THE PUNITIVE ANGLICAN COVENANT: Various Provinces will be forced out of the Anglican Family because ¨what you are doing is an offense to the integrity of the family¨ +Drexel Gomez

Bishop Drexel Gomez*, Jamaica and West Indies/retired, Chairperson/Designer of The Anglican Covenant

Reflection: Bishop Gomez* and his Anglican Covenant warnings and intentions, September, 2008 HERE

¨In the most recent St. Andrews Draft of the covenant, provinces would pledge to uphold historic Christian faith inherited by Anglicanism and to promote and proclaim the Biblically-based Gospel through mission.

Signers of the covenant, Gomez* explained, are called on to pledge themselves to the understanding that the Anglican Communion requires mutual accountability among provinces and that the constitutional autonomy of provinces exists within a larger framework of communion that sets limits on that autonomy.

The covenant also would provide a mechanism or process by which provinces, once they have signed the covenant, could be determined to have violated the covenant and, thus, to be deemed to have removed themselves from the Communion.

Is the St. Andrews/Anglican Covenant anti-Anglican?

Gomez* noted that there is a distinct minority of bishops who oppose the covenant as being anti-Anglican. “They don’t want anything that even appears to be putting up barriers to exclusion.”

Presiding Bishop Kathryn Jefferts Schori, Primate of the Episcopal Church

One reporter at the press conference noted that TEC Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said in an online briefing following Lambeth that a majority of bishops at Lambeth claimed the second draft was too punitive and legalistic.

“That’s not true,” Gomez* said. A number of bishops, but not a majority, felt the language was too legalistic [and complicated] in the appendix,” which he said was drawn up principally by Professor Norman Doe. “We have already determined that we are going to rework the appendix.”

And he asserted that “no one I think who is objective can claim that the St. Andrew’s draft is punitive. What it says is if you sign up for the covenant and you break your word, then you are really removing yourself.”

He acknowledged that a couple of bishops have said to him and publicly that “no matter what you do, you’re still supposed to be in the Anglican Communion.”

“One bishop from Canada used the analogy of the family. Once you belong to the family, you belong [forever],” Gomez* recalled. “But in many families, you remain in the family but you can’t stay in the house because your presence in the home is a bad example to other young people, and so you are forced to move out because what you are doing is an offense to the integrity of the family.”

deposed, Bishop Bob Duncan of Pittsburgh now head of the ACNA (not recognized by The Archbishop of Canterbury or The Anglican Communion ACC)

North American Province? Gomez* was asked how a new orthodox North American province might affect the covenant process.

Schismatic ¨North American Anglican¨ Gafcon cluster (not recognized by The Archbishop of Canterbury or The Anglican Communion ACC)-

He said that Global South Anglican leaders meeting a few years ago in Kigali, Rwanda, felt that “eventually there has to be some arrangement for North America to deal with the realities of the situation.”

The Global South at the time avoided the idea that it would be another province, he asserted. ‘We couched the language deliberately in a vague way, because at the time, we didn’t give any serious consideration to the form that structure would take.”

But after June’s Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), “it’s quite clear that there’s a movement that is going to be pressing that line of argument,” Gomez* said.

What happens if a new North American province emerges?

“Even if you went with some form of a structure for North America, if it is kept within the bounds of ‘GAFCON’, that would at least hold it in a place in which it can relate to the rest of the Communion,” the Archbishop said.

The ACNA ¨Irregular¨ Bishops are not recognized by the Anglican Communion or recognized by The Archbishop of Canterbury or the ACC

He said a potential new North American province could sign onto the covenant and petition the ACC to be admitted as a province in the Communion. Short of a change in membership in the ACC, though, he thought it unlikely that the ACC would admit the province.

Gomez* was asked whether or not the Global South, in signing onto the covenant, might set as a condition that something be worked out in North America.

Dr. Rowan Williams, engaging in ¨very serious discussions¨ with Global South Bishops and their non-Anglican Communion associates/representatives, August 2010, Entebbe, Uganda

“Yes,” Gomez* indicated, “and I think we will have to have some very serious discussions with the Global South representatives.”

· Thanks to Flickr Photo Sharing
· Thanks to Bishop Gomez, Chair, Anglican Covenant Design Group
· Thanks to Robert England
· Thanks to American Anglican Council
· Thanks to Wikipedia
· Thanks to Virtue Online
· Thanks to All Africa

Archbishop Drexel Gomez, Chairperson of The Anglican Covenant has a long history of  ¨ pursuing his own moral, political and social agendas¨

More about bishop Drexel Gomez and his ¨siren song of culture¨  tactic

* In October 2003 Archbishop Gomez was appointed to the Lambeth Commission on Communion by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams. The Commission produced the Report of the Lambeth Commission on Communion (also known as The Windsor Report and the Eames Report), published in October 2004.

In August 2007, Archbishop Gomez was the main preacher at a service where several Anglican Archbishops consecrated two American priests as bishops despite the opposition of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America‎. He accused the U.S. church of "aggressive revisionist theology" and ¨teaching lies.¨ HERE

*Nairobi — August 31, 2007--¨The Anglican Church in Kenya yesterday ordained two bishops who will be sent to the United States to minister to its flock following differences over homosexuality.

Heads of 11 provinces of the church from around the world attended the colourful four-hour ceremony presided over by ACK Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi at Nairobi's All Saints Cathedral. Nineteen Kenyan Anglican bishops also attended the ceremony.¨  Drexel Gomez, Archbishop West Indies, gave the Sermon.HERE

“Anglicanism – one of the most vibrant and unstable expressions of Christianity within the world” March 30, 2007,  +Drexel Gomez

¨...One of the problems that has been faced as the Communion has developed is its lack of an explicitly stated self-understanding of what it means to be Anglican and what it means to recognize others as Anglican and live in interdependent, mutually accountable communion with one another as part of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. Reflecting the British constitution, the Anglican Communion has functioned on the basis of unwritten conventions and gentlemens agreements, a sense that one could always recognize a good Anglican and a good Anglican always behaved in certain ways. That mutual recognition may have been guided by a reference to the classic formularies for some or by the pattern of common worship as expressed in the Prayer Book and its various adaptations around the Communion. The great strength of encouraging national churches to adapt to their own context has led we now realize to a situation where although there exist many common principles of canon law for the internal ordering of provinces there is a lack of agreed and stated principles of what it means to be interdependent and to take part in and respect common counsel with ones fellow Anglicans.

In addressing this challenge and enabling the articulation of who we are and what we wish to become as a worldwide communion of churches committed to interdependent mission, the work of the Covenant Design Group is already making significant progress. As the report of the first meeting notes...¨HERE

¨...The rampant individualism and selfishness of Western culture was the greatest single threat to the faith. Believers must surrender their lives to God and be faithful to him, rather than pursue their own moral, political or social agendas. The Church faces “the challenge of discernment and commitment” as it entered the 21st century, he said, urging the bishops to hold fast to the faith once delivered, and not succumb to the siren song of culture...¨

The senior serving Primate of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop Gomez was elected Bishop of Barbados in 1972 and was translated to the Diocese of Nassau and the Bahamas in 1995, and
elected Archbishop and Primate of the West Indies in 1999. He will retire at the end of this year. The Bishop of Barbados, the Rt Rev John Holder praised Archbishop Gomez for his constancy and faithfulness. He had been at the “heart of the fight” in the Anglican Communion’s battles over doctrine and discipline and had offered “outstanding leadership as the church wrestled and searched for a way forward.”Archbishop Gomez’s labours amidst a “difficult, contentious and painful” fight to hold the church together had ensured that future generations “could call themselves Anglicans.”HERE

GAY UGANDA: ¨I strongly believe in a person´s right to define their faith¨

¨...I choose to think that religion doesnt define my humanity. And, I choose not to choose any of the labels. But they are very important to us as human beings.

Because I say that, some point at me and say this is an anti-Christian blog. (Uh, that was Ssempa, you guessed.)

But, I strongly believe in a person's right to define their faith. I will not proselytize my lack of faith. And, I will look on in bemusement if anyone tries to proselytize me. Might make for an interesting conversation.

And, I will also stand for the right of a gay African to have a faith life.
Some believe that since we are gay, we cant be Christian, or Muslim, or whatever religion. I think they err. And, though I am none of those, I believe that a gay Ugandan, a gay African is also a human being. They, and we have the same right to religion as all other human beings.
Yes, I might have a problem with the logics of reconciling the faiths. But then, why do we call them faiths? Because they are faiths.

Even when others use their faith to hit out at us, demonise us, call us anti-Christ, kaffirs, anti-God, etc, just because we have a different sexuality, I still stand and say that we are human beings. And, a gay human being can be a Christian. And, can be a Moslem.

Anglican Archbishop Orombi, ¨denies the humanity¨ of LGBTI Christians/others in Uganda

And, I may actually find the words to debate one who says I cant be a Christian (or Moslem) and gay at the same time. Because that person is denying my humanity. That is my convoluted thinking.

I would really love it if religious people would stop defining their religiousness with anti-gay rhetoric.

Anglican Ugandan Bishop Christopher Ssenyonjo, spiritual counselor to LGBTI Ugandans, featured speaker, the Center for Democratic Progress, Washington D.C. , 2010

I mean, in Uganda, Ssempa is the epitome of a Christian. Because of his anti-gay rhetoric, which is considered the very spirit and soul of Christianity. The Anglicans in Uganda.... well, it is all the same. That is why they excommunicated Bishop Ssenyonjo. He was not anti-gay enough. In fact, he was pro-gay.

I know. For the Catholics, it is the contraception thing, but the anti-gay thing also comes in.

Member of Parliament, Anglican David Bahati, author of the ¨Kill the Gay¨ Bill

Bahati... well. He says that it is his heartfelt wish to pass the 'Kill the Gay' bill. Make it law. Of course, for him it is defining something called the family, or traditional family. And, he still has hopes of it becoming law.

So, what is true religiousness? Why does my sexuality have to be used to define spirituality?
I have no answers for you. The only ones I have are for me, thank you.¨ read it all, Gay Uganda HERE

· Thanks to Gay Uganda, sidebar
· Thanks to Anglican Bishop Christopher Ssenyanjo, Uganda
· Thanks to Archbishop Desmond Tutu
· Thanks to Flickr Photosharing, Naked and Open
· Thanks to Allan Rich

Steps To Avoiding A Hate Crime: Hate Crimes Based on Sexual Orientation

Predators can lurk anywhere, but there are fewer people in quiet places and empty street that can assist you should you need help. So, be sure to stay in areas where there are many people. Dark places such as alleys and parking structures should also be avoided. Besides giving potential attackers a place to hide, darker places tend to make it more difficult for you to see what or who is around you.


•Know Your Surroundings

¨Avoid surprises by knowing what and who's around you at all times. Does the neighborhood you're visiting have an anti-gay reputation? Does the bar you're heading to welcome gay patrons? Be aware and consider the answers to these questions and any others that may affect your safety.

•Never Travel Alone

Try to travel or commute with a buddy, friend or person you trust. Safety can come in numbers, especially when walking at night or in unknown places.

•Know Where You Are

Make a mental note of your location, street names, intersections and landmarks. Not only will this help you get to safety should you need to, the authorities are better able to locate you should you call for assistance. You can save valuable seconds by knowing your location.

•Say No to Strangers

Never except rides from strangers and always trust your instincts. If you are stranded or in a bind, call a relative or friend to assist you and wait for them in a well-lit and busy area.

•Plan An Escape Route

This may seem like an activity reserved for spies like 007 or bank robbers, but it's always a good idea for everyone to plan an exit or visually identify an escape route in every situation (the club, a parking lot, the convenience store, etc.). In a situation where you have to act fast, knowing an escape route can buy you valuable seconds.

•Keep Your Cell Phone Ready

You may be able access your cell phone quickly, but how fast can you dial emergency numbers? Many cell phones come with speed dial features or programmable codes for quick access to numbers. Program your local police station or 911. Take a few seconds to practice accessing emergency number in haste (Don't actually dial during your practice run, but be prepared to do it if you find yourself in danger). Even one dry run can help you out of a potentially unsafe situation.

•Leave a Trail

Find a trusted friend or family member whom you can keep updated on your whereabouts. While on a blind date some time back, the guy that I was with made it a point to call his best friend to let him know that a) everything was ok, b) what color car I drove and c) my license plate number. At first I thought his actions were extreme, but soon realized how impressive it was that he was concerned enough for his own safety to leave a trail. If you prefer to have more privacy (especially when meeting strangers) leave your destination at home on a sticky note or where it can be easily found. Even if you don't want to disclose your destination, leave the person's name, number and some other means of description where it can be easily found. That way you can be helped more quickly.

LGBT people too often fall victim to random acts of violence, most of which don't get national attention like the Matthew Shepard attack. That's why making these safety techniques standard practice can greatly increase your chances of avoiding a hate crime.¨ Ramon Johnson

· Thanks to About Gay Life
· Thanks to Ramon Johnson
· Thanks to Flickr Photo Sharing

UGANDA´S NATIONAL SPIRITUAL SICKNESS: Using the Bible and God to justify hateful anti-LGBTI prejudices and fear-mongering

President Museveni and wife Janet are received by hundreds of supporters at Kololo yesterday

Actions have outcomes and consequences it seems.  Even in a country as freewheeling-corrupt and politically/spiritually damaged by greedy grandstanding religious leaders as Uganda there will be moments of knowing truth from lies, right from wrong.  Truth will emerge.  There will be moments of clarity for those Ugandans and their international friends, who insist on  truth, honesty, peace and justice for all women and men everywhere...and for those of us who are ¨angry about racism, sexism, homophobia¨ and are ¨particularly angry with ´Christians´ who use our faith to oppose caring for the least among us and who bully, lie, and hate in the name of Christ¨  wherever that lack of ¨caring¨ occurs HERE  there will be awareness eventually even if it´s truly ¨one day at a time.¨

Anglican LGBTI ¨excluding/excommunicating¨  Gafconing schismatic, Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi/Uganda, 

Pentecostal Pastor Martin Ssempa

For years the ¨religious zealots,¨ who are mainly Protestant, Anglican, Catholic, Muslim have been terrorizing their very own LGBTI members, brothers and sisters and fellow citizens in Uganda...all in the name of a religious fear and hate driven campaign for LGBTI cleansing from society and a better-than-others  fictional righteousness that is degenerative even to the most disciplined puritanish perfectionist soul. 

Uganda is a haven for vertical corruption in Government, Civil War, Childwitchburning, Sexual Slavery all under the tightest possible control of a ¨Democratic¨ and elected Military man/Anglican President who is running for re-election in 2011 (after changing the Constitution to lawfully allow another term in office). 

In the past years we´ve seen and noted that ¨righteous¨ President Museveni and his ¨extra-righteous¨ wife Janet often make outlandish and emotionally charged, hateful public, religiouslike remarks regarding ¨Gay¨ people:

¨In God's word, homosexuality attracts a curse, but now people are engaging in it and saying they are created that way. It is for money The devil is stoking fires to destroy our nation and those taking advantage are doing so because our people are poor," HERE

The Official FACE of the Ugandan National Spiritual Sickness

The Ugandan National prattle/slander goes on and on and also spews forth from the mouths of religious leaders like Anglican Archbishop Henry Orombi and Pentecostal Pastor Martin Ssempa. Meanwhile many Ugandans and people of the World wonder why/how:

 ¨how is it possible for anyone who calls him/herself a disciple of Christ, a disciple of the One Who commanded us to love and not judge others, to call him/herself a "Christian" and yet affirm prejudice and discrimination that leads to the untold suffering of countless LGBT people?

The fact is that there are thugs who call themselves Christians, and are given tacit, if not explicit, permission to manifest that thuggery by all too many denominations and congregations, all the while falsely appealing to the Bible and to God to justify their hateful prejudices.¨ HERE

This week, in the United States, the very large Protestant Church ¨Canyon Ridge Christian¨ spokesperson Mitch Harris made the following announcement in regard to withdrawing major support for extremist Pastor Ssempa because of his toxic anti-LGBT antics/preaching/pogrom:

Canyon Ridge Christian Church began work in Uganda with the intent of helping address the HIV/AIDS pandemic that was wiping out generations of people in that country and other parts of Africa. Our partnership with Pastor Martin Ssempa began in response to this intent.


Because of the current controversy in Uganda over the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, and because of Pastor Ssempa’s involvement in the support of the bill, we have been in regular communication with him to clarify his positions and opinions. While we have come to understand that Pastor Ssempa advocates for an amended version of the Anti-Homosexuality bill that removes the death penalty and reduces other severe penalties, he is still supports passage of this bill.


We, however, do not support him in this effort. HERE

One can hope that Global South Anglican destructionist Henry Orombi will soon understand that no matter the ¨Western¨ backing from which he receives patronage ($$$) from schismatics, bigots and thieves he will too one day understand the core of visciousness and excluding he preaches in Uganda is unacceptable. HERE  Unacceptable to most civilized, educated, informed, or simply well-meaning and God loving human beings in Uganda and beyond.

· Thanks to Gay Uganda, sidebar
· Thanks to Canyon Ridge Christian Church
· Thanks to The Daily Monitor, Uganda
· Thanks to Warren Throckmorton
· Thanks to The Revd. Dr. Jerry Maneker
· Thanks to Wormwoods Doxy

NO FAULT HATE-MONGERING IN UGANDA: Murderous Anglican bigshots are innocent of harming LGBTI innocents!

Anglican MP David Bahati has authored ¨Kill all the Gays¨ Bill before Parliament in Uganda but is not responsible for public violence against LGBTI in Uganda

Giles Muham is editor of the murder ¨suggesting¨ Ugandan tabloid ¨Rolling Stone¨

Giles Muhame/editor, the anti-lgbti filth spewing Ugandan tabloid rag Rolling Stone doesn´t believe any ¨hang them¨ violence directed against Ugandas Gay Community is his fault!

It appears the Uganda newspaper Rolling Stone's attempt to incite violence against its Top 100 list of homos is working: "Several people have been attacked in Uganda after a local newspaper published their names and photos, saying they were homosexual, an activist has told the BBC. Frank Mugisha said one woman was almost killed after her neighbours started throwing stones at her house. He said most of those whose names appeared in Uganda's Rolling Stone paper had been harassed." Not that backers of the two-month-old Rolling Stone are taking responsibility: Editor Giles Muhame says that despite a call to "hang" the people on his list, he wants only for law enforcement to investigate those "recruiting children to homosexuality." And then execute the guilty. HERE

¨The Red Pepper¨ slime tabloid, rumored to be owned by a member of President Museveni´s family

VIOLENCE AGAINST ´GAYS´ IN UGANDA ISN´T BISHOP OROMBI´S or PRESIDENT MUSEVENI´S or MP/FIRST LADY JANET MUSEVENI´S or MP/MORALS MINISTER JAMES NASBA BUTURO´S or MP DAVID BAHATI´S FAULT! GENERATING AN EPIDEMIC FEAR AND HATE CAMPAIGN AGAINST LGBTI CITIZENS  IS NOBODYS FAULT IN UGANDA!

Violence against LGBT Ugandans isn´t Anglican President Museveni´s fault

Violence instigated against ¨Evil Gays in Uganda¨ isn´t LGBTI demonizing First Lady Janet Museveni´s fault



Initiating the Outcasting, Demonizing and Excommunicating of LGBTI Anglicans,  our families and our friends isn´t Bishop Henry Orombi´s fault!

Endorsing and Promoting the Murderous Anti-LGBTI Law before Parliament in Uganda is certainly not James Buturo´s fault because he is Minister of Ethics and Morals

· Thanks to Queerty, sidebar
· Thanks to Frank Mugisha
· Thanks to The BBC

HANG THEM ALL: President Museveni, Bishop Orombi--KUCHUS ARE TOUGHER because of facing persecution demonizing and deadly/hysterical threats in Uganda!

The fear of being gay and Ugandan

Despite the latest calls in Uganda for gays to be hanged, we have come through the fire and are tougher because of it

¨I woke early to an empty bed. Partner not around. Gone for a seminar in Mukono, just outside Kampala. It's not far, but I can't be with him. That means a cold bed for me. Cold food, too, because I am hopeless in the kitchen. He bears those burdens, literally looking after me. I know, I take it too far, but I do love being looked after. He makes me feel special; and I am missing him.

We live in the suburbs of the Ugandan capital, and have been together for 10 years. And we are gay. He is a man. I am a man. We are both Ugandans, living, working in Uganda. So, how is it to be gay, and Ugandan, today? We live in interesting times and we have lived a kind of terrifying history.

When we met and moved in together, I was living with my brother. I sat him down and told him: "You know I am gay. I am going to have my lover move in with me." He nodded. I told him that he had the option of living with his dad, if he objected, but I was determined to stay with my lover.

I was simply tired of the hiding, the subterfuge, the lies. My brother did know that I was gay, since we lived in the same house. But not the rest of my family, and not the neighbours. That could not happen.

So, 10 years ago I got a "room-mate" who coincidentally shared the bed with me. We were deeply closeted at the beginning. We thought (hoped, prayed) that nobody knew. After all, though we are grown men living together, sharing a house in Kampala is no big deal. I mean, in Kampala, in Uganda, with the depressed economic conditions, what was more notable was that there were only three of us in the house rather than 10.

I was involved in gay rights issues – some very early, nascent activities. Self-confidence, independence of income and some education helped me, as did a sense of growing anger at my world of duplicity, shame and enforced lies. My partner was more cautious. Not all the things that I did were below the radar, or underground.

It was at his insistence that I made my Gay Uganda blog as anonymous as possible. His was always the voice of caution: wait, don't do that, don't expose yourself, remember that it is no longer you alone.

And, he was correct. I did heed his voice. Because, for a gay Ugandan, life is not safe. Being known to be gay is tough. It is a life of reckless fear, not courage. We do what we do, not because we can, but because there is no other option. From the very first inkling of our sexuality, we learn to hide. And we do hide.

In fact, we gay Ugandans hide so well, and are gracefully camouflaged, that fellow Ugandans frequently ask themselves who the "evil gays" are. Of course, we are their kin. But they don't believe their brothers, sisters, cousins, relatives can be the "evil gays".

In the beginning, I think it was the religious questions that led to my activism. I was baptised into an Anglican family. While in high school, round about the time that I realised my sexuality, I became an evangelical Christian.

But being gay in Uganda and Christian is a real challenge. Ugandans are highly religious and, coming out to myself later, I knew I couldn't reconcile my faith and sexuality. I decided to repudiate faith. But then I went further and became angry at the faith as shown in Uganda. And why not?

The words and actions of our religious leaders are full of hate. Mufti Mubajje, titular head of Muslims in Uganda, believes that all gay Ugandans should be marooned on an island in Lake Victoria. We would then die out and solve the country's gay problem.

When we came out at a press conference in 2007, all the sermons in churches and mosques over the following days were about the evil of homosexuality. An anti-gay demonstration was organised, ultimately limited to a rally at Kyadondo rugby ground. And, there, ministers – both political and religious – railed at the evil homosexuals who had dared to show their faces (even though we were wearing masks).

The Kuchus are strong and staying afloat in Uganda

It was a tough time. I remember, we were home that evening, with some gay friends – kuchus, as we call ourselves. They were a bit worried, because I had been at the press conference and the radio was talking about the imminent arrests of gay men.

That was when my dad revealed his knowledge. He came to our door, anxious. He had heard a rumour that we were all going to be arrested. "Who is going to be arrested?" I asked him, shocked, more by the fact that he knew, than that he was warning me. "You," he indicated towards me and my partner.

Fortunately, the rumours of arrest were unfounded. But, we had been exposed and the exposure was going to grow. Now that gay Ugandans had "come out", we were the target of any newspaper seeking to make a quick buck. I was known. My partner was known.

The anti-homosexuality bill of 2009 further flushed us out of our closets. We found ourselves targeted by a truly horrible piece of legislation, seeking to kill and imprison us for life, all in the name of "family and cultural values". We had to fight, and we had to come out of the shadows to fight.

Death and life imprisonment. No access to information or help. The danger of being reported to "relevant authorities" by pastors, doctors, parents. Mandatory HIV tests. All these are provisions of the Bahati bill. We had to show our faces. We had to, and we did.

But, though the international outcry enabled the government to go slow on the bill, our exposure was not reversible. Now a tabloid has published the photographs of alleged gay Ugandans, under the headline "Hang Them".

No, it is not easy to be gay and Ugandan. Whether it is denial of HIV prevention services for gay men, or the need to bribe police when you are reported, it is not easy.

Such is the strength of the human spirit: we are gay, Ugandan, and we live and work in the country. Life is tough. But, I dare say, having come through the fire, we are as tough, if not tougher.¨ Gay Uganda HERE

· Thanks to Gay Uganda, sidebar
· Thanks to The Guardian, United Kingdom
· Thanks to Nsubuga

ANGLICAN AFRICAN BIGOTS EXTRAORDINAIRE:

David Bahati’s ongoing plan/desire for ¨GAY GENOCIDE¨ in Uganda

Anglican Church of Uganda Member and Member of Parliament/MP David Bahati, is a budding butcher, Bishop Henry Orombi protege, and proud author of the ¨Kill Every Last Gay Person¨ Bill pending/tabled before the Parliament of Uganda. HERE

Global South-Gafcon/Anglican demonizing-opportunist Archbishop Henry Orombi/Uganda

Archbishop Henry Orombi--Are you ¨listening¨ to ¨People with Atypical Sex Development¨ in Uganda? HERE

ROWAN WILLIAMS: ¨He is the dead hand bureaucratic referee, but one that has not been neutral but promoted bureaucratic solutions at the cost of minorities.¨

Does this part of the Anglican Communion border on evil?

¨One reason why I stopped taking communion in the Church of England was a conclusion about its wider moral bankruptcy, especially as parts of the Anglican Communion border on evil. The principal reason was my own belief, but others weren't so far off in conversation and they could carry on, showing much loyalty to the idea of the Church even if concerned about the reality. Even though I had two Church wives, and was effectively going back to only one of them, communion could have continued. But it is a public act to take part, and a public act to say no especially if you keep showing your face.

There were people close to me, but also those of very different view, and I asked myself what I had in common with them. Humanity, of course, and conversation is always good, but sometimes you stretch across too far. In the end you have to conclude that they are entitled to their opinion, so long as they can't harm anyone, and if they can't harm anyone then best to let them be. They may have the same view of me. And sometimes associating with the more likeminded develops greater consistency and strength for a clearer outward message.

Now that I have moved over the river, and the now local Anglican church seems (barely) staffed with evangelicals, although my curiosity isn't yet addressed, I'm keeping with my one Church wife. She needs building up a bit.

Perhaps I have read and listened to Rowan Williams too much. I do think he says interesting things from time to time, and has potential for a social and economic and an interfaith theology that can be reflected upon, and have taken to myself his notion of patience even in the heat of situations. But his attitude to the central question of the moment is just one of moral disengagement, saying in this manner:

¨The decision of the American Church to go forward, as it has, with the ordination of a lesbian bishop has, I think, set us back. At the moment I'm not certain how we will approach the next primates' meeting, but regrettably some of the progress that I believe we had made has not remained steady.¨

This sort of pathetic statement means it all comes down to the bureaucracy and it is what makes this man so deeply depressing. One supposes that, faced with oppression, he would work to save the institution first while people suffered. We shouldn't ask too much how someone would respond to repression, given our own potential weaknesses, but Rowan Williams doesn't exactly represent anything prophetic even in his own institutional terms. He is the dead hand bureaucratic referee, but one that has not been neutral but promoted bureaucratic solutions at the cost of minorities...¨ read it all The Pluralist Speaks, HERE

Adrian Worsfold, The Pluralist

· Thanks to Adrian Worsfold
· Thanks to The Pluralist

ARCHBISHOP OROMBI/UGANDA--Are you listening to ¨People with Atypical Sex Development¨ in Uganda?

Julius Kaggwa, Uganda will be honored tonight with the 2010 Human Rights Award from Human Rights for his work in helping to defeat the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009

Julius Kaggwa/Uganda, Support Initiative for People with Atypical Sex Development

Julius Kaggwa will be honored tonight with the 2010 Human Rights Award from Human Rights First for his work in helping to defeat the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009 which included death penalty provisions. Kaggwa is the Director of Support Initiative for People with Atypical Sex Development (SIPD).

Human Rights First will honor Kaggwa for his devotion to defeating the proposed Anti-Homosexual Bill inUganda, legislation that would have drastically increased punishments for homosexuality or its promotion. Born and raised in Uganda, Kaggwa has long advocated for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people in Uganda and elsewhere in Africa. He is the Director of Support Initiative for People with Atypical Sex Development (SIPD), a project working to promote human rights protection and holistic support for children and people with intersex conditions. He has also been a lead player of the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law, a group that is at the forefront of domestic campaigning against the Anti-Homosexuality Bill recently tabled before the Ugandan parliament.


HERE

Anglican MP David Bahati, author of the ¨Anti-LGBTI Bill¨ at the Parliament of Uganda

Homophobic legislation and violence against LGBTI individuals are on the rise in Uganda and elsewhere in Africa. Kaggwa's work aims to fight this trend by promoting tolerance towards sexual minorities in Uganda and campaigning for the decriminalization of homosexuality. Despite constant threats on his safety, Kaggwa continues to promote the human rights for all Ugandans, including the LGBTI community. HERE

· Thanks to African Activist, sidebar
· Thanks to Amplifying Africa's LGBTI Voices
· Thanks to Julius Kaggwa/Uganda
· Thanks to Support Initiative for People with Atypical Sex Development (SIPD)
· Thanks to 2010 Human Rights Award
· Thanks to Civil Society/Human Rights Coalition, Uganda

In Honor of Spirit Day, Pink Goes Purple: WHO ARE WE? WHY ARE WE HERE?

¨On October 20th, 2010, we will wear purple in honor of the 6 gay boys who committed suicide in recent weeks/months due to homophobic abuse in their homes and at their schools. Purple represents Spirit on the LGBTQ flag and that’s exactly what we’d like all of you to have with you: spirit. Please know that times will get better and that you will meet people who will love you and respect you for who you are, no matter your sexuality. Please wear purple on October 20th.

Tell your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and schools. RIP Tyler Clementi, Asher Brown, Seth Walsh, Justin Aaberg, Raymond Chase and Billy Lucas. You are loved.¨ HERE

Who Are We? Why Are We Here?
By Christina Engela

I sat down this morning wondering what our community is all about. I'm thinking about the Pink Community of course. Pink, because of the confusing array of acronyms we apply to describe ourselves, that almost always put some sub-groups before others, and invariably leave someone out. Pink, because of our association with the feminine, with the notion that we break the boundaries set for us by society, and because it flies in the face of some beliefs that pink represents weakness and inferiority - an idea some are growing to realize is not the case at all.


Who does our community include? Well, anyone who breaks the stereotype, any person who does not feel the description of straight and cis-gender describes them. Anyone who does not fit into the neat, ordered little pigeon-holes designated for them by a straight, patriarchal society that decrees males shall behave like this, and females shall know their place, and behave like this, and be subservient to the male. It includes anyone who does not feel comfortable with these designated roles, and refuses to accept having them forced on them, being more inclined to fight for their freedom and equality.

The Pink Community is a persecuted and marginalized community, which faces difficulties not only in the sense of gaining civil rights around the world, but also in terms of gaining equal treatment and respect as human beings in the home, school and the workplace. The Pink Community does not have room for divisions and those who create the impression that certain sub-groups within the community have a greater need for civil rights and equality than the others. It does not have room for groups and individual leadership figures who fight for their own group's rights and equality, while downplaying or even sabotaging the rights gains of other groups within the community.

Many refer to our combined movement as the Gay Community - but we are not the Gay Community, because we're not all gay. Some of us are bi, trans or intersex. And some of us are combinations of the above. Our defining characteristic is our diversity - and non-conformity. To push some of our number aside, and solely advance the cause of others because of this diversity, doesn't make sense from the point of view concerning cohesion, equality and community building.

Regardless of all this, we stand together because we have common differences from the straight "hetero-normative" society we live in. We stand together because we have common needs such as the need for legal protection from bigotry and homophobic and transphobic (let's call them xenophobic) attacks and persecution. We have common needs for social and civil and legal equality. The tiny differences which exist between us do not justify us turning our backs on the broader Pink Community to reduce our overall number and weaken the timbre of our collective voice as a political entity fighting for our human rights and equality.

Some groups and individuals do just that. They focus solely on one particular interest group, most typically their own, and then not only promote just their interests while ignoring the interests of the others - but also attack and even sabotage the efforts of the other groups to their own advantage.

This is not the behavior of an ally. This is not the behavior of a friend.

It costs nothing for a GLB group to include trans-people and intersex people in the fight to gain equality for our whole community. It costs nothing for a Trans group to include GLB people in their fight for equality of the broader community. After all, how many people who identify as gay or bi, are also trangender or intersex? How many transgender or intersex people identify as bi or gay?

I hope this simple example will clear up this little misunderstanding between these groups (you know who you are), and encourage them to stand together and act in mutual support in future, instead of acting like a bunch of spoilt brat children fighting over who gets to go first.

If they do not listen, we as one community should give them a smack on the bottom and encourage them to hold hands and take us through the door of freedom and equality together.¨ read it all, by Christina Engela HERE

· Thanks to facebook, In Honor of Spirit Day
· Thanks to Sour Grapes The Fruit of Ignorance, sidebar
· Thanks to Christina Engela, South Africa
· Thanks to African Activist, sidebar

READY OR NOT/LIKE IT OR NOT: We, people like me, have always been standing shoulder to shoulder with all of YOU!

Here I am ¨Getting Better¨ with all of you at The Anglican Communion/beyond

One of my most long term thoughts is a bit mischievous...it´s about deception, perception and the flat out dummies, albeit sometimes deadly ignoramouses, on the prowl to humiliate/degrade their very own LGBTI family, friends and co-beings in everyday society.

Most all of my life, the part I remember, I´ve been Gay. Even though I didn´t know for the first part what ¨Gay¨ was I knew I liked men in a profoundly more ¨attracted¨ way than I liked women (whom I also adored but not intimately). I like people. I also knew to keep my inner-stirring ¨thoughts¨ to myself. When I went to Church Camp as a kid every Summer I knew to keep my eyes front and center and not look too much from side to side. I had good manners anyway, Gay, Straight or whatever. I knew when I was in the shower, throughout my schoolife, to keep my eyes off anything or anyone that might cause tension for me or others--a test that I think heterosexual males would have a hard time passing if showering with the opposite sex--I always knew to keep my deepest sexual curiosities to myself...that, of course was not a requirement (mostly) for heterosexuals of any age in most any real life situation.

For years into adulthood I actually had to ¨drink¨ lots of alcohol to settle into being the authentic me in Gay social situations, even in the Gay bars of San Francisco I felt uneasy until ¨relaxed.¨ I was very disciplined even when walking down a street and avoided extra eye-contact with anyone although I chatted comfortably amongst others. Vigilant comes to mind. I had taught myself to deflect most any outside interest directed toward me as a safeguard so I wouldn´t be ¨found out.¨ I was an emotional mess because of my tangled-up idea of rigidity which I presumed was my best defense against being humiliated. Well, it seemed safer when considering the wrath directed against more aggressive, less cautious, people like me.

Heterosexuals have always enjoyed strutting their stuff (mostly) and yakking up a storm about their sexual desires (mostly)...they´ve always made a great pass-time out of ogling others with or without clothes, with or without respect, with or without basic manners and with or without invitation to do so...it´s simply seemed ¨expected¨ for them to demonstrate, albeit often only in words, what they ¨see¨ that appealed to them and what they would like to ¨do¨ sexually...conversely the SAME is NOT true for LGBTI people who´ve always been standing with them, working with them, celebrating their engagements, weddings, babies and anniversaries with them...we know how to behave and we know what ¨to do¨ when respecting the privacy of our fellow human beings...besides, we HAD TO! Many Heterosexual brethern (and sisters too) go on-and-on about their sexual desires, intimacies and sexual conquests publicly but they also sometimes ¨go off¨ about OURS and how they loath them and people like us when the subject of US comes up.

So there you have it, when I read the following entry this morning from The Gay Agenda blog I smiled...I smiled because with all the nonsense, mine and everyone elses, and with all the current attempts at excluding at the Global South/Anglican Communion and beyond...WE, people like me, have always been front and center in life, participating fully in life, and standing shoulder to shoulder with all of YOU if you like it not, ready or not, we´re right here. It may be unsettling for some of YOU, you´ll adjust or not, but never the less, it´s true. WE are like you even if you don´t have the courage to pay attention to REALITY and to US.

The great fear, denial, hatred and emotional/spiritual instability that lurks/lurked within me and some of you will not change a thing...reality it´s not so bad, it just takes some getting used to.

We are like China, we are always present.

¨With all the debate over repealing ‘DADT’ is the right thing to do, those who oppose lifting the ban say that it could have grave consequences on military readiness because people in the military will worry about taking showers with gay servicemembers.

Well, one answer to them, you already have.¨ HERE

· Thanks to The Gay Agenda, sidebar
· Thanks for the Memory
· Thanks to David Green, Pride Shield