Tag Archives: Uganda

Ugandan pastor uses gay porn to push anti-gay bill

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As lawmakers in Uganda continue to consider legislation that would impose the death penalty on anyone convicted of “aggravated homosexuality,” of being HIV-positive and having sex and having gay sex with someone under 18, and which would punish people who know someone else is gay and doesn’t report them to police, one pastor there is going all-out in his support of the proposed law.

The Christian Post is reporting that Pastor Martin Ssempa on Wednesday decided to show his congregation — including some children, apparently— photos that appear to date to the 1970s of white men engaging in gay sex. And, the Web site says, it isn’t the first time. Last month, Ssempa took to the pulpit and played a “disgusting power point about what ‘homosexuals do in their bedrooms.’ (or what he thought occurred),” according to a blog post from a Pacific Luthern University student stuyding in Kampala.

Gay rights groups have condemned Ssempa for showing pornographic images to children, and even some of the folks who support the anti-gay law think the pastor went too far.

But Ssempa is unrepentant. He said, “In Africa, what you do in your bedroom affects our clan, it affects our tribe, it affects our nation. We are in the process of legislation and we have to educate ourselves about what homosexuals do.”

—  admin

Shouldn't religion stand for something?

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Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams

Aren’t religions supposed to stand for something? (I think we’re against murder, but if we say it, we’ll lose members. Hey, let’s put those pesky 10 commandments up for a vote).

Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, apologized to gays and lesbians who have felt undervalued by him, but he also argued against equality now. By that he means equality is important, but donations are more important and bigots outspend non-bigots, so no equality until we pony up.

But then this isn’t surprising. The Anglican Church in Uganda supports the kill-the-gays bill, according to the UK Guardian.

So Williams’ seeming wavering on equal rights isn’t that surprising. He’s not even firmly against murder.

—  David Taffet

Obama and Clinton address Ugandan genocide of LGBT people at D.C. prayer breakfast

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In Dallas this morning at the Creating Change conference, religious leaders from across the country gathered for an alternative prayer breakfast as a response to the one occurring in Washington, D.C. Harry Knox, the Human Rights Campaign director of the religion and faith program of the Human Rights Campaign, said he asked the president to address the issue of Uganda at the breakfast. Evangelicals who reportedly were involved in the writing of the proposed anti-gay legislation were attending the breakfast in D.C.

President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton both addressed the issue directly in their remarks this morning.

Knox said that in addition to the Dallas event, groups gathered in 20 other cities to pray for the lives of LGBT Ugandans and their families who are threatened with state-sanctioned murder.

Rev. Stephen Sprinkle from TCU organized the service and Rev. Jo Hudson from Cathedral of Hope spoke. Others participating were Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum of New York, Bishop Yvette Flunder of San Francisco and Rev. Rebecca Voelkel of D.C.

—  David Taffet

Holocaust vigil for LGBT victims

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On Wednesday, Jan. 27, Equality March Texas organized a vigil to remember LGBT Holocaust victims.

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The vigil began at the Highland Park fountain and proceeded down Oak Lawn Avenue to the Legacy of Love monument.

Continue reading “Holocaust vigil for LGBT victims” »

—  David Taffet

Baldwin takes lead in Uganda anti-gay genocide

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Rep. Tammy Baldwin
Rep. Tammy Baldwin

Rep. Tammy Baldwin’s office sent a press release that said she and Reps. Jared Polis and Barney Frank, along with 90 other members of Congress, sent letters to President Obama and Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. They are voicing their opposition to the Ugandan anti-homosexuality bill.

“The pending Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda is an appalling violation of human rights and it behooves us, as Americans and Members of Congress, to do all we can to prevent its passage. We fervently hope that President Obama will use the full force of his office to oppose this hateful and life-threatening legislation in Uganda and send a clear message to other countries that such discrimination must not be tolerated.  And, we hope that Ugandan President Museveni recognizes that this legislation is morally untenable and politically harmful to his nation,” said Baldwin.

“This is nothing more than the institutionalization of hatred and bigotry and it must be stopped,” said Polis.

In the letter to Museveni, they point out that Uganda “even seeks to establish extra-territorial jurisdiction,” to extradite gays and lesbians living abroad.

They note that similar legislation is under consideration now in Rwanda and they urge Obama to take all necessary steps to stop it including cutting any bilateral assistance, as Sweden has threatened to do should the bill pass.

The letters sent:

Continue reading “Baldwin takes lead in Uganda anti-gay genocide” »

—  David Taffet

Three Americans responsible for Uganda genocide

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Anti-gay terrorist Scott Lively
Anti-gay terrorist Scott Lively

The New York Times reports that three American evangelists went to Uganda to preach against homosexuality. The result was the proposed gay and lesbian genocide law.

The three presented themselves as experts on homosexuality.

The Times reports, “The visitors discussed how to make gay people straight, how gay men often sodomized teenage boys and how ‘the gay movement is an evil institution’ whose goal is ‘to defeat the marriage-based society and replace it with a culture of sexual promiscuity.’”

The three are Scott Lively, Caleb Lee Brundidge and Don Schmierer.

The state department needs to investigate the three and remove their passports until their role in promoting this genocide is determined. If they are found to have instigated and even helped write this murderous law, they should be detained as terrorists.

—  David Taffet

Uganda softening law against gays

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Just in time for the holiday season here in the states comes word that Ugandan lawmakers are “softening” proposed legislation that would have called for gays and lesbians to be put to death in some circumstances.

Ugandan officials had earlier denied rumors that the law would be changed to remove the death penalty. Maybe they mean it this time.

Under the original proposal “serial offenders”, and those who commit “aggravated homosexuality”, faced a death sentence. But Ethics and Integrity Minister Nsaba Buturo has told Reuters that the revised law would now probably limit the maximum penalty for offenders to life in prison rather than execution.

“There have been a lot of discussions in government … regarding the proposed law, but we now think a life sentence could be better because it gives room for offenders to be rehabilitated,” Buturo told Reuters. “Killing them might not be helpful.”

Gee, ain’t that kind of them!

—  admin

Gotta love the British press

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Despite recent, horrible coverage by the BBC of the proposed Ugandan genocide of gays and lesbians, you’ve got to love the British press. They pull no punches.

The (U.K.) Guardian’s headline about the proposed legislation:

Anti-gay bigots plunge Africa into new era of hate crimes

Gets right to the point. Those proposing genocide are anti-gay bigots. Period.

Compare that to New York Times coverage:

Death Penalty for Gays? Uganda Debates Proposal

This is only story I found about the crisis in the New York Times and it is NOT a New York Times story. It’s an Associated Press story. Very neutral headline. Non-judgmental. Same headline might have been used for an article about something innocuous. “Increase spending for education? Uganda debates proposal” or for criminal activity: “Death penalty for rape? Uganda debates proposal.”

But this law is not about something innocuous and not about criminal activity. It is about genocide.

Another example. London Times:

Uganda’s Inhumane Bill

Clear. Unequivocal. This bill is genocide, which goes against all human morality. This bill is inhumane. Humans don’t do this.

Back to U.S. coverage:

Dallas Morning News:

Under proposed bill, some gays in Uganda could face death penalty

Same bland AP story as the NY Times. Note the downplay. “Some gays.” Others will be OK rotting in jail for the rest of their lives, but that’s OK. And their relatives and anyone else they want to jail? Hey, they just get three years. At least they’re not going to kill everyone.

Washington Post. Couldn’t even find the same, bland AP story.

For the only national coverage of this story, only Rachel Maddow is hammering the administration for not speaking out strongly about this and evangelical scum like Rick Warren who has hosted the author of this bill in his church and may have been involved in actually writing this legislation. And “The Daily Show,” not actually a news show, for bringing attention to this issue.

—  David Taffet

BBC promotes debate on whether gays should be executed

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So many news organizations are getting coverage of the proposed Ugandan genocide of gays and lesbians wrong.

Today, the British journalists’ union criticized the BBC over their coverage.

The U.K. Guardian reports that BBC World Service has posted a discussion to debate whether or not gay people should be executed.

Should we post a discussion about whether the head of the BBC should be killed?

Of course not. That is simply irresponsible. Then why would the BBC post a discussion about whether I should be executed?

The BBC is publicly funded by a tax paid by all British citizens including gays and lesbians. Is the BBC proposing that those citizens should be murdered?

Or is the justification for the argument that the lives of Ugandan gays and lesbians are worth less than British gays and lesbians?

A news organization has an obligation to report facts and not make them up like Fox News does. A news organization may print opinion and label it as such. We do that on our Viewpoints page. We print opinion here in Instant Tea. But even opinion pages do not promote morally, ethically, legally criminal, abominable acts of murder.

Any responsible news organization has an obligation to call genocide what it is and under no circumstances should there be an online debate about whether that genocide is OK. It’s not.

UPDATE: BBC apologizes

Peter Horrocks, director of BBC World Service, apologized for a headline and for offense we may have taken at a debate hosted by his site over whether gays and lesbians should be executed.

I’m not sure he thinks debating whether gays and lesbians should be executed is wrong. He’s certainly sorry gays and lesbians were offended and sorry for the offensive headline, but apparently there is still room to debate whether Ugandan gays and lesbians have committed a capital offense.

—  David Taffet

Death penalty to remain in Ugandan anti-gay bill

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Despite reports last week that a clause in a new law being considered in Uganda imposing the death penalty on repeat offenders accused of homosexuality, TheAdvocate.com reports today that the death sentence remains part of the proposed legislation.

David Bahati, main sponsor of the bill, has presented the measure to the Ugandan parliament will be debated within the next two weeks and is expected to become law by February.

Bahati told the U.K. paper  The Guardian he would not cave to international pressure to tone down the bill’s sentencing provisions, saying the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” is necessary to “stop the recruitment and secure the future of our children.”

—  admin