The Republic of Uganda vs. Nsubuga Sydney Alias Enoch: ¨JUSTICE MUST PREVAIL¨ Bishop Christopher Ssenyonjo

The Mukono Grade Two Magistrate Charles Kadisi has remanded Enock Nsubuga Balibagga, who is accused of murdering David Kato, to Luzira prison

¨Enoch Sydney Nsubuga, David Kato's alleged murderer, has been remanded to Luzira prison to await his trial. The trial itself has been delayed a second time prompting speculation that the state needs more time to investigate the case.¨ African Activist, HERE

The Mukono Grade Two Magistrate Charles Kadisi has remanded Enock Nsubuga Balibagga, who is accused of murdering David Kato, to Luzira prison. David Kato was a prominent Ugandan gay rights activist.

Enock Nsubuga Balibagga, 22 years, who is being prosecuted by David Toskin, has been remanded on charges of murdering David Kato on 26th January, 2011 at the deceased’s house at Bukasa village, Kyetume in Mukono district.

Nsubuga was netted on Wednesday 02 February by Mukono police following a tip off by his uncle about his whereabouts. He had been hiding at Nakabago. Nsubuga has been remanded to Luzira prison until 17th of March 2011 when the case will again come up for mention...¨  The Daily Monitor,  HERE

The murder case of slain gay rights activist David Kato has been postponed for the second time to 17 March 2011. Executive Director for Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) Frank Mugisha told Behind the Mask that the case was mentioned in court and postponed without a hearing, leaving them to guess that the state needs to investigate further.

“I am however kind of concerned about the delay but then maybe they need time to properly investigate and get more evidence regarding this case," Mugisha said.

During the first court appearance suspected perpetrator Sydney Alias Enoch Nsubuga was remanded in custody after the case of the Republic of Uganda vs. Nsubuga Sydney Alias Enoch was presented by the prosecutor before Grade II Magistrate, Nabbasa Ruth who called for the adjournment...¨ Behind the Mask, HERE

¨The European Parliament recently issued a statement calling on authorities to carry out an in-depth and impartial investigation including "individuals who publicly called for the killing of David Kato, as well as their organisations, role and funding." The European Parliament HERE

·  Thanks to African Activist, sidebar
·  Thanks to Behind The Mask, sidebar
·  Thanks to The Daily Monitor, Uganda

Special thanks to The Rt. Reverend Christopher Ssenyonjo, Spiritual Counselor to the LGBTI Community of Uganda

GAY IN UGANDA/PART THREE: ¨My anger fuelled my writing and blogging....I found like-minded ´activists´ intent on doing something about the world of lies that we lived in...¨

¨...we are both gay and Ugandan without a doubt. And, we are survivors, which must count for something, right?¨

Finding a Voice

It started slowly for me. Maybe it does for all of us. Once I was convinced that I was not bad because I loved my man, it was a simple logical jump to the fact that I had been deceived, for a good part of my life by those who said that to be gay was in itself bad. I was angry, and the anger was stoked, carefully. My love of books had led me to more introspection. I realized that there was much that I didn’t know, that what I had taken to be immutable truths were in fact no more than the ill-informed opinions of a few idiots. The coming of the Internet to Uganda was like being thrown into the world's biggest library.

I was angered by what I learned.

But my partner, not as involved as I was at the time, urged caution, reminding me that we were together. Risking my own exposure meant I risked his life too. And in Uganda, the probable consequences of exposure for kuchus are frightening.

¨...in Uganda the probable cosequences of exposure for kuchus are frightening.¨

My anger fuelled my writing and blogging. It was channelled into other things as well. I found like-minded “activists” intent on doing something about the world of lies that we lived in.

Being gay in Uganda is tough. Being a gay activist in Uganda is much tougher.

But the anger helped, and so did the fact that my lover was soon joining me in our activist struggle. Incensed by the seemingly unrelenting assault on us by both familiar and anonymous Ugandans, we started fighting back, if only to save our sanity. Yes, more and more people came to know that we were gay, covertly, and overtly. We have been outed a number of times in the newspapers, a risk that we ran because we were activists. “We can’t hide forever,” we opined, and continued along on our dangerous path.

My parents eventually learned the truth. I was surprised when, about three years ago, my dad came to warn us that the police had been told to arrest homosexuals. He couldn't say the words, just motioned to my partner and me.

That was his way of telling us that he knew. And, once I got enough courage to talk to him, I was met with an uncompromising demand. He needed a child from me, preferably male, to serve as an heir to the family line. Later, finding that I was not heeding his demand, even after numerous reminders and hints, he dropped his expectations—at least give him a girl child, he begged.

Meanwhile, my increasing identification with the shadowy homosexual groups was becoming more and more apparent. It got to the point when I felt I had to tell my brothers, at least some of them, that I was gay. No need to hide any longer.

Not so, said my father, now worried that the common knowledge that I was gay would undo a lifetime of his work. He is a clan leader, a respected elder in our community, and the shame that was mine would be visited upon him, he told me.

Oh, well. Tough.

I am glad that we agreed to disagree ... or is it that I was just the more stubborn of the two? I had feared telling him but, as a matter of fact, in these, his declining years, my Dad does not seem to mind so much anymore. Even the demands for a child have dropped, though I plan to have one ... although how this will happen remains uncertain right now.

An Uncertain Future

The activism of my partner and I has propelled us more and more into the spotlight. When the head of the Uganda AIDS Commission accepted that gay men existed in Uganda, stigmatizing us as one of the ”drivers” of the HIV epidemic, and then said that the government had no plans to tackle HIV prevention in gay people, we were part of the group that stormed the Implementers Meeting, an international health conference. (The late activist David Kato was with us.) Three of us were arrested, jailed, and prosecuted.1 It was only after the AIDS 2008 Conference in Mexico City, after the country came under much ridicule by the international community, that the case was finally dropped.

In 2009 three American evangelists came to Uganda to teach about the evils of the “Homosexual Agenda.” We organized a group to hear this, the latest upsurge in hate speech and lies about our sexuality. And, after that, in October 2009 came the infamous Anti-Homosexuality Bill in the Ugandan parliament.

Anglican MP David ¨Kill all the Gays¨ Bahati -- author of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill before the Parliament of Uganda

Reading the text of the bill, I remarked to my partner that, according to the proposed law, we deserved the death penalty. Well, we are “serial offenders,” aren’t we? That was the lowest ebb in our lives. I remember that I felt the worst kind of despair. There was even something called the “homosexual touch”—as if our touch could spread homosexuality like a disease. We are lepers, to be shunned. The only thing good for us was death or life imprisonment: that is what our countrymen thought of us.

That crisis was weathered, in a way: the bill stalled in parliament and we breathed a sigh of relief. Prematurely, it turned out, because this is Uganda, and gay people like us cannot be left in peace.

The Rolling Stone newspaper soon started its campaign outing gay Ugandans like never before, calling for our hanging and arrest. It was different from usual—this time our pictures were featured in the rag, captioned with what most Ugandans believed we deserved: “Hang Them.”

Anglican David Kato.  ¨At his burial, a preacher felt that it was his right to warn the crowd about the death that awaited all homos¨

David Kato was one of the three activists who dared to take the paper to court. He and his fellow plaintiffs won. The law was blind to the fact that he was gay, though the accused were ready to show proof. He paid the ultimate price, bludgeoned to death in his own home. With glee, those who had recently called for his hanging swiftly labelled his murder a robbery or an incident of “gay on gay” bashing, and accused him, even in death, of the usual crimes of “recruiting” gay men or of being gay for money.

At his burial, a preacher felt that it was his right to warn the crowd about the death that awaited all homos. Well, we are kuchus. The microphone was snatched from the preacher's hands while he was at full harangue, and we continued on to bury our fallen comrade.

Yes, it is tough, being gay, and Ugandan.

But, we are both gay and Ugandan without a doubt. And, we are survivors, which must count for something, right? HERE

GROWING UP GAY IN UGANDA PART ONE:  HERE

GROWING UP GAY IN UGANDA PART TWO: HERE

· Thanks to Gay Uganda, sidebar

· Thanks to The Mantle, ¨A Forum for Progressive Critique¨

OUT/PROUD UGANDAN HERO: Kasha Jacqueline Nominated to the Women Deliver 100 List

Kasha Jacqueline, Director and founder of Freedom and Roam Uganda

Amplifying Africa's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Voices

¨In celebration of the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, Women Deliver is announcing the “Women Deliver 100,” a list of the hundred most inspiring people who have delivered for girls and women. Kasha Jacqueline, the Director and founder of Freedom and Roam Uganda (FARUG), is one of two Ugandan women on the list.

How she delivers for women: In a country where coming out can mean putting one’s life on the line, Jacqueline has stood up as both a proud lesbian and an advocate for LGBT rights. She founded Freedom and Roam Uganda to speak out against homophobia, train LGBT individuals as community leaders, and raise awareness of human rights abuses. In 2010, when the Ugandan newspaper Rolling Stone published pictures and addresses of 100 LGBT individuals next to the headline “Hang Them,” Jacqueline and two other advocates won a landmark case against the paper – the first legislative decision in Uganda protecting the rights of LGBT individuals. She has endured repeated threats, but remains undeterred, lobbying against the country’s proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which would punish homosexuality with death. For her unimaginable courage in the face of slander, death threats and stifling oppression, we honor Jacqueline as a true hero...¨ read it all,  HERE

·  Thanks to African Activist, sidebar
·  Thanks to Kasha Jacqueline
·  Thanks to ¨Women Deliver 100 List¨
·  Thanks to Freedom and Roam Uganda (FARUG)
·  Thanks to New Vision Online, Uganda HERE
·  Thanks to Cecilia Okoth, Uganda 

Honoring the brave ¨kuchus¨ of Uganda

Late at night/thinking of John Galliano: I knew hateful words. Vile words that often poured out of the mouths of people like him and me.



Disgraced fashion designer John Galliano   HERE

I felt very sick watching and listening to John Galliano today as a newly revealed video/audio tape played and featured him uttering vile things to other human beings at a bar in Paris a couple of weeks ago. I shuddered as he mumbled those hateful things and as he slurred then regurgitated out-of-his-mind filth words--nearly full blown insanity words delivered by the active alcoholism that was obviously damaging and driving him.  The booze was tearing him into pieces, demoralizing him as no one else could have and it did it far better and far more destructively than the ¨insults¨ he blubbered...he was trapped, body and soul, John Gallianos bitterly, stridently, howled as he clung to reality, gasped a few final evil words as he lunged all the way down, down, down into the lost-world of incomprehensible demoralization...a place where he, no doubt, has visited before.

John Galliano said the kind of vile things that had a certain ¨ring¨ to me--they held a familiar haunting and shudder-causing ¨feeling¨ in me even though the worst of those ¨utterances¨ stopped spilling out of my own mouth over three decades ago. 

I knew hateful words. Words that often poured out of the mouths of people like him and me. 

This time it is John Galliano who is ¨actively¨ ill. 

I think the out-of-control and unstoppable spewing of hate comes from the down under-everything-else place.  A inside place that is far deeper than any shred of ¨pretend¨ or artificial ¨dignity¨ on the surface that  may be seen/heard attempting to hide the most fearfilled ¨falling off place.¨   The out of control place, the one way trip down to the deepest darkest self-loathing level of personal horror where/when one realizes they can not keep trying to pretend ¨things¨ are different than they really are...a dreaded glimpse of personal reality/loathing and profound pain, the place where one must face/accept the ¨things¨ they can not change and change the things they can change...they can change if he and me are both capable of being honest with ourselves...one day at a time, individually yet together in spirit.

Pray for the addicted, the abusers and for those who are victims of abuse.

Lord have mercy

A PATTERN OF BIAS AND MANIPULATION: The No Anglican Covenant Coalition has criticized church officials for attempting to suppress honest discussion of the proposed Anglican Covenant.

NEWS RELEASE

NO ANGLICAN COALITION CALLS FOR FAIR PROCESS AND HONEST DEBATE

LONDON —The No Anglican Covenant Coalition has criticized church officials for attempting to suppress honest discussion of the proposed Anglican Covenant.

"Instead of fostering a free and open discussion, church officials are trying to ensure that this radical document is endorsed without serious debate," according to Coalition Moderator, Dr Lesley Fellows. "Unfortunately, this is entirely consistent with what has been happening throughout the process."

The idea of an Anglican Covenant was first proposed officially in 2004 as a means of addressing divisions among the member churches of the Anglican Communion on matters ranging from human sexuality to the role of women. The current draft, which has been unilaterally designated as "final", has been referred to the Communion churches for adoption. The proposed Covenant establishes mechanisms that would have the effect of forcing member churches to conform to the demands and expectations of other churches or risk exclusion from the Communion. The draft must be either accepted without amendment or rejected entirely; no other options are allowed.

A series of decisions demonstrate a pattern of bias and manipulation designed to facilitate Covenant adoption:

November 2010 — When the Church of England debated the Anglican Covenant, official materials prepared for General Synod members made no reference to the concerns of critics or to the case against the Covenant. This was in marked contrast to what happened in 2007, when the House of Bishops agreed that an additional briefing document presenting opposing arguments should be circulated to all General Synod members in advance of the debate.

November 2010 — When Modern Church and Inclusive Church placed advertisements critical of the proposed Covenant in the church press, and when the No Anglican Covenant Coalition was launched, Covenant sceptics were criticized by senior church officials for going public and "campaigning" instead of remaining silent.

December 2010 — When the draft Covenant was formally referred to English dioceses, the referral document provided a random list of quotations from the last General Synod debate, with pro‐ and anti‐Covenant remarks mixed up together, followed by a purely pro‐Covenant presentation.

January 2011 — A request by Covenant opponents to the Business Committee of General Synod to circulate material setting out the case against the Covenant was rejected.

February 2011 — The Anglican Communion Office issued an official study guide and list of questions and answers for international use that neither provide a balanced look at the issues nor fairly represent the views of those critical of the Covenant.

"In the history of General Synod, we know of no instance where such an important matter (designated as Article 8) has been referred to diocesan synods without the case for both sides being clearly set out," according to Jonathan Clatworthy, General Secretary of Modern Church and a member of the No Anglican Covenant Coalition. "Both sides were represented regarding the most recent plans for unity with the Methodists. That was the case at every stage of the debate over the ordination of women as priests, and now, as bishops. The material concerning the Covenant falls far short of the ideals of justice, of the Anglican tradition. Even in the House of Commons, all sides of an issue are allowed to be heard."

The No Anglican Covenant Coalition website, noanglicancovenant.org, provides a wealth of resources for those seeking to understand the proposed Anglican Covenant. Material specifically designed for use by Church of England dioceses is also available from the Modern Church Web site at modernchurch.org.uk/resources/mc/cofe.

"Diocesan synods in the Church of England deserve to hear all sides of the debate," said Dr Fellows. "We are not afraid of an open, fair, and honest debate. If the supporters of the Covenant had a stronger case, perhaps they wouldn’t be either."

‐ 30 ‐

UPDATE

Perfect fear casts out love

¨So much of what has been driving the machinations of international Anglicanism over the past 15 years or so has been rooted in fear—fear of women, fear of LGBTQTS, fear of modernity, fear of post-modernity, fear of the loss of privilege, fear of the loss of power and influence.

People who are fearful do funny things.

As often, they will do scary things.

But the one thing that fearful people will consistently do is attempt to assert control.

For the fearful, every discussion inevitably degenerates into a metaphorical (and sometimes not so metaphorical) street fight.

Eventually, right and wrong become an irrelevance. The only thing that matters is how something affects the street fight, and whether or not it is good for “my side.”

Sadly, that is the point we’ve now reached in international Anglicanism, and in the deliberations on the proposed Anglican Covenant. Full and fair debate is no longer on the table—at least at the Anglican Communion Office, Lambeth Palace, or Church House in Westminster.

For those who surround the Archbishop of Canterbury, no quarter can be shown to those of us who dare to question the ineffable perfection of the arbitrarily “final” draft of the proposed Anglican Covenant.

Today’s news release (warning—.pdf) describes several ways in which those at “the centre” have conspired to ensure that the majority of General Synod and diocesan synod delegates in the Church of England never have the opportunity to hear the legitimate concerns that have been raised about the proposed Covenant.

•In November 2010, Church of England officials distributed background material on the proposed Anglican Covenant to General Synod members consisting entirely of pro-Covenant material and with no acknowledgement that there even might be contrary viewpoints.

•When Modern Church and Inclusive Church used paid advertisements in the church press to raise their concerns, the Archbishop of Canterbury himself used the bully pulpit of his presidential address to synod to condemn Covenant sceptics for “campaigning.”

•Throughout December and January, Church House officials stood firm in refusing to allow any prepared material to be distributed through official channels that was not 100 percent supportive of the Covenant. Indeed, the only concerns ever referenced were part of a document that used vapid “arguments” to suggest that any concerns were completely illegitimate and undeserving of a fair hearing. The one (arguable) exception to this was the distribution of the entire transcript of the Covenant debate at the November sitting of General Synod—and we all know how people love to pour over dry transcripts of debates and proceedings.

•More recently, the Anglican Communion Office has published a “Study Guide” which is nothing more than an intellectually barren puff piece, again with no serious engagement with any arguments against the Covenant.

The NACC news release did not bother to mention some of the more unseemly tactics coming from “the centre,” including a former ACO official accusing Covenant-sceptics of being fascists or current senior ACO officials claiming that critics had not read the Covenant draft. Round this out with the constant emotional blackmail that somehow to question the proposed Covenant is to be disloyal to the Archbishop and you have pretty much the entire pro-Covenant case, at least from official sources: marginalization, misrepresentation, malicious slander, and emotional blackmail.

Real leaders are not afraid of open debate.


Real leaders are not afraid of being contradicted.


Real leaders do not seek to be surrounded by yes-men and sycophants.


The Anglican Communion is dying for real leadership.

Archbishop Williams, I beg you: show real leadership on this. Call off the sycophants who serve you so ill and tell them you want a full, free, and fair debate on the merits of the proposed Anglican Covenant.

To win the debate any other way will discredit both the proposed Covenant and your legacy.¨  HERE (emphasis added by Leonardo Ricardo)

·  Thanks to Revd Dr Lesley Fellows (England) +44 184 4239 268
·  Thanks to Revd Canon Hugh Magee (Scotland) +44 133 4470 446
·  Thanks to Dr Lionel Deimel (USA) +;1 412 512 9087
·  Thanks to Revd Malcolm French (Canada) +;1 306 550 2277
·  Thanks to Revd Lawrence Kimberley (New Zealand) +64 3 981 7384

Resources for  Anglicans for Comprehensive Unity HERE

¨Whoever humbles himself will be exalted¨ (Mattew 23:12): ¨...people including faith leaders should not judge others without examining their own lives first..¨ Bishop Masala/ Malawi

The Rt. Reverend Brightson Masala, Malawi

Anglican Bishop Masala called for a more "generous pastoral response" to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons

Anglican Bishop Masala Tackles "Crude Intolerance" of Malawi Council of Churches (MCC)

Anglican Bishop Masala called for a more "generous pastoral response" to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons than the recent response offered by the Malawi Council of Churches (MCC) to support the government's criminalisation of sex between women.

Masala's recommended pastoral response, while more generous, boils down to "love the sinner, hate the sin." Certainly better than being sentenced to 14 years of hard labour.

Homosexuals and prostitutes have welcomed the call by the Anglican Bishop for Upper Shire Diocese of Malawi that people including faith leaders should not judge others without examining their own lives first.

Bishop Brightson Malasa said at a two-day religious leaders meeting for risk groups in Malawi held in Mangochi that “finger-pointing, condemnation and discrimination” that the church allow to groups such as prostitutes and homosexuals, encourages the spread of HIV and Aids.

Bishop Malasa: Those who have not sinned should cast first stone to gays, prostitutes

He told the “Generous Pastoral Response” meeting under the Malawi Network of Religious Leaders Living or Personally Affected by HIV and Aids (Manerela+) that: “Just like Jesus Christ himself, you [the Church] are there for sinners.

“We are there for the condemned, sinners, marginalised groups and those that have no voice. This is living the gospel; we should embrace God’s flock without discrimination.”...

The bishops said churches, mosques and all centres of prayer, should embrace, love and work with them “to impart the right values.”... HERE



The CAPA All African (with guests) Anglican Bishops Conference Entebbe, Uganda

How many amongst the ¨exalted¨ African/other Anglican/other Bishops who met in Entebbe, Uganda are ¨true servants¨ who offer ¨generous pastoral responses without discrimination ¨ to LGBTI Anglicans/others?

 Matthew 23:11 -- The greatest among you will be your servant.

Matthew 23:12 -- For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

·  Thanks to African Activist, sidebar
·  Thanks to Amplifying Africa's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Voices
·  Thanks to The Rt. Reverend Brightson Masala, Malawi

HIS NIGERIAN GRACELESSNESS: ¨Do not come here to tell me about grace; what grace? We will never accept it”, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh furiously replied.

Bishop ¨Furious¨  and ¨ Fearful¨ of  ¨Invading LGBTI people¨ HERE Okoh, Primate of Nigeria

In an unexpected but dramatic turn of events at St Marylebone Parish Church London, the Coordinator of Justice for Gay Africans Society [JfGA], Mr. Godwyns Onwuchekwa, confronted the newly consecrated Archbishop of the Anglican Church in Nigeria on issues relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people [LGBT].

"Let me say this; the Anglican Church in Nigeria, emphatically does not accept gay people. Our bible is against it, the word of God is against it. Gay or lesbianism or whatever… it is like saying we condone drug users. What we offer them is repentance and deliverance from that evil spirit. Do not come here to tell me about grace; what grace? We will never accept it”, the Archbishop furiously replied.

The Archbishop, the Most Revd. Nicholas Okoh succeeded the former well known homophobe Peter Akinola. Mr. Okoh was on a pastoral visit to Nigerians of the Anglican faith in the UK and held an interactive open meeting at St Marylebone Parish Church London.

In his question, Godwyns who was brought up a Christian of the Anglican faith quoted the controversial Leviticus 18:22 which condemns homosexual sex, but also compared it to the subsequent verses in the same line of laws in Leviticus 21:17 which outlaws priests with physical disabilities. He then asked how the Archbishop how he will turn a new page for the church in Nigeria to desist from influencing state-sponsored homophobia...¨

Peter ¨Massacre at Yelwa¨ HERE Akinola, ¨homophoic¨ former Primate of Nigeria

“While Mr. Okoh did not come across as hateful as his predecessor, the hint of homophobia in him was evidently clear. However, unlike his predecessor, his tolerance to take the question and respond to it indicates a ray of light if there be onward peaceful dialogue and this is what we hope to continue to seek. We will continue to engage and hope that people in the black communities would embrace such dialogue towards understanding and respecting the natural rights of LGBT people amongst them”, says Godwyns Onwuchekwa.

The audience of about 100 people, mainly of Nigerian origin were divided on the issue. At the end of the Archbishop’s adamant response, a few of them clapped to it. The meeting ended without any physical quarrel and the Archbishop went to the back seats to meet Godwyns and hugged him... read it all,  HERE

Nigeria: Anglican Communion Holds Committee Meeting in Owerri

ALL is now set for the standing Committee of the Church of Nigeria(Anglican Communion) holding in Owerri, Imo State capital from March 1-5.

The twice in a year event, which is the executive arm of the General synod of the Church of Nigeria, would be Presided over by the Primate, His Grace, The Most Rev'd. Nicholas Okoh. No fewer than 1000 delegates including 14 Archbishops and 165 Bishops are expected to congregate at the Cathedral Church of the Transfiguration of Our Lord (CATOL) in the Eastern Heartland of this ecclesiastical brainstorming event.

Archbishop of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province and Bishop of Orlu, His Grace, Most Rev'd Bennett Okoro PhD disclosed these facts to journalists, at the Bishop's Bourne Owerri, during the pre-event briefing.

He traced the history of church councils to the Apostolic times (The first council in Jrusalem) as recorded Acts chapter 15, where the apostles took decision on the admission of the Gentiles to Christianity without precondition of circumcision.

Bishop Okoro said that during this standing committee of the church of Nigeria, whose theme is: "These dry bones shall live again" (Ezekiel 39:4 - 6) Imo State Executive Governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim would present a lecture on "Leadership Role in Rescuing the Nigeria's nation"...

"The dry bones of corruption, selfishness, armed robberies, kidnappings, God-fatherism, ritual killings etc will give way to an egalitarian society where no one would be oppressed".
HERE

PLEASE NOTE DANGEROUS EXCEPTION:  ¨...an egalitarian society where NO ONE WOULD BE OPPRESSED¨ (except, of course LGBTI Anglicans/others will still be persecuted, tormented, demonized, despised and shown no ¨Grace¨ )

·  Thanks to All Africa, sidebar
·  Thanks to Justice for Gay Africans Society [JfGA]
·  Thanks to Mr. Godwyns Onwuchekwa
·  Thanks to St Marylebone Parish Church London
·  Thanks to Stop The World, Jakes Place, sidebar

ATTN Christian Hate Spewers : ¨Every single drop of blood shed by LGBT people, either through suicide, bashing, or murder, is on the hands of homophobic clergy...

"Cultural prejudice has not only succeeded in making most heterosexuals hate gays; it has succeeded in making most gay people hate themselves" Randy Shilts

¨I wholeheartedly agree with this quote from the late Randy Shilts, but I would add that it is cultural prejudice, fueled and reinforced by religious prejudice against LGBT people, spewed by all too many clergy who have vilified Gay people from their pulpits, that has spawned this hate by their justification of that hate and discrimination, that frequently leads to vilification, bashings and murders of LGBT people.

As I've written and spoken of before: Every single drop of blood shed by LGBT people, either through suicide, bashing, or murder, is on the hands of homophobic clergy, professing Christians who in any way support them, and those who remain silent in the face of such ungodly, hateful rhetoric and discrimination, that has others loathing Gay people, and has even many Gay people loathing themselves.

This self-loathing either causes many Gays to lead lives of quiet or not so quiet desperation, some going so far as to kill themselves, believing the lie that they have been told by these clergy and many other professing Christians, that God doesn't love them, or approve of their relationships. Also, many LGBT people commit suicide on the installment plan by engaging in risk-taking behaviors, drug abuse, alcoholism, and the like, as manifestations of their shame and self-loathing.

Always remember that just because someone calls him/herself a Christian, or has his/her collar turned around, doesn't necessarily make that person a Christian! Just because one goes to church every single day doesn't necessarily make him/her a Christian!  please read it all, HERE

·  Thanks to The Reverend Dr. Jerry Maneker
·  Thanks to A Christian Voice for LGBT Rights, sidebar

UGANDAS MARGINALIZED COMMUNITY: ¨...many people have taken advantage of our oppression to satisfy their political, economic, and social greed and bigotry.¨



Kasha Jacqueline:  ¨“Enough is enough! These guys can’t get away with this!”

 In January a judge ruled in favour of a group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals exposed in the Rolling Stone tabloid stating that all Ugandans, regardless of their sexual orientation, have a right to privacy and dignity.

Kasha Jacqueline, one of the plaintiffs, recounts her story in the Kampala Dispatch. This article went to press as news broke about plaintiff David Kato's murder.

On the 4th of October, I woke up as usual, with my niece sleeping near me. She was put in my bed every morning so that when I awoke, the first thing I see is her smiling face. I was flying to Geneva that evening for a Human Rights conference where one of the topics of discussion would be Uganda’s proposed anti-homosexuality bill. Everything seemed normal about that morning, until I checked my e-mail. In addition to the normal e-mails, I found one from a man named Josh Kron, a reporter from the New York Times, in New York. The subject was: “Is it true?”

The proud publisher/pusher of Ugandas ¨Rolling Stone¨ (not affiliated with U.S. Publication)

The body of the e-mail consisted of a few simple questions asking whether or not a Ugandan tabloid called The Rolling Stone had written about me, naming me as a lesbian. I had never even heard of the The Rolling Stone and wrote him back to tell him I wasn’t aware of ever having spoken with such a publication. Shortly afterwards, Frank Mugisha, a friend of mine, who had also been listed by the tabloid as a gay Ugandan, sent me an e-mail with a scanned copy of the tabloid newspaper. There it was: my picture, my name, and the headline: “100 PICTURES OF UGANDA’S TOP HOMOS.” Beneath the headline were the words, “Hang Them!”...

When I got a full copy of the paper that night, I passed it around, and began to shout, “Enough is enough! These guys can’t get away with this!” But for the next two weeks, I felt too scared to do anything. I was afraid that if I spoke up, someone would hurt me. The following week, Rolling Stone printed more photos, and I knew that if I didn’t do something to stop them, eventually, someone would get hurt. All the news I got from home was terrible. People who had their photo published had been attacked, had rocks thrown at them, and some had to leave their homes. They were too afraid to even file police reports. I decided I had to stand up for them. I was a known human rights defender, I could risk my name. I contacted many people around the world who supported me and pledged to help me throughout the whole process of suing the Rolling Stone.

I talked to my colleagues David Kato and Pepe Onziema, and learned that they were also planning to sue, so we teamed up to lodge a case against The Rolling Stone.

We sued them on grounds that should be important to all Ugandans, whether gay or straight: Our right to privacy and the safety we all have against incitements to violence. Let me be clear: I have never at any one time in my affidavit denied my sexual orientation. Our issue concerned the rights that Ugandans should have to be protected from the incitement of violence and violation of our privacy. No one should ever wake up and see a call for violence and his home address published in a newspaper...

This verdict has shown that indeed, justice is possible in this world and more so in this country. Coming from a marginalized community, many people have taken advantage of our oppression to satisfy their political, economic, and social greed and bigotry. We are victims of oppression in so many ways. And for being just who we are, many have turned us into targets of oppression. But we refuse to be silent. The stories of people fighting against injustice have always been about a minority, because social justice struggles are fought by a minority for a majority.

The court verdict reminded us all that Uganda is no place for hatred and impunity. Irresponsible journalism has no place in this country. The Rolling Stone tabloid and its editors may not have anticipated that they would be victims of their own actions but we would never wish for or call for them to be “hanged.” A media that is based on untruthfulness is an enemy of the nation. Let this be the beginning of responsible journalism for justice and equality. read it all in the Kampala Dispatch, HERE

·  Thanks to Kasha Jacqueline,  Uganda
·  Thanks to Kampala Dispatch
·  Thanks to African Activist,  HERE
·  Thanks to Amplifying Africa's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Voices

GAY IN UGANDA/PART TWO: ¨Once self-accepting, I no longer felt the need to deceive others, myself included. I played the kuchu field, finding, wonder of wonders, that there were others who were like me...¨

¨We are kuchus, all of us, gay and transgender Ugandans¨

What does it mean to be gay in Uganda?

¨It is a tough question because I have never known a different life. I am a gay man, born in Uganda, an African. It is all that I have known; it is my identity. I am African, a Ugandan, and I am gay, my secret identity—the one that has to be hidden from the rest of my countrymen.

¨We call ourselves kuchus, a neutral, all inclusive word¨

We call ourselves kuchus, a neutral, all inclusive word. It is an identity that is ours, separate from the vileness and abuse thrown at us. We are kuchus, all of us, gay and transgender Ugandans, although life tends to be harder for my transgender friends.

Measures of Acceptance

My friends got married, and started having kids. And I played the field, hoping against hope that a change within me would occur. Others had gone and done so, accepted themselves for what they are or what society says they should be, and gotten married, according to the dictates of their surroundings.

Not for me.

I came out to myself, late. Delirious acceptance, of what I was, of the fact that I was not going to change. But I came to an impasse, too. What to do with the rest of my life, which had changed from that moment of self-acceptance? I stopped sleeping with women. Once self-accepting, I no longer felt the need to deceive others, myself included. I played the kuchu field, finding, wonder of wonders, that there were others who were like me. Very much like me, with the same feelings, hidden, with the same impulses. And, we were willing to share with each other our bodies, liberally.

¨I wanted and yearned for something more: love, the companionship and commitment of a life mate.¨

But, something was missing. I wanted and yearned for something more: love, the companionship and commitment of a life mate. When I first broached this subject with some kuchu friends, I was laughed off. Kuchus, I was informed, do not make commitments, because if did, how would you hide? Impossible! Out of necessity, ours was a life of deceit.

But I did meet someone. We fell in love and have been together now for ten incredible years! Gay, Ugandan, and partnered in Uganda!

¨Being in love with the man that completed me was something which helped tremendously¨

The years of self-deception fell off with maturity. Then came the years of active hiding, morphing into one another. Being in love with the man that completed me was something which helped tremendously. Holding him in my arms, making love, it was something which was so beautiful; our togetherness negated all the things that were supposedly bad. I couldn't imagine our love being ugly, bad, unblessed. Yes, I had lost my faith, because I was unable to reconcile what I was told with what I was. If I was a sinner, it seemed fit to sin without the guilt.

We hid, and continue to hide right out in the light. But, our invisibility cloak started thinning with the time that we spent together, the notice we drew to ourselves by not having the companionship of the opposite sex. Not even for show. Of course, the rumors began to seep out of the closet.

But nothing was as decisive as the decision to become active in changing our world...¨ please read it all, HERE

GROWING UP GAY IN UGANDA/PART ONE:  HERE

·  Thanks to Gay Uganda, sidebar
·  Thanks to The Mantle, A Forum for Progressive Critique