OUT-OF-TOUCH/KENYAN ARCHBISHOP WABUKALA: The Church in Kenya has lost respectability because it is not impartial or consistent



Out of touch Anglican Church in Kenya Archbishop Eliud Wabukala recently was elected as Gafcon schismatics chairman 

¨The actions and omissions of the Church leadership over the past five years point to a deepening crisis. The church seems unable to find the voice of the populi, which should concern the hierarchies of the Pentecostal, Anglican and Catholic denominations.¨

¨...It is time for the clergy to do some soul searching if they hope to redeem themselves and their place as the moral and spiritual compass for the highly politicised Kenyan society. Their stand on the nominees for Chief Justice and deputy does not help matters. It is against the grain again. Opinion polls show that the majority of the country is satisfied with the choices.

Their opposition, without offering clear reasons for their objection does not show the clergy to be transparent. Are they opposed to Dr Mutunga because he is a Muslim? Or if they have a problem with the nominees marital statuses, let them be candid about it. Obfuscation in philosophical and ideological terms isn't good enough. But that is what can be gleaned from their statement that the judiciary needs to be led by people with a "judicial philosophy that reflects natural law, the Kenyan religious and African cultural values, including our universal respect for life, our recognition of the importance of family wellbeing and our appreciation of the role of religion in public and private life."

The church will only regain its respectability as an arbiter in the political arena if it is seen to be impartial and consistent. The clergy cannot wake up one morning to lecture the country about morality and respect for the constitutional principles and keep quiet when the same are broken or other illegalities are committed. Where were they when President Kibaki flouted the constitution by unilaterally nominating Justice Alnashir Visram and Professor Githu Muigai? Strange that they should find offence where the President and Prime Minister have already agreed...¨ HERE

ANGLICAN CHURCH LEADERS HAVE LOST THE TRUST OF KENYANS

Kenya´s Anglican bishops led by Archbishop Eliud Wabukala (seated, 2nd left)

¨According to the Synovate post-referendum poll, only 19 per cent of those interviewed said they fully trusted Church leaders, compared to 17 per cent who said they fully trusted politicians.

And it gets worse -- 38 per cent said they don't trust Church leaders at all, a bigger number than the 22 per cent who said they don't trust politicians at all. But Church leaders dismissed the notion that their credibility had suffered...¨   HERE

·  Thanks to All Africa, sidebar
·  Thanks to Three Rivers Episcopal, sidebar
·  Thanks to Behind The Mask, sidebar
·  Thanks to The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR)

WE SALUTE THE COURAGEOUS ¨KUCHUS¨ of UGANDA: Celebrating The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2011

We especially honor the brave  ¨Kuchu¨ Heros of  Uganda

The International Day Against Homophobia and transphobia (IDAHO) has published dozens of pictures from events which took place around the world on its Facebook page. Among the events documented are ones taking place in China, Brazil, Russia, Bangladesh, Israel, Belarus, Fiji, Kenya, Trinidad & Tobago, USA, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Bolivia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Uganda. Many other country IDAHO pages also have lots of photos.
HERE

Ugandan Anglican David Kato, victim of Homophobia, RIP HERE

·  Thanks to The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2011
·  Thanks to LGBT asylum news

DISPROPORTION: ¨A friend of mine years ago said that the Commandment against adultery was way over legislated while the Commandments against killing and stealing remain under enforced...

Brothers grieving in Iraq

¨Many people these days, when asked what Christianity is all about, will answer opposition to homosexuality, opposition to pre-marital sex, and opposition to abortion. Resurrection and undying redemptive love hardly seem to get any attention at all in the public forum, or even among the religious themselves. This preoccupation with the mysteries of the bedroom is disproportionate...¨  Doug, Counterlights Peculiars

¨...God, like any parent, takes the sex lives of His children seriously, that they should be responsible and do no harm to themselves or to anyone else. At the same time, God like any parent, is concerned first and foremost with His children's welfare, that no harm should come to them. Also, the truly self-sacrificial aspect of being a parent is, in the end, letting the offspring go out into the world and make their own lives for better or worse.

We all must make our way through a world where greed, predation, and aggression are crowned with success, where death, and the fear of death, ultimately rule (Santa Muerte). It seems to me that God has far bigger and more urgent things to worry about than peeking into everyone's bed sheets. God is more concerned with matters like these which happen somewhere on earth daily...¨ please read it all, HERE
·  Thanks to Doug
·  Thanks to Counterlight´s Peculiars, sidebar

¨The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave¨: Obama Declares June Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Pride Month

Barack Obama, President of the United States of America

President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed a proclamation recognizing June as Gay Pride month.

“The story of America's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community is the story of our fathers and sons, our mothers and daughters, and our friends and neighbors who continue the task of making our country a more perfect union,” the proclamation said.

June is widely recognized throughout the world as Gay Pride month.

The president touts his own record supporting the gay community and advancing gay rights in his proclamation, including repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” the 1993 law that bars gay and bisexual troops from serving openly, efforts to wipe out discrimination in federal housing programs, and passage of a gay-inclusive hate crimes law.

The president also called attention to the 30th anniversary of the emergence of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, saying he's committed to eradicating the disease...¨ HERE

¨Land of Lincoln¨ The Great State of Illinois

Illinois becomes the sixth state with legalized civil unions.·

¨Long lines are expected to form early Wednesday at the Cook County Clerk's downtown office of vital records as couples from across Chicago gather to be part of a historic moment — the issuing of the state's first civil union licenses. The doors will open at 7:30 a.m. and the clerk's office will celebrate what it calls "the momentous occasion" by awarding a special gift package to the first couple to get a license. Adding to the festive atmosphere, about 20 local businesses will be supplying gifts that will be raffled off to other couples in line. As with marriage licenses, couples will have to pay a $35 fee and wait one day before they can hold a civil union ceremony. Couples who are already registered as domestic partners in Cook County but want to enter into a civil union will get a $20 discount and their domestic partnership will be automatically dissolved.

New/approved civil unions laws in Hawaii and Delaware have not yet gone into effect...¨ HERE
 
· Thanks to On Top Magazine, sidebar
· Thanks to U.S. President Barack Obama
· Thanks to Gay Pride Month, June
· Thanks to The Great State of Illinois
· Thanks to Joe.My.God., sidebar

GAINING ON COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR LGBTI PEOPLE: We can´t count on predominantly White or Black Churches to help lead the way to the Promised Land

Mr. Don Lemon:  ¨Proud to be Out¨ interview with the Washington Blade, please read it all, HERE

¨...— very important — it’s different in the black community. In the black community, for the most part, not all black people, the church has been the backbone of the community for so long, and the church preaches against homosexuality. So when you’re growing up, from the day you go into church, it is instilled in you that being gay is going against God...¨

SOME DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE BLACK AND THE LGBT CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENTS

By the Reverend Dr. Jerry Maneker

¨But when the backbone, the structure of the community has been so associated with the church, it’s even doubly more imprinted on your being and on your psyche.¨  Don Lemon

¨It seems to me that this is the major difference between the African American Civil Rights movement in the 1950's-60's, where the Black Church was usually behind the fight for equality, and the current LGBT Civil Rights movement. And it's a gigantic difference.

Now, the Black Church is usually against the fight for equal rights for equality by LGBT people; even resent the comparison between the two Civil Rights movements.

Hence, the lack of church and community support for LGBT people and this struggle, which leads to low self-esteem and lack of organization counted on in the Black Civil Rights movement in the 1950's and 1960's.

African Americans had role models right in their own families, churches, and neighborhoods; people who would affirm them as people of worth. Most of their churches saw their struggle for equality as they did Moses leading the children of Israel to the Promised Land.

In the LGBT Civil Rights movement, it is rare for a young Gay person to have role models in his/her nuclear family and what LGBT people exist in his/her church and neighborhood are usually closeted.

This is one of the reasons why the fight for equality for LGBT people is much more difficult than it was for African Americans, as self-esteem among the former is far less than it was among the latter; consciousness of kind was far greater among the latter than it is the former.

Therefore, we can't count on the Black churches to help lead the way toward the Promised Land of equality for LGBT people, just as we can't count on predominantly White churches to help lead the way for LGBT people to reach that Promised Land of equality... please read it all, HERE

·  Thanks to The Washington Blade, sidebar
·  Thanks to Don Lemon, CNN Prime Time Anchor
·  Thanks to The Reverend Dr. Jerry Maneker
·  Thanks to A Christian Voice for GLBT Rights, sidebar

NO TO HOLOCAUST REVISIONISM: A German Memorial Dedicated to the Homosexual Victims of Nazism

More than fifty thousand homosexual people were arrested and most were interned in concentration camps.

By 2012, Munich should have a new memorial to homosexual victims of Nazism. It is a highly symbolic move as Munich was the site of the beginning of the Nazis terrible persecutions against homosexuals in 1934.

¨The memorial will form part of a new pedestrian development in the center of Munich and will be placed at the corner of Oberanger and Dultstrasse, outside what was the Scwharzfischer (The black fisherman), a famous gay bar in the 30s. On 20 October 1934, the Nazis conducted a major raid in the gay scene of Munich, including the Schwarzfischer. This was the beginning of Nazi persecution against homosexuals: it is estimated that more than fifty thousand people were eventually arrested and most were interned in concentration camps. Most of those who survived the war were kept in jails as homosexuality remained criminalised.

The project has broad political support: from both parties currently in power (red and green) and the opposition Christian Democrats. Richard Quaas, spokesman for the Christian Democrats said: "Until now, there was a consensus not to establish differentiation of victims on monuments or monuments. Other groups of victims of Nazism have no specific memorial in the public arena in Munich." HERE


·  Thanks to LGBT Asylum News, sidebar
·  Thanks to All German Political Parties
·  Thanks to Munich, Germany

Exposing The Church of Englands Double Standard: ¨Please let us make some attempt to be even-handed and avoid such blatant hypocrisy¨

The Very Reverend Jeffrey John, Dean of St. Albans

¨Jeffrey John is a man in a faithful relationship with his life partner. Normally the church would commend this sort of long-term and committed relationship – but the rules change when the two people in question are the same gender...¨  The Reverend Dr. Lesley Fellows
 

¨...seeking advice to avoid the Equality Act¨ Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury

¨The latest evidence of prejudice against homosexual people in the Church of England has come from the leaked Colin Slee memo and advice that Archbishop Rowan Williams sought in order to get around the Equality Act (2010). This counsel was to ensure that a gay man, ie Jeffrey John, was not appointed as bishop of Southwark. A cunning checklist was devised, consisting of five questions:

• whether the candidate had always complied with the Church's teachings on same-sex sexual activity;


• whether he was in a civil partnership;


• whether he was in a continuing civil partnership with a person with whom he had had an earlier same-sex relationship;


• whether he had expressed repentance for any previous same-sex sexual activity; and


• whether (and to what extent) the appointment of the candidate would cause division and disunity within the diocese in question, the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion.

By my reckoning, Jeffrey John fails on five out of five. One could be forgiven for thinking that this is a list deliberately designed to exclude him...¨ please join the conversation, HERE

·  Thanks to The Reverend Dr. Lesley Fellows, sidebar
·  Thanks to The Guardian, United Kingdom
·  Thanks to PA, photo

AFRICAN AMERICAN FOUNDERS: DECORATION DAY/MEMORIAL DAY 1865

Bullrun Memorial 1870 Dedication

¨The first known observance of Memorial Day was in Charleston, South Carolina in 1865; freedmen (freed enslaved Africans) celebrated at the Washington Race Course, today the location of Hampton Park, and each year thereafter. African Americans founded Decoration Day, now referred to as Memorial Day, at the graveyard of 257 Union soldiers and labeled the gravesite "Martyrs of the Race Course" on May 1, 1865. Black Charlestonians created this American tradition...¨  please read it all, HERE

Another fitting Memorial Tribute,  today in Joplin, Missouri

President Barack Obama on Sunday afternoon promised the citizens of Joplin that their country would be with them “every single step of the way,” during the Joplin Community Memorial Service at Missouri Southern State University...¨ please read it all, HERE

·  Thanks to Wikipedia
·  Thanks to Sean Steffen, President Obama photo

·  Thanks to The Morning Sun

WEARING OUT YOUR WELCOME? ¨Most Americans don't want idiots who pander to creationists, global warming deniers, secessionists, birthers, believers in the right to life of stem cells etc., running the country.

¨...Like most Evangelical fundamentalist movements, the American Religious Right advocates the fusion of state power and religion through the reestablishment of the "Christian America" idea of "American Exceptionalism" (i.e., a nation chosen by God), the form of government adopted by the Puritan's successors during the age of early American colonialism. What sets the Evangelical Religious Right apart from other Christian movements is its historical obsession with purging other Americans who do not conform to its twisted interpretation of Christian scripture...¨

...The unstated agreement goes like this: Republicans will pander to the Religious Right on the social issues - abortion, gay rights, prayer in schools, creationism in text books, etc., etc., as long as the Religious Right turns a blind eye to the fact that the Republican Party will A), do nothing substantive to change any of these things, and B) sell the soul of the country to corporate America, a place where one percent of the population grab as much wealth as the lower 50 percent...

...Eventually the party that makes the Goldman Sachs rape of the world possible, but depends on voters who say they believe every word in the Bible, will have to come to terms with Bible verses like this one:

"Jesus answered, 'If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" (Matthew 19:21).

As for the general public, the Republicans are wearing out their welcome.

Most Americans don't want idiots who pander to creationists, global warming deniers, secessionists, birthers, believers in the right to life of stem cells etc., etc., running the country.¨  please read it all, HERE 

FRANK SCHAEFFERS NEW BOOK:  Sex, Mom, and God: How the Bible's Strange Take on Sex Led to Crazy Politics--and How I Learned to Love Women (and Jesus) Anyway

·  Thanks to Frank Schaeffer, sidebar
·  Thanks to Saudi "Royals" and Republican Hypocrites
·  Thanks to Photobucket, ¨Blind Eye¨ and ¨Puritans¨

Note: emphasis and photos added by Leonardo Ricardo

KUSHABA MOSES MWORENKO GRANTED ASYLUM IN US: Fired/Demonized Teacher from Anglican Christian University/Uganda is safe at last!

Ugandan Kushaba Moses Mworenko  wins US Asylum

¨After many twists and turns since early 2010 that included a 6-month stint in San Francisco that resulted in Homeland Security terminating the case and forcing the Arlington, VA, asylum office to reverse its decision in favor of Moses. This was to take only 3 weeks from the judge’s order on January 1, 2011, and took nearly 5 months, but the day finally arrived this week. Moses thanks all of you for your support over the last 18 months that helped make this all possible.

Moses continues to work valiantly on behalf of the LGBT and HIV+ community in Uganda, and surely will be able to accomplish more now that his case has been settled. Moses’ continually updated Global Sexual Freedom Annotated Bibliography Global Sexual Freedom Rights Bibliography  remains available to anyone who needs a quick education on the challenges we face to bring about equal rights for all sexual minorities, here and abroad. Moses is also helping  Get Equal , Venus Plus X ,
and other organizations to expose members of congress aligned with groups such as “The Family” (active in 192 countries) who are fomenting hatred and erasure of LGBT and HIV+ plus people everywhere, at American taxpayers expense...¨ please read it all HERE

Archdemonizer of LGBTI Anglicans/others, Bishop Henry Luke Orombi/Uganda is a member of the ¨extended¨  Washington ¨C Street¨  scandal riddled ¨Family¨ and Chancellor of Ugandas Christian University   ¨C Street Family¨ quick reference list

·  Thanks to LGBT Asylum News, sideboard
·  Thanks to Alison Gardner
·  Thanks to Venus Plus X
·  Thanks to Get Equal
·  Thanks to Jeff Sharlet
·  Thanks to ¨The C Street Family¨
·  Thanks to Kushaba Moses Mworenko