve been there and seen little children’s faces looking up at me between the scaring of genocide. Some had parents killed because they had lighter skin so must have been Tutsi…some had parents killed because they were dark skinned and a Tutsi wanted vengeance on a Hutu…any Hutu would do. Some were Batwa and their families were killed because they weren’t even Rwandese. But none of that mattered to the children who were walking on the bones of even smaller children. All because they had been identified as “dirty”.
Learn from the Holocaust survivors whose families were also killed because they were identified as “dirty”.
When you, or any nation, pass laws targeting to limit a specific group of people, you set a legal precedent, no matter what country you live in, that a specific demographic can have their rights taken away for who they are. If you commit this action because you think people you don’t like are “dirty”, you are using the same line of reasoning other genocide instigators have used.
And if that is not enough to make you question why you feel you must deny another human being’s humanity, then please consider this:
If your people allow this to happen to the gay population within your country, you give up the very legal protections you have within your own government to prevent the same targeting to your own demographic.
Another, protestant minister once did the very same thing. His name was Pastor Martin Niemoeller. He wrote a poem about it. I’ll share it with you:
“First they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out, for I was not a Jew.
When they came for the gypsies,
I did not speak out, for I am not a gypsy.
When they came for the gays,
I did not speak out, for I am not gay.
When they came for the Catholics,
I did not speak out, for I am not a Catholic.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out, because I was not a trade unionist.
And now they are coming up the stairs for me,
and there is no one left to speak out for me.â€
I think we can all agree that life is a precious gift we have not “earned”, but rather a state of being that we must all strive to earn by our every day decisions. You say the state of homosexuality is “unnatural” and “dirty”. But I ask you, why is it more unnatural and dirty than instigating genocide?
Would you truly have a grandmother turn in her grandson to your government to kill or else face her remaining elderly years in prison? Would you really have enemies report those they hate as homosexual just because of an unrelated dispute?
And how would your government even judge who is gay or not gay? The Kinsey Report showed that the human race has a whole range of sexual orientations…so where within that scientifically established range would you choose as your “cut-off” point?
Would you kill or imprison the single parent of a child if they were accused of becoming gay after a failed marriage? Would you leave the child to starve alone at worst or put him in a youth army at best?
How would you contain the madness, and why do you think you would be able to contain that madness when so many other countries that started down the path of genocide could not control or limit those to whom it affected?
When we lose our abilities to recognize our common humanity, even when we do not agree with the actions of those whom we can not relate to, we lose a piece of our own soul. So do not take the low easy road of singling out the demographic you least relate to as your scapegoat. Because if you do, those in power will eventually realize the public isn’t satisfied by the promised changes they were told would result. Then, they will have to say,”The reason things have not improved is because the problem isn’t just with the gays, it’s also with the_____” fill in the blank. And that’s how the slope get’s slipperier until you wind up like your Rwandan neighbors.
But I believe you are so much better than this. The Ugandans I have met are a beautiful, intelligent people with a deep rich culture. And yes, gay people have been a part of your history, just like they have been a part of the West’s history for centuries…like Rome’s Virgil, Italy’s Leonardo DaVinci, and Ireland’s Oscar Wilde to name a few. Those few examples brought philosophy, art and literature to their people. Humanity has been around for a long time…enough time to notice that it takes all types of human beings to make a culture flourish. Enough time to notice that homosexuality exists in all species of nature. Humans are merely the only ones who have decided to intentionally single out a specific group within its own species to ostracize, imprison and kill on the basis of socially judged characteristics. Is that not unnatural?
As for molestations and rapes…a great majority of them are heterosexual. That’s a proven fact. So why not focus on violent acts of rape instead of those participating in private consensual intimacy? I think the whole focus on another’s means and selection of intimacy is rather voyeuristic personally…who cares who the neighbor is sharing sexual relations with unless you are a “peeping tom” in the first place? And if you do care, then might I suggest you find another passion to occupy your obviously uneventful schedule with? Take all this energy and volunteer somewhere…work to make the “Food Basket of Africa” actually feed the starving people inside your country. If you have oil, then work to convince your politicians to put aside this agenda and focus on insuring the people, yourselves, benefit from the sale of oil, and not just a select few.
Whatever you decide to do, don’t let this issue distract your whole nation. That’s what happened here in the USA, where conservatives distracted the public with the gay-marriage issue while passing the so called “Patriot Act” that stripped away our rights to a fair trial. In the end, while the average everyday conservative people cared about stopping the gay-marriage act…their political party’s leaders were more focused on passing legislation that would affect everyone’s lives in ways never thought possible before. So don’t fall for that.
(We did and we got the headache/heartache of Guantanamo!)
So when your government is trying to get the public to focus on hating one tiny group, that’s the time to ask about what other bills are being passed. My guess, in your situation, is to watch after your oil and make sure your people will have enough before you sell it and that the money earned will benefit your schools, hospitals, etc.
I ask you to forgive the length of this post, but please know every word is said from the heart. I am not a gay man. I am not Ugandan. But like you I am a fellow human being. And I ask you to please recognize the humanity behind all your neighbors’ eyes…their heart beats like yours, they love, like you do, they hope for a better future for their country, like you do…judge them blindly and you weaken the soul of your own country. Work beside them to make your country great, and you herald in a great future!
Stay Inspired!
Mary Ann
http://www.maryannthompsonfrenk.com
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT KILLING PEOPLE BECAUSE OF WHO THEY SLEEP WITH. I DONT CARE IF YOU THINK HOMOSEXUALITY IS WRONG OR RIGHT – BEING CONDEMED TO DEATH BECAUSE OF BEING GAYWHO YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO IS ABSURD HOW CAN ANYONE THINK THAT IS OK? IT BOGGLES THE MIND HOW PEOPLE THINK THAT THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO DICTATE WHAT OTHERS DO.
| The coming genocide in Uganda
Thank you for accurately naming the potential result. We need to obtain wide recognition that the hatred and harm that is promoted against all of us in the many LGBT communities, and individuals, in so many places, is likely to lead to what is called genocide when others are the victims, and is no less an affront to decency and international law because we are its victims.
Although the international convention against genocide might seem to define the crimes in ways that could leave us unprotected, it was authored in the 1940s and things have moved on considerably. Not least the world has learned from several more genocides, not least in Uganda’s immediate neighbour, Rwanda. And so the world community, and especially the office at the UN responsible for watching for violations of the convention (which covers everything which might lead to genocide, not only action after such an event) will be wiser now.
| If U.S. evangelicals don’t denounce the new law,
| then they share responsibility for the evil
| committed.
No, they share it anyway for the hatred they have done so much to create. Evil such as that is not undone completely by a belated distancing. It takes more. And so far that has not been forthcoming.