Will Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, accommodate Gafcon schismatics by agreeing to amend the Anglican Covenant final draft?

What will Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, do?

My own not so secret concern is that the full ¨Oxford Statement¨ which seemingly denies and rejects the ++Rowan Williams proposed/approved Anglican Covenant is actually just a ploy--a conjob--a threat and a new and deceitfilled exercise in further playing powergrab at The Anglican Communion.

PLEASE REMEMBER

Robert Duncan, the former/deposed TEC bishop of Pittsburgh recently had his ACNA ¨continuing church¨ group ¨endorse¨ the Anglican Covenant (although they have no standing at the Anglican Communion). Robert Duncans Gafcon associates amongst The Global South/Gafcon Primate crowd, of which he is in full communion and a full member, say they WILL NOT accept the very same Covenant, as written, nor attend the upcoming Primates Meeting in Ireland!

Who is ¨off message¨ or is this simply another well-choreographed Global South Anglican Communion house-cleaning and reconstruction plot caper?  

Will the Gafcon Primates compromise and attend the Primates Meeting if Rowan Williams plays along by ¨removing¨ some of the ¨instrument of Communion¨ members from the Primates Meeting room and by agreeing to further ¨amend¨ the Anglican Covenant during the upcoming meeting?

What kind of Gafcon threat is NOW being played out before our eyes with the not-so-innocent ¨Oxford Statement¨ ploy/Covenant rejection?

Will Dr. Williams work behind the scenes and make further agreements to accommodate a ¨rewrite¨ of the Anglican Covenant for Gafcon Primates who intend to exclude disliked ¨progressive¨ provinces at The Anglican Communion?

Global South Bishop Drexel Gomez, Covenant Design Group chairperson

Global South Bishop Drexel Gomez, chairperson of The Covenant Design Group, in his own words, said he ¨is available if needed¨  for further work on the the Covenant.  Most likely this was no casual comment as he earlier also gave a enthusiastic sermon of support at the consecration service of ¨irregular¨ North American bishops in Kenya.  Bishop Gomez did not think he ought recuse himself as he then returned to his not-so ¨unity seeking¨ work on the covenant.   +Rowan Williams ignored the ¨Anglican Communion¨ destructive Kenyan ¨American bishop making¨ activity as well as covenant design ¨chairperson¨ Gomez´s involvement/endorsement.

We will see just how far the disease of gambling with other peoples Anglican Communion lives and twisted/self-righteous religious codependency is invading and destroying trust, basic moral centeredness and ¨via media¨ wisdom at the Body of Christ.

More will be revealed (and it should be) in regard to The Covenant, Dr. Rowan Williams and his fear of ¨the decline of the Mother Church.¨   What will Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury,  fearfully suggest/do next in order to save The Anglican Communion?

· Thanks to The No Anglican Covenant: Anglicans for Comprehensive Unity, sidebar
· Thanks to Flickr Photo Sharing

THE NO ANGLICAN COVENANT COALITION: Observations on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Presidential Address...

...and the Anglican Covenant Debate in the Church of England General Synod

In his Presidential Address on 23 November 2010, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams presented a message of fear and gloom to the Church of England General Synod. He suggested that, if the Synod did not accept the Anglican Covenant, we could witness the “piece-by-piece dissolution of the Communion.” The “risk and reality of such rupture [of some aspects of communion] is already there, make no mistake,” he said. “Historic allegiances cannot be taken for granted.” If we try to carry on as usual, he warned, there is a danger of creating “new structures in which relation to the Church of England and the See of Canterbury are likely not to figure significantly.”


The Archbishop’s message was clear—be afraid of rejecting the Covenant. It is the only lifeboat in the troubled sea of Anglicanism, and doing nothing or being idealistic is not an option. It is particularly ironic that Dr. Williams painted a picture of a frightening Anglican dystopia should the Covenant fail, as he and other supporters of the Covenant have been quick to accuse Covenant sceptics of “scaremongering.” It is also surprising, both in this speech and in the subsequent debate, that concerns were raised about the decline of the role of the Church of England, as well as references to its being “the mother church” that needs to set an example, whereas Covenant sceptics have been accused of being “Little Englanders.”


The interpretation that most people put on the speech was that Dr. Williams saw the Covenant as the only way to keep the GAFCON Primates and their allies in the Anglican Communion. Ironically, even as the 24 November debate on the Covenant was going on, GAFCON issued its “Oxford Statement,” which rejected the Covenant as being “fatally flawed” and insisted on the more conservative Jerusalem Statement as the foundation of international Anglicanism.


The Archbishop asserted that the Covenant is not “a tool of exclusion and tyranny.” “To say yes to the Covenant is not to tie our hands,” he insisted. It is difficult to see, however, how a document that, in the words of the Windsor Report, is to “make explicit and forceful the loyalty and bonds of affection which govern the relationships between the churches of the Communion” is not coercive, and it is likewise difficult to see how enforcing “relational consequences” on a church that might take a “controversial action” is not a punishment. Bishop John Saxbee, Bishop of Lincoln, put it like this:


Anglicanism has been described as a fellowship of civilised disagreement. Well I leave you to judge whether a two-tier Communion with first and second division members answers to that description of civilised disagreement. It frankly feels like we will be sending sincere and faithful Anglicans to stand in the corner until they have seen the error of their ways and can return to the ranks of the pure and spotless.

The Archbishop spoke of loyalty and catholicity. Apparently, he thinks that belief and practice should be uniform across the Communion. Otherwise, the Church—he consistently speaks of the Anglican Church—is disordered, and if the Church is disordered, then the faith is disordered and the mission of the Church is compromised. If necessary, personal convictions need to be sacrificed for the greater good of the Church, and those who refuse are disloyal. In reality, of course, there are only Anglican churches, and many, unlike Dr. Williams, do not want to create a worldwide Anglican Church. read it all, by The Reverend Dr. Lesley Fellows, HERE  and The No Anglican Covenant Coalition. HERE

· Thanks to The Reverend Dr. Lesley Fellows, sidebar
· Thanks to No Anglican Covenant Coalition, sidebar
· Thanks to Comprehensive Unity Blog, sidebar
· Thanks to Dr. Lionel Deimel, sidebar
· Thanks to Modern Church  HERE Church of England

The Dangers Posed by Homophobia and Hatred: 12 Life Stories ¨intended to invoke compassion¨ in AFRICA

¨Months after the imprisonment and subsequent release of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, Gay and Lesbian Memory in Action (GALA) and the Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP) are publishing a groundbreaking book telling the stories of twelve lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons in Malawi.

The accounts in the book portray the joys of love and the heartache of rejection, the dangers posed by homophobia and hatred in communities, and the sublime comfort of close friends and relatives.

According to the publishers, the twelve life stories are "intended to invoke compassion and support for the rights of African LGBTI people to live freely and harmoniously alongside their heterosexual counterparts in Malawi and beyond her borders".

The making of the book is fascinating in its own right: Dr Patricia Watson, an expert in oral history practice in South Africa, designed and facilitated oral history workshops in Malawi during which most of the 12 participants' experiences were recounted, recorded and translated into English. HERE

· Thanks to Gay and Lesbian Memory in Action, Malawi
· Thanks to Centre for the Development of People
· Thanks to Dr. Patricia Watson
· Thanks to Zanele Muholi, Faces and Phases
· Thanks to African Activist, sidebar

THE CONFLICTED/TWISTED MINDS OF THOSE WHO DEMONIZE LGBTI ANGLICANS/others

Ah the joy that must sweep over the homophobic/religious bigotted ¨gay hater¨ when he discovers a ¨obvious¨ LGBTI person to target, torment and safely slander near him...another self-righteous adrenaline rush!  Yippee, another layer of false self-esteem!

I don´t think we ought go around policing the ¨look¨ or ¨actions¨  or ¨words¨ of our everyday LGBTI sisters and brothers in order to avoid a less conflicted fuss in the minds of those who despise or demonize...it continues to be way past time for the uninformed bullies to face their own innermost prejudice, self-imagined personal threats, not-so-well disguised sexual demons and/or quirkly religiouslike-phobic-dislikes-disorder...being responsible for their own behavior and ¨righteous¨ acting out is the answer if one is willing to ¨see¨ the fear and hate more clearly...nor can we keep looking away from the bold and in-our-face acts/issues of emotional/spiritual sickness amongst the abusers of fellow human beings.

We won´t ignore injustice and pure bigotry anymore.  Playing pretend isn´t good for anyone/anywhere, in fact, it´s cowardly, codependent and promotes/co-authors the real author and Father of Lies that religiouslike ¨demeaners of others¨ rage on so much about...denial sure isn´t loving or compassionate for anyone...it´s pure slothfullness ignoring wrong doing when one is abused.

It´s always been clear to me, as a Gay person from childhood-into manhood, that there was something very emotionally/spiritually twisted and ¨disordered¨ as well as plain ¨inconsistent¨ about those who ridicule, demonize and attempt to discriminate against/outcast LGBTI family/friends and everyday associates--all one really need do is listen to the vileness that explodes and spews out from the angry mouths of some of those who pretend to be heterosexual ¨normal¨ (many dress-up/clean-up vile words with ¨holy sounding¨ selective Scriptural preachings and faux Biblical understanding with unseen/undemonstrated compassion) but can´t be considered ¨normal¨ in view of their vicious and feardriven reaction to fellow human beings--no, I fully agree with the current assumption that something like a dangerous ¨too close for comfort¨ feeling must set-in when self-righteous religious bigots and their hateful ¨supremist¨ buddies are striking out against LGBTI people of every age...it´s the old business of feeling better and more ¨whole¨ when demeaning others who are seemingly less-than you...a thin and shabby personal cover-up of ones flawed and defective personal character.

Violently ¨loathing¨ innocents is part of the self-loathing/self-destructive problem that can be contagious and may even lead to harming many ¨socially¨ vulnerable LGBTI people who buy into the vile lies and become active drug/alcoholic or sex addicts and/or self-loathing same-sex abusers HERE  and many attempt suicide (more direct/final self-destructiveness)...all the while trying hard to find some place to hide from an authentic sexual variation deep inside that they learned to despise.  Second hand loathing, like smoke, kills. 

Running as fast as one can from the embarrassment and the real pain (often physical as well as emotional and spiritual) of being persecuted and abused is very common amongst ¨closeted¨ or ¨potentially demonized¨ LGBTI people and often is simply, and justifiably, thought safer than facing abusers.  However, it´s not-so-strange that the religious/political ¨demonizers¨ of LGBTI families/fellow citizens are often more convulted of mind and Spirit than those they stridently and obsessively attempt to villify as perverted.  Often the image of the ¨twisted pervert¨ is the image of thugs and sadists on a blood thirsty hate spree.  When a preacher or priest instigates this kind of soul-sickness from the pulpit we´re viewing a gross and demented kind of religious grandstanding on the backs of people they don´t even usually know (much less have a clue about the true individual character of those whom they recklessly slander).

Round and round it goes, the abusers and some of the abused both perpetuate a great and dangerous lie that results in self-deciving and self-demoralizing behavior whether at Church, Temple, Bar or Street.  The homophope and even the innocent victim both can claim lack of personal security and personal emotional stability...the unhealthy blame/shame punishing game will stop when the abusers become ready to face the moral failure tainting their very own personal reality--that is of course the answers will come if they become willing (and find the courage) to face the ongoing truths buried inside of their own feardriven self-deceiving.

· Thanks to Stop Gay Partner Abuse
· Thanks to Save Gay Teens Lives
· Thanks to My Space
· Thanks to Flickr Photosharing, Tyler M. Yates
· Thanks to A Christian Voice for LGBTI People,  HERE
· Thanks to The Reverend Dr. Jerry Maneker

Onkemetse Pule and Lawrence Kwatata, BOTSWANA: Amplifying Africa's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Voices

Onkemetse Pule and Lawrence Kwatata making history in Botswana

Onkemetse Pule and Lawrence Kwatata made history in Botswana on Friday when they appeared on the front-page of weekly tabloid, The Voice, to declare that they were in a same-sex relationship. The couple have become the first lesbians in the southern African country to go public about their sexual orientation. Same sex relations are illegal in Botswana and the couple risk prosecution and jail.


A brave couple who met through the pages of their favourite newspaper, will today carve their names in the history of civil rights in this country. Onkemetse Pule, 26, from Mahalapye and Lawrence Kwataka, 24, of Serowe met through the popular ‘Lets Get Personal’ dating service in The Voice


They are soul mates, head over heels in love and courageous enough to have agreed to this interview and become the first lesbian couple in Botswana to publicly declare their love.


They have been in the relationship for ten months and as they both say: “Have never been happier.” Now they want the world to know that they are two women who have found the ideal partner in one another. HERE

· Thanks to African Activist, sidebar
· Thanks to Onkemetse Pule and Lawrence Kwatata
· Thanks to The Voice, Botswana
· Thanks to Amplifying Africa's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Voices

Anglican Archbishop Orombi/Uganda says he knows what God knows and ¨respects nature¨--end of subject

Anglican Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi, Ugandan LGBTI ¨demonizer¨

"People should respect nature and the great creator who modelled man and woman. He wasn't blind and he knows why he created a man's parts and a woman's parts. Why should anyone try to undo that?" Henry Luke Orombi, man of God  HERE

Wait!  Just a minute por favor!  I´m confused!  I respect nature and the ¨great creator¨ that modelled me and my sister (and Mom and Dad) showed a great deal of imagination and variation in our family. My loving God wasn´t ignornant, superstitious nor prefered right handed to left handed children.

As it turns out, neither do I deny the great variation in Gods people but there are many amongst us who fear/hate normal sexual variations...unfortunately for the sad bullies, haters and abusers of fellow human beings it is they who refuse to open their eyes to see God in all those around them.

My ¨body parts¨ are intact and as authentic as God first created them into being and are no doubt similar to Orombi´s or anyone elses...yikes, the good bishop is LIKE ME!

ANOTHER GOD KNOWING REVELATION:

US judge says lesbians can be ‘cured’ by male soldiers

¨Joe Rehyansky, a part-time magistrate and Vietnam veteran, wrote on conservative news site The Daily Caller that lesbians should be allowed to serve in the military because straight male soldiers could “convert” them. please read it all, HERE

· Thanks to Emmanuel N. Mugarura
· Thanks to The Monitor, Uganda
· Thanks to Pink News, sidebar

THANKSGIVING BLESSINGS FROM CENTRAL AMERICA: A Prayer of Thanksgiving in tribute to The Very Reverend Colin Slee who has died today

A Thanksgiving prayer for the The Very Reverend Colin Slee, the dean of Southwark Cathedral, Church of England, who has died.

Peace be with you. Beloved friend and trusted Anglican leader Colin Slee we are thankful for you and for all that you have done for the worldwide inclusion of ALL Episcopalians and Anglicans everywhere...we are thankful for your unconditional offering of love and for your open-door hospitality that encouraged true Christian unity at The Anglican Communion and beyond.
Amen

The Very Revd Colin Slee, The Dean of Southwark, died peacefully at his home surrounded by his family at 1am on Thursday 25 November.

May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

ALERT: Dr. Rowan Williams and The Church Of England Synod--Validate a shameful Anglican Covenant ¨cleansing¨ pogrom--sends it to the dioceses for review

A rotted-at-the-core campaign targeted against basic decency and all humanity has been endorsed by the Church of England Synod in the form of a punitive Anglican Communion Covenant that was passed today in London.  The ¨covenant¨ will now be sent to the Church of England dioceses for review and approval/not, and returned to the Synod for final acceptance/or not.

Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury has covertly steamrolled a no-debate vote for the exclusion of LGBTI people at all levels of Anglicanlife at the Synod.  Rowan Williams forced,  by threat and dishonorable pleading, the endorsement of a ¨covenant¨ that will most likely pertpetuate ignorance and will generate fear/hate and excluding at progressive as well as morally ¨challenged¨ provinces throughout the Anglican Communion.  Real Anglicans will suffer and even die because of the lack of moral and spiritual leadership and support at The Church of England Synod.  Many Anglicans worshipping in Global South Provinces of the Anglican Communion are in danger of being further demonized and abused thanks to the insistent demands of +Williams.

The Archbishop of Caturbury,  for some time, has ¨listened¨ carefully to those who demonize,  outcast, persecute and harm LGBTI Anglicans in Africa and beyond Africa as he ignores the bloody hate-crimes that are a result of irresponsible anti-LGBTI preaching at Church.   These are the facts for many of us:  Rowan Williams turned his head away from Hate Crimes in England, in Jamaica, in Africa and anywhere they occur-where innocent blood flows beacause of bigotry. Yesterday and today Rowan Williams looked away from universal suffering and abuse of LGBTI Anglicans in favor of promoting a deceitful and lofty plan of faux unity at The Anglican Communion. 

The harming of real LGBTI Anglicans worldwide by pandering for a dangerous covenant amongst puritans and self-righteous schemers/grandstanders and demeaners is spiritually damaged beliving.  Ignoring ¨the least amongst us¨ at The Body of Christ promotes and perpetuates emotionally twisted thinking at Church.

 Today Rowan Williams has become a bonafide dangerously irresponsible person and unfit spiritual leader.

AFRICAN LGBTI REALITIES: Are You Listening? Meet Denis Nzioka, Steave Nemande, David Kuria - Arguably Africa's most prominent/out gay activist citizens

Left to Right--Denis Nzioka, Kenya-Steave Nemande, Cameroon-Senate Candidate David Kuria, Kenya

I salute our brave LGBTI Activist Brothers and Sisters in Africa....all of them, seen and unseen, for taking the necessary steps forward to face a world of discrimination, persecution and often hounded by hate crimes, personal/intimate violations and even death. 

Each of us will perservere, as best we can, sometimes silently and sometimes boldly.

As I look into the picture of the three Men above (and think of our devoted brother Gay Uganda too who can´t be pictured because of the current pogrom in Kampala) I see joy and I feel joy too...the kind of joy that people like me experience when we are free ¨to be¨ the authentic people that God created us to be...it´s quite a celebration to feel joyous and FREE after being oppressed and despised! 

Make no mistake, ¨we¨ are ¨authentic¨ (even if you can´t see us, we are standing shoulder to shoulder with you) in our families, amongst our coworkers and friends. We are assimilated with you, our fellow citizens and join you in all that we collectively do at all levels of society...we are like them and you but we can no longer ignore the demonization and degration that has been spewn at us for lifetimes. 

We must say no to fear/superstition, hate, bigotry and lies.

Most of US are like OUR dear friends pictured above in Mother Africa--we have always been here next to you and we aren´t going away...ready or not, believe it or not, we are also the beloved and we are ¨now proud¨ and look forward to sharing our lives living productively amongst all of you.  We need not go far to do that as we are together already.

The unified LGBTI emerging voice in Africa:  ¨We are responsible¨

· Thanks to Gay Kenya, sidebar
· Thanks to Gay Uganda, sidebar
· Thanks to Cameroon
· Thanks to African Activist

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NO ANGLICAN COVENANT COALITION GATHERS MOMENTUM

NEWS RELEASE
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NO ANGLICAN COVENANT COALITION GATHERS MOMENTUM

LONDON – As the Church of England General Synod prepares to debate the proposed Anglican Covenant, a group of unlikely campaigners are working hard to ensure that there is a serious debate about the potential risks involved.

Started just three weeks ago after online conversations among a small number of international Anglican bloggers, the No Anglican Covenant Coalition has built on the work of two English groups, Inclusive Church and Modern Church, to set the shape of the debate.

“A month ago, General Synod and the entire Communion were sleepwalking into approving the Covenant without a proper discussion of the issue,” according to Coalition Moderator, the Revd. Dr. Lesley Fellows. “In some places, the Covenant was being presented as a means to punish North American Anglicans. In Britain, the United States and Canada, it was being spun as nothing more than a dispute resolution mechanism. I’ve spoken to many Synod members who were only dimly aware of the Anglican Covenant. An astonishing number of people thought I was referring to the Covenant with the Methodists.”

The week preceding the General Synod debate has seen a flood of articles criticizing the Covenant, including:

• an article by Canadian canon law expert the Revd. Canon Alan Perry, challenging the assertion that the Covenant would have no impact on the constitution and canons of member churches of the Communion;

• an article by the former Chancellor of the Anglican Church of Canada, the Hon. Ronald Stevenson QC, a former judge of the Court of Queen’s Bench, critical of the lack of clarity regarding the disciplinary procedures in the Covenant; and

• an article by the Bishop of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe, the Rt. Revd. Pierre Whalon, challenging the idea of enhancing communion by excluding those who disagree with the majority.

“We are all strongly committed to the Anglican Communion, but we are not convinced that this proposed Covenant will do anything to keep the Communion together,” according to the Revd. Malcolm French, the Coalition’s Canadian Convenor. “Covenant supporters have hurt their case by being dismissive of critics while failing to make a compelling case for this proposed Anglican Covenant. And no one has been prepared to explain the initial and ongoing costs to implement the Covenant.”

Within the last three weeks momentum has gathered to encourage the Church of England to wake up. Covenant. The first test will come tomorrow, when General Synod debates the Covenant and votes on a motion for initial approval, the first step towards final approval at a later session. Although significant decisions such as women in the episcopate about why the English House of Bishops has proposed only a simple majority for the Covenant.
-30-
noanglicancovenant.org
The articles referred to, and several others, can be found at: noanglicancovenant.org/resources.html

Revd. Dr. Lesley Fellows (England) +44 1844 239268

Dr. Lionel Deimel (USA) +1-412-512-9087

Revd. Malcolm French (Canada) +1-306-550-2277

Revd. Lawrence Kimberley (New Zealand) +64 3 981 7384

Revd. Hugh Magee +44 1334 470446

UPDATE: 

NO ANGLICAN COVENANT COALITION RESPONDS TO GENERAL SYNOD VOTE


LONDON – Responding to the voting on the proposed Anglican Covenant by the Church of England General Synod, No Anglican Covenant Coalition Moderator, the Revd. Dr. Lesley Fellows made the following statement:

“The No Anglican Covenant Coalition is disappointed that the Church of England has voted to continue consideration of the Anglican Covenant. The debate made it clear that many members believe the Covenant will undermine the traditional Anglican comprehensiveness. We have lost this round. We will continue to oppose the Covenant in the Diocesan Synods and work to defeat it when it returns to the General Synod.

“We note that the GAFCON Primates have said ‘the current text is fatally flawed and so support for this initiative is no longer appropriate.’ A two‐tier communion appears to be unavoidable.”

‐30‐

noanglicancovenant.org

The articles referred to, and several others, can be found  CLICK BELOW:

HERE

ATTN ANGLICAN PROVINCE OF THE WEST INDIES: Strident Religious and Political leaders must be confronted, resisted and their ¨influence¨ overturned

Newly appointed Archbishop of The West Indies, John Holder (left) receives the Crozier from former Archbishop of The West Indies Drexel Gomez (right).   +Drexel Gomez remains the chairperson, ¨as needed¨ for the ¨punitive¨ Anglican Communion Covenant

In the Caribbean, a call to stop discrimination against blacks and gays

Monday, 22 November 2010

"...12 countries of the English-speaking Caribbean still have laws criminalising sexual and intimate conduct between persons of the same sex". The commission named these countries as: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.

According to the commission's report, sentences range from 10 years in prison or forced labour to life imprisonment for consensual sexual conduct between adults of the same sex. The commission received information indicating that the very existence of such laws perpetuates unwarranted stereotypes, is a cause for fear in the sexually diverse community, and fosters impunity for serious crimes committed against this community.

Other detrimental factors that could be added to this are the spread of HIV/AIDS that could result from clandestine same-sex practices, the fear of seeing doctors, and the loss of a productive people who could make a real contribution to Caribbean development in the broadest meaning of that term.

There has been more than a handful of non-heterosexual Caribbean persons who have made a lasting contribution to Caribbean civilisation and whose worth and dignity have been publicly acclaimed. It is a frightening thought that the significant contribution of these persons could have been denied because of their personal and private sexual preferences.

The issue of decriminalising homosexuality between consenting adults has been confronted squarely in many parts of the world. Homosexuals and lesbians have served in the highest councils of government, business and the arts, and they continue to do so today.

In the Caribbean, the issue is linked to the doctrines of some religious groups and to their influence on people who vote in elections. Political parties have been loath to fall afoul of voters swayed by some strident religious leaders.

But just as discrimination against persons of African descent must be resisted and overturned wherever it occurs, so too must discrimination against consenting people of a different sexual persuasion. They are a part of our common humanity.¨  HERE

Bishop Gomez accusses the Episcopal Church of ¨teaching lies¨

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


Bishops Cameron and Gomez offer the ¨St Andrews Draft¨ which provides a ¨mechanism¨ for ¨provincial removal¨

¨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. HERE

The LGBTI blood drenched National Flag of Jamaica (hate crimes)

· Thanks to The Barbados Advocate, photo
· Thanks to The Jamaica Observer
· Thanks to Sir Ronald Sanders
· Thanks to Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR)
· Thanks to LGBT Asylum News, sidebar
· Thanks to The Organization of American States
· Thanks to The Caribbean Community (CARICOM)

LIVING HELL IN UGANDA: Priests, Bishops, Religious Sorcerers, Political Hatchetmen, Liars and Common Thieves Promote Abuse and Murder!

¨Ethics and Morals¨  Minister James Nasba Buturo

¨....Buturo. He is on my mind. Unsettled. But, what can I do?

Somewhere I read that he was once a witchdoctor. Maybe he is, because he manages to unsettle me, when I should not be. When I should be relaxed, sunning myself, on a very beautiful day. Holiday that I should have taken long ago, had to be bullied into taking.

He is far away, relaxed, at least so I think.

But, I am thinking of him. And his pride in bullying us. Using his bully pulpit to literally terrorise us, the undesirables of his world.

I am thinking of that in the last post. How he stopped a sex worker conference, where they were going to talk about HIV/AIDS. Yes, the guy is a bully. And, me being his whipping boy, I feel it.

And, the last word to that article in the Monitor, when Buturo said he was confident that the Anti-Homosexuality bill would become law.

Yes, it is that bill that gives me nightmares.

I know, it is aimed at us. That bill. Last night, talking to one of us, a kuchu, I told her that she shouldnt be worried. Of course I knew she should, but what can I say? I told her, first on the lists will be us. Because we are the 'militant' homosexuals, spreading homosexuality through our blogs and writing and activism. Prison, maybe the hangman for 'repeat offenders'.

A bully drives me into a corner. I cannot sleep. I cannot rest. My mind is in overdrive.

I must sleep. And use my energies well. Because, the bigger fight is coming HERE

NEW UGANDAN UNIVERSITY PUBLICATION KEEPS UP WAR ON GAYS

¨Campus Nail¨ Publication at Makerere University

Tabloids fighting the war on gays is a growth industry in Uganda. I am aware of the Red Pepper, Rolling Stone and the Onion. Now comes a Makerere University publication called the Campus Nail. Published by the same printing house that printed the Rolling Stone, the Campus Nail has another so-called expose of recruitment on the Makerere University campus. With a big picture of Martin Ssempa and the headline “Homosexuals Recruit 1000 Makerere Students,” the full page article follows the same type of writing found in the Rolling Stone.

According to this story, gays are mad and so are getting back by recruiting and sending graduates into the high schools to recruit some more.

Anglican Member of Parliament, David Bahati, author of  ¨Kill the Gays¨ Bill pending in Uganda

The article quotes ”a doctor in Colorado USA” that says that homosexuality is more dangerous than smoking (why does this set me laughing?  Bahati is trying to kill  homosexuals so why would he possibly be concerned about shorter life spans for Gays who smoke?  Maybe he ought better introduce legislation to put warning labels on our packages?  Beats the Hell out being murdered by religious fanatics grandstanding for American bigot cash...Leonardo Ricardo). Paul Cameron’s name is not used but his “studies” are cited to demonstrate that homosexuality cuts 24 years off one’s life. Recently, David Bahati told Canadian radio a similar statistic. I guess we know where the Ugandans are getting their information.HERE

Another Anti-Gay American Bigot Hawks Religion in Africa

by Wayne Besen

What is it with Uganda and homo-obsessed Christians? Are their lives so empty and faith so barren that they most go half way across the world to make peoples’ lives miserable? HERE

· Thanks to Thomas Muyunga, Makeree University ¨Campus Nail¨ Photo
· Thanks to Gay Uganda, sidebar
· Thanks to Warren Throckmorton, sidebar
· Thanks to Flickr Photo Sharing
· Thanks to Wayne Besen
· Thanks to Truth Wins Out, sidebar

THE PUNITIVE ANGLICAN COVENANT: ¨The conservatives in Africa and the US have been getting impatient, because until the Covenant is ratified, there is nothing to beat the Episcopal Church in the US over the head with.¨

¨We have seen the pressure put on the liberals to comply with conservative practice and ideals. Where is the pressure on the conservatives to accept the liberals? ¨

¨Rowan turns rough¨

REFLECTIONS:  ¨Is Rowan Williams finally getting tough? And is he doing so with the right people?¨

Paul Handley
The Guardian United Kingdom

¨...For a while, the Covenant stuff was all "in the fullness of time", as each province slowly worked itself round to debating it internally. The result is that only Mexico has so far adopted it: what you might call a low-key start. The conservatives in Africa and the US have been getting impatient, because until the Covenant is ratified, there is nothing to beat the Episcopal Church in the US over the head with. So, in his Pentecost Letter in May, New Rowan ruled that anybody from a province that appears to be erring, e.g. the US and Canada, should be thrown off the Communion's central committees. More than this, he actually set about doing it.

Next, women bishops. The General Synod decided in July 2008 to press ahead with women bishops without giving any cast-iron, legal safeguards to those who don't accept them. There would be a code of practice, but nothing legally binding. Since then has come the Pope's offer of sanctuary for traditionalists in the Roman Catholic Church.

In the light of this, New Rowan, joined by the Archbishop of York, a fortnight ago concocted their own cunning plan, introducing the idea of co- ordinate bishops for the traditionalists, so that each diocese has a sort of episcopal twin-set. Supporters of women bishops haven't been overwhelmingly enthusiastic; but hey, says Rowan, I'm an Archbishop. So, there we have it: at long last, the bearded hippy finds his true voice, and it turns out to be a reactionary, authoritarian one.

It's a good story, but is it true? It might be worth mentioning a few contrary indications. So, on the Covenant front, the Anglican secretariat is also chasing the conservatives who have been operating unbidden in other people's provinces. This is no more Anglican behaviour than it is to bless gay couples, they are told, so why should they sit on the central committees, either? As for the women, the Archbishops' proposal maintains the principle that the diocesan bishop is responsible for all the parishes in his or her dioceses, whatever services the co-ordinate bishop provides.

These are slightly technical details, but they point up a key element in the New Rowan strategy: all his moves are designed to hold the Church together. When it comes to a clash between unity and truth, from the evidence of his actions, Rowan will always prod and poke at the truth bit to see if it crumbles a little. Unity is pretty much sacrocanct, and becoming more so as the years roll on. In the past, he treated his flock more or less as adults. If they really wanted to squabble or flounce off, it really wasn't his job to try to stop them. Lately, though, it looks as if there has been a change of heart, and the don is beginning to look a bit more like a headteacher.

The message — "Be nice, children" — isn't particularly radical, and is accompanied by various suggestions for compromise; but at least the suggestions are there. The problem, of course, is that the message is universally applied. This might seem scrupulously fair, but because the conservatives and the traditionalists are the ones threatening to walk, they have been the focus of Rowan's attention. We have seen the pressure put on the liberals to comply with conservative practice and ideals. Where is the pressure on the conservatives to accept the liberals?¨ read it all, HERE

· Thanks to The Guardian, United Kingdom
· Thanks to Paul Handley

CONSIDERING THE ANGLICAN COVENANT ON SATURDAY: ¨Please vote against the Covenant if you are unhappy with it, worried about its implications...¨

  

Reasons to vote for/against the Covenant, by Paul Bagshaw, ¨Not the same stream¨

The Anglican Communion Covenant:  ¨..the enemy within is more dangerous than the enemy without so any confessional statement is simultaneously intended to unite and divide¨

What is the Covenant supposed to solve?


It will hardly come as a surprise to anyone reading this that I really don't like the Covenant. More than that, I think it is profoundly misguided, a denial of so much that is precious in the Anglican tradition that we have inherited, and a pitiful response to the deep divisions of the Church. HERE

Vote for/against the Covenant  (a daily series of arguments) HERE
Argument for Saturday, November 20, 2010

Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury

Voting for the Covenant to support the Archbishop of Canterbury?

Oddly, this is the most frequently stated reason that I've heard for voting for the Covenant. It seems to be said most often by people who aren't very happy with the Covenant themselves but think they ought to vote for it.

It's a very difficult stance to argue against. I am all in favour of loyalty, respect, affection, regard. It is also true that the sustained judgement of leaders in any organization should weigh heavily in any corporate decision making. (Certainly more heavily than a bloggers'.)

But at the same time members of any governing body are there to exercise their own judgement, to weigh all the factors - evidence, judgement, loyalties, consequences - and to make a decision accordingly.

Vote against the Covenant

So - no arguments, just a request - please vote for the Covenant if you are convinced that, on the balance of probabilities, the Covenant will be good for the Communion.

Please vote against the Covenant if you are unhappy with it, worried about its implications or feel that there needs to be more time to consider it properly before it's brought to the Synod.

And, if you don't know, or if you are unhappy about the Covenant but do not wish to cast a vote against the Archbishop, please abstain.

Vote against the Covenant.HERE

 (cartoon and emphasis added by Leonardo Ricardo)

· Thanks to Paul Bagshaw, sidebar
· Thanks to Not the same stream, sidebar
· Thanks to No Anglican Covenant Coalition: Comprehensive Unity, sidebar

FROM GUANGZHOU CHINA with LOVE: “It doesn’t matter if our children are gay or straight – just like it doesn’t matter if they are left-handed or right-handed”

¨Mama Wu¨ Unlikely Hero for Homosexuals in China



When Wu Youjian’s teenage son told her on a spring night in 1999 that he was gay, Wu did something rarely heard of in China. “I told him, there’s nothing wrong with liking boys and it’s no big deal,” said the 63-year-old retired magazine editor.
Five years later, when her son discussed his sexuality on local television in the southern metropolis of Guangzhou, Wu made another groundbreaking decision. She became what state media calls the first Chinese parent to go on television in support of her gay child.

Zheng Yuantao, 30, knows how lucky he is to have such a mother.

“Many of my gay friends are afraid of going home during holidays, because their parents would ask about girlfriends and press them to get married,” he said.

“I grew up in a very open-minded family,” he added. “I didn’t have too much of a struggle about my sexuality.”

Wu now devotes her time and energy to speaking up for gay acceptance by family and society. Her small frame belies her big role in China’s gay community, where she is affectionately called “Mama Wu.”

She taught herself to use a computer three years ago and now writes a blog that has clocked more than 2.2 million hits. She also tweets frequently, has launched a hotline and founded the country’s first PFLAG – Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays – group in her hometown.

“I just followed my instinct and my love for my son,” Wu said.

For other Chinese parents in her situation, however, instinct usually means a deep sense of shame. Many refuse to face the reality and some sever ties with their gay children. Others scheme to break up their children’s relationships. Some may insist on psychiatric treatments, while others may threaten to commit suicide if their children don’t change.

‘Mama Wu’ inspires other Chinese parents of gay children

“In China, we consider carrying on the family line of paramount importance, but we don’t value the happiness of individuals,” said Li Yinhe, a sociologist with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Societal pressure cooker

Suicide is high among Chinese homosexuals, Li said, with some surveys saying as many as 30 percent of gay youth attempt to take their lives. That trend mirrors the United States, where a spate of suicides by gay adolescents in recent months has shaken the nation.

Most gay men in China still succumb to social pressure and marry women. It once meant heterosexual marriages, often with children, Li said. Now, gay community activists say a small but growing number of young gay men in big cities are tying the knot with lesbians to both placate families and maintain their lifestyles.

Li conducted China’s first comprehensive surveys on gay men. She published her findings in a 1992 book, which Wu credited for shaping her views on homosexuality.

While society at large has loosened up on homosexuality, Li said, family pressure on gay people remains strong because of deep-rooted Confucian ideas and the government’s one-child policy – making Wu’s words and actions all the more powerful.

“No one would listen to an outsider, but she is not – she is a mother whose only son is gay,” Li said. “Others would wonder, if she can handle it so well, why can’t I.” read it all HERE

· Thanks to Behind the Mask, sidebar
· Thanks to Mama Wu Youjian, China
· Thanks to Zheng Yuantao

Steave Nemande of Cameroon: ¨All over Africa, millions of people are living in fear of violence and death simply because of who they are.¨

Human Rights Watch honoured Steave Nemande of Cameroon

Human Rights Watch honoured Steave Nemande of Cameroon with the prestigious Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism on Monday night in Los Angeles. Steave Nemande is the director of Alternatives-Cameroon, an organisation that advocates decriminalisation of homosexuality in Africa.  His acceptance speech:

¨Thank you for coming here tonight to support human rights, and to recognize that gay people have the same rights as anyone else.


I know this issue is still difficult even in this country. I know that gay people can’t marry in most states. Gay people might get the right to serve your country in the armed forces, if Congress agrees.

Believe me, I wish those were the issues we face in Cameroon. But, in Cameroon, as in most of Africa, homosexuality is still a criminal offense.

Last week, while Boris [Dittrich, Acting Director of Human Rights Watch's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Division] and I were at a meeting in Cameroon, I got a phone call. Three guys had been arrested — for being homosexual. Boris was shocked. But it happens all the time.

We went to the police station and found the men, who had spent more than 2 days behind bars, in a tiny cement cell filled with dirt and flies.

We asked for the police chief to meet us. After a discussion, he agreed to release the men.

It turned out the three had actually called the police because they were being threatened by their neighbors. But when the officers arrived, they arrested the gays — no warrant, no evidence of a sexual act. It happens like that all the time.

So, after our intervention, these men were released — and without even paying off the cops! That might sound like a happy ending. Not in Cameroon. Those men had to leave their home, their neighborhood, their community, to escape the stigma of homosexuality. They will have to try to make a new secret life somewhere else.

People often justify discrimination and abuse of homosexuals by saying, “It’s against the law.”

What does this mean? If you are gay in Cameroon, you never feel safe. Any person can simply denounce you as gay and that’s it, that’s the end of your life as you have known it.

Not very many people in Cameroon are openly gay. I am one of the few. I’m lucky to have a father who supports me. He is also a doctor, and we understand each other very well. Many gay people in Africa do not have the support of their family. They are living in hiding. Many gay men are married, or have girlfriends. Women kiss and hold hands on the street without attracting too much attention, but if their families know they are lesbians, they may be beaten or chased away without the right to see their children ever again.

This attitude also has public health consequences. Living in secrecy, gay people are afraid to tell their doctor who they are and have no access to the right information. Not practicing safer sex, they spread HIV more easily.

All over Africa, millions of people are living in fear of violence and death simply because of who they are.

We will not overcome the homophobia in Africa overnight. But we have to start the process. The United States can help by telling its partners in Africa to stop abusing homosexuals — and to change these laws.

Alternatives Cameroun worked with Human Rights Watch to document the violence that gay men and lesbian women in Cameroon suffer. We put that information on the record, because no one wants to believe these things are happening. Everyone wants to turn a blind eye.

I am grateful that you want to hear my voice calling for equal rights. I see this award as a recognition of the wonderful and important work of people who want to improve the life of lesbians and gay people in Africa. And I thank Human Rights Watch for being such a committed partner and strong trustworthy supporter.¨ HERE

· Thanks to African Activist, sidebar
· Thanks to Steave Nemande of Cameroon
· Thanks to Human Rights Watch
· Thanks to Boris Dittrich
· Thanks to Amplifying Africa's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Voices