Anglican Bishop Christopher Senyonjo: “We need decriminalization of LGBT all over the world”

UN Conference: Urgent need to fight to the global decriminalization of homosexuality

“Compass to Compassion – Discovering a Common Way to LGBT Global Equality”

¨Almost 100 prominent leaders, after two days of intense meetings and workshops, have agreed that there is an urgency to form an international coalition to fight for the global decriminalization of homosexuality.

It is a crime to be gay in 76 countries across the globe, mostly in Africa and Asia, but those attending the consultation heard from speakers who warned of a growing movement sponsored by America’s Religious Right to criminalize homosexuality here and abroad.

“Compass to Compassion – Discovering a Common Way to LGBT Global Equality” brought together faith, secular, academic, government and media leaders for the consultation on Oct. 11-12 in the grand Social Hall at Union Theological Seminary at Columbia University.

This was the third consultation by this informal group, which was charged by the Human Rights Watch to form a network of progressive faith leaders to counter the attempts by Uganda’s Parliament to pass the “Kill The Gays” bill. The first meeting was in June 2010 and the second one was in December 2010, both conducted at the UN Church Center in New York City.

Last week, the consultation attendees, now including many secular as well as faith leaders, discussed concrete ways to extinguish homophobia across the world and to end punitive laws that deprive LGBT people of jobs, education, housing, equal rights, dignity and, in a number of countries, their freedom or their lives.

Focusing on Uganda and religious extremists

Day One put the focus on Uganda, often called the “line in the sand” over criminalization of homosexuality, as well as religious extremism on LGBT people abroad.

Keynote speaker Jeff Sharlet*, the journalist who penned “The Family,” a book that exposed the Religious Right’s hold on American politics, told attendees that The Family is the most influential fundamentalist group in Washington, D.C., and has been meddling in Uganda and other parts of Africa for decades. The ¨Underground¨ FAMILY: A ¨Quick Reference¨ list of American and Ugandan perpetrators

Bishop Christopher Senyonjo, a retired Anglican leader who has been hailed as the Bishop Tutu of Uganda and a straight ally, spoke about his grassroots effort to minister to LGBT people in his homeland and about the resistance he faces.

“We need decriminalization of LGBT all over the world,” he said.

Other speakers warned of the growing religious movement called Dominionism and whose supporters want to turn the United States into a Christian nation and remake laws to reflect a strict evangelical point of view. American politicians such as Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry have embraced this controversial movement, which is dividing even evangelicals, said the Rev. Dr. Kapya Kaoma, project director of the Political Research Associates...¨ HERE

·  Thanks to LGBT Asylum News, sidebar
·  Thanks to The Rt. Reverend Christopher Ssenyonjo, Uganda
·  Thanks to Human Rights Watch
·  Thanks to Political Research Associates
·  Thanks to Jeff Sharlet
·  Thanks to Ken Williams

Australian foreign minister to call on Commonwealth to repeal anti-gay laws

¨Australia’s foreign minister, Kevin Rudd, will urge Commonwealth countries to decriminalise homosexuality.

Heads of Commonwealth countries are to meet in Perth next week for the annual heads of government meeting (CHOGM).

According to the Sidney Star Observer, Mr Rudd’s spokeswoman said: “Australia is a global advocate of non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

“Australia encourages all countries to decriminalise homosexuality by removing all laws imposing criminal penalties for homosexual conduct...¨ please read it all, HERE

·  Thanks to Pink News, United Kingdom
·  Thanks to Jessica Geen

* THE ¨Underground¨ FAMILY: A ¨Quick Reference¨ LIST OF AMERICAN and UGANDAN PERPETRATORS
HERE

ANTI-GAY BILL IN NIGERIA: “When the senators had sufficiently ventilated their anger and opposition to the issue of same sex marriage, Senator David Mark put the question to vote, the ayes unanimously had it...¨

¨No one can feel the rain on our skin for us¨

¨Nigeria’s newspaper readers have reacted angrily to debates on the floor of the Nigerian Senate about a proposed law prohibiting same-sex marriages.

“The sad fact is, this is very much a vicious cycle. These politicians (like our parents, family members and neighbours) have no reference point. When they look around they do not see role models of same gender loving people, they do not hear stories of how the gay people in their own backyard are simply trying to navigate life – no different from anyone else.”

She added, “They only see stereotypes and one dimensional images of what being gay/lesbian means. Yes, and we too are caught up in the vicious cycle, yearning to come out, but fearful (and shamed) that we will be persecuted, excluded and rejected by the people we hold dear.”

Caston said, “I am a believer that if we want to see change we need to tackle the ’cause’ and not the ‘effect’ – this debate is all about the effect. Tackling the cause means us having the courage to show our parents, families, neighbours that being gay/lesbian is simply being human.”

Caston pointed out, “The fact is when we collude with our culture through silence and blindly signing petitions then we are no different from the politicians. They hurt us on the outside, we hurt ourselves from the inside. The politicians are simply saying out loud, what so many gay/lesbians silently/passively say to themselves through their behaviour. Only our courage can liberate us.”

Another commentator Johnson Chuks backed Caston saying, “I’m with Emily Caston on this. We are the only ones that can prove to our world that being gay is not a disease because we are the only ones that know better. No one can feel the rain on our skin for us.” ...read it all, HERE

·  Thanks to Behind the Mask, sidebar
·  Thanks to Ms. Caston and Mr. Chuks

PLEASE MEET TAIGA ISHIKAWA: Taiga has been elected Japan’s first openly gay politician!

Taiga Ishikawa

TOKYO - Taiga Ishikawa, the first openly gay politician in Japan to win an election, Tuesday hailed the result as a victory for the rights of sexual minorities.

"I hope my election victory will help our fellows nationwide to have hope for tomorrow, as many of them cannot accept themselves, feel lonely and isolated and even commit suicide," he told AFP.

Ishikawa, 36, won a seat in a Tokyo ward assembly in local elections on Sunday. Prior to his victory, no openly homosexual politician had won office in Japan.

He said he hoped his victory would help lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

"Many LGBTs, or sexual minorities, realise the fact when they are at elementary and junior high schools, many of which are operated by the municipality," Ishikawa said.

"As a ward assembly member, I would like to reinforce support to LGBT children at schools." HERE

·  Thanks to Taiga Ishikawa
·  Thanks to The Citizens of Tokyo, Japan
·  Thanks to  6 Theory, HERE

IF YOU ARE GAY, YOU ARE BLESSED BY GOD: ¨You have the capacity to love another human being, and nothing is more sacred or godly than that...¨

¨...The last bastion of the civil rights movement is the stigma and exclusion of gay people from our churches and from our secular society. Yet, they can be seen to be a gift to us from God in that, despite their terrible persecution, many remain steadfast in their loving relationships. Despite all of the barriers set up by Christians and non-Christians alike, many remain in committed relationships.

Being constitutionally gay is not a disorder any more than having brown eyes is a disorder! Most gay people have been born that way and like the old Sunday School saying goes, "God doesn't create junk."

If you're gay, you have been blessed by God in that you are capable of loving another human being. The most dangerous people in the world are those who either have nothing to lose or who are incapable of loving others. There is no reason not to assume that God blesses the monogamous gay couple every bit as much as He blesses the heterosexually married couple...¨  read it all, HERE

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

ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU: A celebrated figure amongst the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community and a staunch support of equality and gay rights.

Anglican Hero, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

¨Outspoken Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu in solidarity has joined the University of Cape Town in creating the first ever local ‘It Gets Better’ campaign video.

The video forms part of the global campaign targeting sexual minorities who experience discrimination in secondary schools and beyond. To view the videos visit HERE

‘It Gets Better’ Cape Town was launched for free viewing on YouTube on Tuesday, October 11 2011. Later this month, part of the collection of videos will be screened at the Out in Africa: South African Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.

The director and producer of the series Andrew Barry, a Master of Philosophy in Education student at UCT said, “I want sexual minorities in Cape Town to know that there are individuals and organisations who will support them.” please read it all, HERE

·  Thanks to Behind the Mask, sidebar
·  Thanks to Mongezi Mhlongo
·  Thanks to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Anglican Hero
·  Thanks to Andrew Barry

A SALUTE TO COMMON DECENCY AND EQUALITY: Alison Nathan Confirmed As Federal Judge Despite Strong GOP Opposition

Alison Nathan, Senate approved to serve the  Federal Court

Without a single vote from any Republican, today the U.S. Senate narrowly approved the nomination of Alison Nathan to the federal bench.

"The President welcomes the confirmation of Alison Nathan. She will serve the American people well from the District Court bench." Five members of the Democratic caucus did not vote for Nathan's nomination, and no Republicans voted for it. Less than three months ago, U.S. District Court Judge J. Paul Oeken, was confirmed with the support of 28 Republicans. Oetken also sits on the Southern District of New York bench and currently is the only out gay male judge serving in one of the lifetime tenure positions in the federal judiciary...¨  HERE

·  Thanks to Chris Geidner, Metro Weekly
·  Thanks to Joe.My.God., sidebar 

PLEASE MEET ¨ALEX¨: ¨I am a female to male transsexual in the middle of my transition, but mostly, I'm human...¨

¨My name is Alex. I guess an introduction is in order but I don't really know who I am.¨

¨Actually Alex isn't really my legal name so even in my first words this starts to get a bit complicated.

I am a student, and if you ask any of my classmates who I am, you will probably hear that I am a 19-20 year old boy, well-read for my age, openly gay and that I am someone almost everybody likes but nobody knows. If you ask my mother, the picture may be somewhat different. I believe that she will tell you that I am a 27-year-old married mother of three.

It's two different pictures and they are both quite right. I am 27 years old according to my papers, but I have missed so much in my life that I feel like a teenager but at the other hand, I have lived through so much, so in some ways I feel more experienced than some middle aged.

I am a female to male transsexual in the middle of my transition, but mostly, I'm human, and transition isn't something just us trans dudes get to experience. Everyone has to change; it's a part of life and living. Transition is universal everyone has to re-experience themselves in order to grow. I have to do a lot of changes that are ordinary and some changes are more unusual.

I grew up in a very small village in Sweden at the same latitude as Alaska. My family was Pentecostal Christian and the rest of the village was “heathen”. They saw my family as very strange, and I was the weird one in my family. By then I had no words to express what was wrong with me, all I knew was that I wasn't ok.

I saw my childhood as a waiting room with uncomfortable chairs where you don’t know if they will call your name in the next minute or in a couple of years, and that my life was not going to start until they called my name.

When puberty struck me I got more and more clues about what was wrong with me. I never heard of transsexualism, and I didn't make any bright science realizations either. Instead I used my knowledge from Church...¨ please read it all, HERE

·  Thanks to Beyond Ex-Gay, HERE
·  Thanks to ¨Alex¨ Narrative

IT´S RAINING AS HARD AS IT CAN: Prayers please for the humble people of Mexico and Central America

Our volcanos, rivers and coastlines runneth over!

The rains have been fierce overnight and into today and are pounding as I type.  The internet connection and the lights return briefly from time to time.  The poor and very low income folks have been greatly impacted again as their homes are fragile with mud floors, tin roofs and lightly framed walls (usually of cardboard or metal sheeting).  Already there is terrible destruction in some of the Pacific costal communities and also up in the highlands of Guatemala, ¨the Quiche¨.  We understand that the storms will continue today and into tonight and possible tomorrow and Mexico has Hurricanes directly striking their mainland right now...please keep us in your prayers.

Lord have mercy

LET US PRAY: May the Archbishop of Canterbury continue to condemn ¨lawlessness¨ and ¨mindless and godless violence¨ throughout the Anglican Communion...

Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury in Zimbabwe

...May all Anglicans/others be spared persecution, demonization, physical/emotional abuse, outcasting and discrimination in Nigeria, Uganda, Jamaica, England and beyond!  Amen Leonardo Ricardo

¨I am full of admiration for the personal courage being shown by Rowan Williams in undertaking his current visit to Zimbabwe. Williams stirs mixed feelings in many Christians who hold their faith from quite different perspectives. Many have expressed a sense of frustration, disillusion, sometimes betrayal, a sense that he does not go far enough or conversely acts in ways that are so cautious or expedient as to verge on the pusillanimous.

Those accusation certainly cannot be levelled at him this week. He has ventured into an environment where some have expressed the strongest animosity towards him and shown themselves capable of carrying out violence. He has previously opposed Mugabe and he spoke out strongly against "lawlessness" and the condemnation of "mindless and Godless" violence seen in Zimbabwe. It is admirable that he is prepared to confront Mugabe face to face. Some might say it is naive of Williams to think that any such meeting will achieve anything or foolish that he is not deterred by the very real possibility that Mugabe will turn it to his advantage. Undoubtedly, Mugabe will try to gain some sort of mileage out of the situation, but I am of the opinion that he will find it hard to look anything other than what he is when faced with William's undoubted goodness...¨ read it all, HERE (emphasis added by Leonardo Ricardo)

·  Thanks to Significant Truths, sidebar
·  Thanks to Dr. Rowan Williams
·  Thanks to Anglicans in Zimbabwe

SLAYING THE BEAST? ¨Foreign aid for countries with anti-gay rights records to be slashed¨

United Kingdom: ¨David Cameron has pledged to slash aid to African countries with poor records on homosexual rights.¨

The Prime Minister will tell struggling nations they will receive funding ‘fines’ if persecution of gays continues.

The Government has already cut aid to Malawi by £19million after two gay men were sentenced to 14 years hard labour. The southern African nation also plans to bring in tough anti-lesbian laws.

Malawi has received £200million from Britain over the past three years.

International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell could also reduce aid to Uganda and Ghana unless they drop laws against gays.

Uganda, which is due to receive £70million in 2011, plans to punish homosexuality with the death penalty...¨  please read it all, HERE

·  Thanks to The Daily Mail, United Kingdom
·  Thanks to Daniel Martin
·  Thanks to Box Turtle Bulletin, sidebar
·  Thanks to Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell, United Kingdom

Anglican LGBT Activist David Kato, Uganda, R.I.P.