Focus On The Rainbow

With Uganda, and now recently Rwanda being in the news in regards to attitude and “laws” towards the LGBT community, I thought I would take a look at the African Continent and the intolerance towards homosexuality.

While this article does not purport to be an all inclusive assessment on the subject, I believe it will offer a capsulized look at the struggle of LGBTs, often with life and death consequences. And while there are some “progressive” African nations, such as South Africa, the overwhelming majority are nations where LGBTs have little to no rights or freedom to be gay or lesbian, and indeed can face severe consequences if arrested and convicted.

To start as a “foundation” I looked up on Wikipedia the topic “LGBT rights in Africa“. As a journalist I realize Wkipedia can’t always be considered 100% reliable in the information found there, but for the purpose of a starting base I will use it nonetheless as a point of reference as well as ”legitimate” sources.

First, as many readers know, Uganda is considering what many worldwide have condemned (even though there are still countries who have been less than loud in their condemnation including the United States), a proposed law which could convict and execute gays and lesbians for acts of homosexuality.

After some global condemnation, Ugandan MP David Bahati who proposed the bill for the execution of gays and lesbians, claims he has been misrepresented and the media had distorted the facts of his proposal.

David Bahati says the new offence of “aggravated homosexuality” is a penalty against “defilement” of under-18s.

“There has been a distortion in the media that we are providing death for gays. That is not true,” he said.

“When a homosexual defiles a kid of less than 18 years old, we are providing a penalty for this.”

Bahati has also been quoted as saying “We are not after the sinners, we love them … we are after the sin” (source – BBC)

Rwanda is considering a bill which would make homosexuality a crime (on the Wikipedia site currently it shows the status of homosexual acts as “legal” Rwanda).

Over thirty countries listed at Wikipedia make homosexual acts a crime. That’s more than 50% of the countries listed.

Interestingly in some of the listed African countries, female homosexual acts are not considered illegal.

The countries of Mauritania, Somalia, Nigeria (Sharia areas) the Central African Republic and Sudan exercise the death penalty. Uganda and Tanzania currently have life imprisonment sentences, with Tanzania having mandatory life sentence for those convicted of homosexual acts.

Peter Tatchell, Human and LGBT Rights advocate, and supporter of Focus On The Rainbow and its mission, wrote in an article titled “The New Dark Ages” in 1995, Lesbians and gay men living in countries dominated by the New Dark Ages of Islamic fundamentalism cannot afford the liberal luxury of tolerating religious fanaticism. For them, the politically correct arguments about ‘cultural sensitivity’ smack of surrender to the extremists who jeopardise their freedom – and their lives.

The fervour of this modern Muslim extremism echoes the zealotry of the original Dark Ages in mediæval Europe, when Christian fundamentalists excommunicated philosophers and scientists as heretics, tortured non-believers, drowned women as witches, and burned sodomites at the stake.

Mauritania is one of the countries he discussed in the article whose death penalty is public stoning. There is still a travel advisory in effect for Mauritania.

In 2008, Gambian President Yahya Jammeh said he would “cut off the head” of any homosexual in his country.

Jammeh also ordered any hotel or motel housing homosexuals to close down, adding that owners of such facilities would also be in trouble.

He warned all homosexuals in the country to leave, noting that a legislation “stricter than those in Iran ” concerning the vice would be introduced soon. (source – AFRIK.com)

Not too long after Jammeh made that statement, two Spanish men were arrested and detained on suspicion of being homosexual.

According to the sources, the Spanish (Pere Joan, 56 and Juan Monpserrat rusa, 54) contacted two taxi drivers and asked to be taken to where they can meet with homosexuals, saying they were willing to pay any amount, which the drivers agreed.

The sources further said the drivers asked the Spanish to wait, that they were going to search for homosexuals.

When they left, the men changed their minds and decided to contact the police at the Kotu Police Station, who arrested the Spanish. (source – AFRIKA.com)

This past May, Archbishop Zacchaeus Okoth of Kisumu, who is also the chairman of the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission, said, “For the African, gender is either male or female; other issues such as homosexuality should not arise.” - (source – allAfrica.com)

Rt. Rev. Dr. David Zac Niringiye, assistant bishop of Kampala in the Church of Uganda in an article posted yesterday at the website of Christianity Today said, “Ambassadors or religious leaders serve us best by not going public, by simply relating to their individual relationships,” Niringiye says. “If they have none, they have no legitimacy to speak. They should just be silent.”

In other words, regardless of your Spirituality, be quiet and stay out of our affairs.

To get an even better look at Africa and homosexuality, I’m using the travel advisory website of the Australian government which offers the following advice in regards to “homosexual conduct” in some African countries.

Sudan – Homosexual practices are illegal and subject to severe penalties.

Uganda – Homosexual acts are illegal.

Sierra Leone – Homosexual acts are illegal.

Lesotho – Homosexual acts are illegal.

Madagascar – Homosexual acts are illegal and punishable by fine or imprisonment.

Tanzania – Homosexual acts are illegal in Tanzania (including Zanzibar). Penalties range from 30 years to life imprisonment.

Somolia – Homosexual activity is illegal.

Nigeria – Homosexual acts are illegal and penalties include imprisonment for up to 14 years.

Angola – Consensual homosexual acts between adults are not illegal although they are not considered socially acceptable.

Botswana – Homosexual acts are illegal and penalties include imprisonment.

Swaziland - Consensual homosexual acts between adults are not illegal, although the local community is generally intolerant of same sex relationships.

Nambia – Homosexual activity is illegal.

Mozambique – Homosexual activity is illegal.

Tunisia – Homosexual acts are illegal and are punishable by three years imprisonment.

Algeria – Homosexual acts are illegal and penalties include imprisonment.

Kenya – Homosexual acts are illegal.

Cameroon – Homosexual acts are illegal and penalties include prison sentences.

Niger – Homosexual acts are illegal.

Ethiopia – Homosexual behavior is illegal and penalties include imprisonment.

Morocco – Homosexual acts are illegal and penalties include imprisonment.

Central African Republic – Homosexual acts between adults (of either sex) are illegal and penalties include the death sentence.

Zambia – Homosexual acts are illegal and penalties include imprisonment.

Libya – Homosexual acts are illegal and punishments include a minimum three years imprisonment.

Liberia – Homosexual acts are illegal.

Senegal – Homosexual acts are illegal and penalties include imprisonment.

Burundi – Homosexual acts are illegal.

Cote d’Ivoire – Homosexuality is not a crime and is generally tolerated. However, if a formal complaint is made to the police, charges may be laid on the basis of solicitation, being a public nuisance or “behaving contrary to accepted standards of behavior”.

Ghana – Homosexual acts are illegal and attract a minimum sentence of 7 years in prison.

Egypt - Under Muslim custom homosexuality is considered immoral. Penalties for immorality include imprisonment.

Mali - Homosexual activity is not explicitly illegal but may be considered ‘contrary to accepted standards of behaviour’, which is a criminal offence subject to a prison term of up to two years.

Burundi – Homosexual acts are illegal.

Malawi – Homosexuality is illegal, and the local community is generally intolerant of same sex relationships.

Zimbabwe – The act of sodomy is illegal and is punishable by up to one year’s imprisonment and/or a fine. Juvenile male offenders may be subject to corporal punishment.

Swaziland – Consensual homosexual acts between adults are not illegal, although the local community is generally intolerant of same sex relationships.

However bleak the continent of Africa looks for LGBTs and their rights, on November 14, 2007 the first shimmer of light and hope shined in South Africa when it became the first African nation to legalize same-sex marriage.

The international campaign for equal rights for homosexuals and other sexual minorities took a step forward on 14 November when South Africa became the first country in Africa, and the fifth in the world, to legalize same-sex marriage. “This country cannot continue to be a prisoner of the backward, time-worn prejudices which have no basis,” declared ruling African National Congress parliamentarian and Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota in urging passage. “Culture is not static.” (source – Africa Renewal)

The Rwandan bill, or article as it is called, Article 217, which has been discussed much this week, could be voted on today according to Voice of America.com.

UPDATE – SATURDAY 12/19/09 – 2:00 AM (ET)

The NewTimes newspaper in Rwanda is reporting today in an article written by Edwin Musoni, The Minister of Justice Tharcisse Karugarama has condemned and refuted reports that government intends to criminalize homosexual acts saying that sexual orientation is a private matter not a state business.

His reaction comes after international organizations, including rights groups and gay communities across the world raised an alarm in several reports accusing the government of trying to consider a law against homosexuality.

“The government I serve and speak for on certain issues cannot and will not in any way criminalize homosexuality; sexual orientation is a private matter and each individual has his or her own orientation – - this is not a State matter at all,” said Karugarama.

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, the Coalition of African Lesbians (CAL), and Rwanda’s Horizon Community Association (HOCA), recently issued statements demanding that the Rwandan Parliament withdraws article 217 of the penal code regarding homosexuality.

The Minister accused the ‘groups for either acting in total ignorance or intentionally presenting wrong facts for their own political motives.’

“They allege that the law was to be passed in Parliament on December 16, but sincerely there was nothing like that in the parliament that day.” 

He clearly stated that; “these people should distinguish between issues debated by private parties and concrete proposals from the government.”

He hastened to add that the government has held a meeting with its development partners on this particular issue and told them their position ‘which is that the government has no intentions whatsoever to criminalize homosexuality.

GAMBIA AS HOMOPHOBIC AS U.S. WHEN IT COMES TO THE MILITARY

GAMBIA – 09 December 2009: Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh says he will sack gay and lesbian army officers serving the country’s military. The President who was addressing the newly promoted army chiefs, said lesbianism is a “ taboo” in the army, and therefore warned  soldiers to desist from such practices, which he describes  as “evil” and ungodly.

“We will not encourage lesbianism and homosexuality in the military. It is a taboo in our armed forces. I will sack any soldier suspected of being a gay, or lesbian in The Gambia. We need no gays in our armed forces,” Jammeh said.

The Gambian leader, who recently threatened to behead gays in the West African country, said soldiers whose sexual orientation is gay should contemplate leaving the army, as his Government have zero tolerance for gays. The President advised the army chiefs to monitor the activities of their men, and deal with soldiers bent on practicing lesbianism in the military

Source – Freedomnewspaper.com via Behind The Mask

10,000 SIGNATURES TO DECRIMINALIZE HOMOSEXUALITY IN CAMEROON

CAMEROON – 02 December 2009: Cameroonian gay rights groups are optimistic that human rights of gays and lesbians could see a positive light, should President Paul Biya consider about 10 000 signatures inked in a petition calling for decriminalisation of homosexuality in that country.

The Petition, said to have received a lot of support from journalists, politicians and civil society, will be handed to Biya for perusal on 10 December, during the 61st anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Prodhop and Alternatives Cameroon, human rights organisations in Cameroon say some journalists supported the petition by accepting to be in their discussion panel during the press conference, by reporting fairly and by committing to support all future initiatives by these organisations.

“Some politicians and personalities such as lawyers and members of civil society also welcomed and supported our action by signing the petition”, Maximilienne Ngo Mbe, General Secretary of Prodhop said.

The two organisations say they also received “a significant support” of Jacques Do Bell of the National Commission on Human Rights who indicated that “this disposition [anti-gay law] is unconstitutional and infringes all the international treaties and conventions signed by Cameroon that guarantee each citizen to fully exercise their rights, including the right to privacy.”

Source – Jerina Messie (BTM French Reporter) via Behind The Mask

By Guest Writer Peter Tatchell.

A storm of controversy has erupted after the BBC News Channel hosted an online debate – “Should homosexuals face execution?” – on its website on Wednesday 16 December 2009.  

See the BBC Have Your Say Africa website here.

Following protests, the title of the debate “Should homosexuals face execution?” was changed to “Should Uganda debate gay execution?” But opening sentence of the text below still read: “Should homosexuals face execution?”

The debate was about legislation before the Ugandan parliament that would introduce the death penalty for people who commit repeated homosexual acts.  

See the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill here.

I think it perfectly reasonable for the BBC to host a debate about the current Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill, but not in the terms that it was framed. The BBC would not hold online debates such as: Should Jews be exterminated? Was the Rwandan genocide justified? Should the people of Darfur be massacred? Is it right to stone women to death in Somalia  

Moreover, the BBC’s commentary announcing the debate put a very weak case against the execution of lesbian and gay Ugandans. It read like an open invitation for homophobic endorsements of the state-sponsored killing of gay people.  

It is a good thing to promote awareness and debate about this vile legislation, even if it means giving homophobes an opportunity to air their prejudice and hatred.  

We have to acknowledge that violently homophobic views still exist in many parts of the world, even in Britain. Bringing this homophobia into the open is a wake up call. It usefully jolts liberal-minded people out of their complacency. Engaging bigoted views in debate is the best way to change them, or at least to change some of them. Challenging and refuting homophobic ignorance is the key to overcoming it.

Closing down debates and censoring people is dangerous. It threatens free speech and drives hatred underground, where it cannot be countered.

[This posting has been UPDATED to include reaction from the BBC regarding the much debated piece]

Wednesday evening (UK) from Liliane Landor, (acting) head of Africa/Middle East,World Service

The editors of the BBC Africa Have Your Say programme thought long and hard about using this question which prompted a lot of internal debate.

We agree that it is a stark and challenging question, but think that it accurately focuses on and illustrates the real issue at stake.

If Uganda’s democratically elected MPs vote to proceed with the Anti-Homosexuality Bill this week they will bring onto the statute book legislation that could condemn people to death for some homosexual activities.

We published it alongside clear explanatory text which gave the context of the bill itself (see above). And as we said at the top of our debate page, we accept it is a stark and disturbing question. But this is the reality behind the bill.

This issue has already sparked much debate around the world and understandably led to us receiving many e-mails and texts. We have sought to moderate these rigorously while at the same time trying to reflect the varied and hugely diverse views about homosexuality in Africa.”

Thursday afternoon (UK) from Peter Horrocks, Director BBC World Service

The original headline on our website was, in hindsight, too stark. We apologise for any offence it caused. But it’s important that this does not detract from what is a crucial debate for Africans and the international community.

The programme was a legitimate and responsible attempt to support a challenging discussion about proposed legislation that advocates the death penalty for those who undertake certain homosexual activities in Uganda – an important issue where the BBC can provide a platform for debate that otherwise would not exist across the continent and beyond.

[THIS POSTING HAS BEEN MOVED UP FROM 12/17/09 BECAUSE OF THE BBC REACTION AND AS A COMPANION POSTING TO "Africa Still A Dark Continent For Many In The LGBT Community"]

From DC Agenda, Same-sex couples came one step closer to marrying in the nation’s capital after the D.C. City Council voted 11-2 on Tuesday to allow it.

Rea Carey, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force’s executive director, applauded the vote.

“We are thrilled with the D.C. Council’s passage today of this critical legislation, which places same-sex couples at the cusp of attainting a fundamental freedom in the nation’s capital,” she said. “We look forward to the District of Columbia soon joining the growing list of localities that have already enacted marriage equality.”

Mayor Adrian Fenty has pledged to sign the same-sex marriage bill, which must next undergo a congressional review of 30 legislative days before it becomes law. The review is expected to begin later this month.

HRC had this reaction, The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, applauded the Washington, D.C. Council’s overwhelming vote today for final passage of legislation recognizing same-sex marriage.

“Today’s vote is a victory for all D.C. residents, whose relationships will soon be treated equally and fairly in the eyes of the law,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.  “This legislation is an important and historic step towards equal dignity, equal respect and equal rights for same-sex couples here in our nation’s capital, which also preserves the right of clergy and congregations to adhere to their faiths.  The legislation the Council passed today reinforces the legal equality and religious freedoms to which all D.C. residents are entitled.”

NOM had this repsonse, The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) released the following statement today in response to the D.C. Council’s passage of a same-sex marriage bill:

“The people of D.C. have a right, guaranteed by the charter, which is D.C.’s constitution, to vote to protect marriage. Politicians on the city council are acting as if they have the right through legislation to deprive citizens of D.C. of their core civil right to vote, but we will not let them get away with it,” said Brian Brown, Executive Director of NOM. “We have one message for David Catania and the rest of these politicians today: this fight is not over. We will go to Congress, we will go to the courts, we will fight for the people’s right to vote and we will win!”

NOM has led successful campaigns to protect marriage in states across the country, including victories in California in 2008 and most recently in Maine in November, 2009, as well as legislative battles to block gay marriage in New York (where gay marriage failed in the Senate by a lopsided vote of 38 no to 24 yes).

“We have one message for David Catania and the rest of these politicians today: this fight is not over.
We will go to Congress, we will go to the courts, we will fight for the people’s right to vote and we will win!”
- Brian Brown, Executive Director, NOM -

UPDATE – FRIDAY DECEMBER 18 2008

 MAYOR ADRIAN FENTY HAS SIGNED INTO LAW SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

The Miami-Herald is reporting today reggae recording artist BuJu Banton has been arrested by DEA authorities and is in a federal lockup in Miami awaiting to be transferred to Tampa where he will be charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilos of cocaine.

Earlier this month Banton and the Grammy Awards were at the center of a firestorm when Banton’s album, Rasta Got Soul was nominated for an award. Banton, who’s real name is Mark Anthony Myrie, advocates the killing of gays and lesbians in his song Boom Bye Bye which was released in 1990 and is still popular in the homophobic and anti-gay country of Jamaica.

The previous posting about Banton getting the Grammy nod and the controversy that has brought can be found here.

Updated information from AP/CBS News – A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration affidavit says Banton, whose real name is Mark Anthony Myrie, traveled to Sarasota last week to make the purchase along with two others. The DEA was tipped off by a confidential informant who agreed to wear a recording device during the drug negotiation session.

Eventually, the group went to a warehouse authorities had outfitted with audio and video recording devices to make the cocaine deal. An undercover police officer pulled out one brick of the 20-kilogram load, according to the DEA, and one of Banton’s associate’s sliced it open with a knife.

Banton, according to the affidavit, “instantly wiped the blade of that knife with his finger and placed that finger in his mouth in what appeared to be an attempt to taste the cocaine.” After two more meetings at local restaurants between the informant and Banton’s associates, authorities arrested the associates and then took Banton into custody Thursday in Miami.

A bail hearing was set for Wednesday in Miami federal court. The attorney handling that for Banton didn’t immediately return an e-mail seeking comment.

On Monday, editor-in-chief Jennifer Vanasco of 365Gay, wrote an article about the corporate sponsorship of a concert in Uganda in which Jamaican artist Beenie Man, known for his vicious, homophobic songs, said from the stage, “In my family, we don’t have any gay person but if you’re gay, my brother that’s not my fault,” before launching into a song about slitting the throats of gay men. Beenie Man thanked Pepsi for sponsoring the concert on his Facebook page.

Tuesday Vanasco received an email response to her inquiry from PepsiCo about it’s sponsorship.

Dear Jennifer,

In response to your article, Did Pepsi sponsor an anti-gay concert in Uganda?

I wanted to provide you with this official statement on behalf of PepsiCo:

 “We are appalled by the performer’s lyrics and find them repugnant.  Our bottling partner in Uganda was not aware of the performer’s views and never would have sponsored the concert with this knowledge.  Moving forward, we will work closely with our bottling partners to be more vigilant about the events associated with our brands.”

Please let me know if you need anything further.

Sincerely,
Michelle Naughton

Beenie Man was univited to the Auckland Big Day Out event which was held last month as reported by GayNZ.com, The producers of Auckland’s Big Day Out decided Beenie Man would be uninvited from the popular music festival last month following a storm of protest against the singer and his violently homophobic lyrics.

“Although aware of the controversial nature of Beenie Man and his previous lyrics that have caused offence with the Gay and Lesbian and wider community, the producers understood that the artist had renounced these sentiments and no longer expresses those views,” said the Big Day Out’s management last month.

Emails received by GayNZ.com following the decision, and a statement signed by Beenie Man’s record company, quoted the singer as “heartbroken” about “misunderstandings” over his lyrics. Responding to specific questions from GayNZ.com, Beenie Man was then quoted as saying: “I am not a supporter of hatred and never was… I do not sing or perform any of those songs nor promote any violence on stage. I have been performing all over the world and there hasn’t been any issues of recent.”

At PepsiCo’s website in the Values & Philosophy section it reads, We embrace people with diverse backgrounds, traits and ways of thinking. Our diversity brings new perspectives into the workplace and encourages innovation, as well as the ability to identify new market opportunities.

PepsiCo is based in nearby Purchase, NY.

- Update - 1:00 PM (ET) Peter Tatchell, International Human and LGBT Rights activist just sent this statement regarding PepsiCo and the Beenie Man concert:

Protests by Change.org, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), OutRage! and others have persuaded PepsiCo to climb down and apologise, after it sponsored a concert in Uganda by “murder music” singer Beenie Man who encourages the killing of lesbians and gay men.  

At his Ugandan concert on Saturday 5 December, Beenie Man sang the song, Mi Nah Wallah, which includes a call to cut the throats of gay people.  

Uganda is notorious for homophobic violence and is currently considering introducing the death penalty for “aggravated” homosexuality and for “serial (gay) offenders.”

Following protests, Pepsi expressed regret over their sponsorship of Beenie Man. In a statement to Change.org PepsiCo said:

“We are appalled by the performer’s lyrics and find them repugnant. Our bottling partner in Uganda was not aware of the performer’s views and never would have sponsored the concert with this knowledge…Moving forward, we will work closely with our bottling partners to be more vigilant about the events associated with our brands.”

Peter Tatchell of London LGBT rights group OutRage! said: “We want to thank GLAAD and Change.org for their swift and effective lobbying of PepsiCo. Their efforts got a positive result. PepisiCo will be more careful in future.”

Earlier, David Allison of OutRage! wrote to PepsiCo:

“We are shocked to learn that not only are you sponsoring the appearance of Beenie Man, the Jamaican dancehall music performer, but compounding the offence by sponsoring him in Uganda…Uganda’s government is currently proposing legislation calling for the imprisonment and execution of gay people.

“Backing a concert that includes a notorious homophobe in a country launching draconian legislation against people simply because of their sexual orientation is a singularly inept, not to say immoral….We ask that you withdraw your sponsorship and re-affirm your support for human rights,” wrote Mr Allison.

Beenie Man has a long history of inciting the murder of LGBT people.  

His hit tune, Bad Man Chi Chi Man (Bad Man, Queer Man), instructs listeners to kill gay DJs and boasts that people would gladly go to jail for killing a queer:

In another song, Damn, he sings: “I’m dreaming of a new Jamaica, come to execute all the queers”.

Han Up Deh includes the lyrics: “Hang lesbians with a long piece of rope.”

Beenie Man is also notorious for the track, Batty Man Fi Dead (Queers Must Be killed):

“All faggots must be killed! If you f*ck ass, then you get copper and lead [bullets].”

8: THE MORMON PROPOSTION

8:The Mormon Proposition will have it’s World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival which takes place January 21 - 31, 2010 in Park City, Utah.

The documentary directed by Reed Cowan and narrated by Oscar winning writer (MILK) Dustin Lance Black, is a production of David v Goliath Productions. 

The documentary looks at the Mormon Church and it’s involvement in Prop 8 which took away the right for gays and lesbians to marry in California. Those who were married prior to Prop 8 were allowed to remain married however it took away any future hope for the equality of marriage to countless thousands of Californians until such time that Prop 8 can be overturned.

On Thursday in California as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, a federal judge probably violated the Constitution when he ordered backers of Proposition 8, the initiative that banned same-sex marriage in California, to give their campaign strategy documents to opponents trying to overturn the measure, an appeals court said.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit of Appeals in San Francisco suspended the order that Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker issued in October against backers of Prop. 8, which state voters approved in November 2008.

Walker said lawyers for two same-sex couples and a gay-rights group were entitled to see internal memos and e-mails between Yes on 8 strategists to look for evidence that the campaign had sought to exploit anti-gay bias. Such evidence would strengthen the plaintiffs’ claim that the ballot measure was discriminatory and thus unconstitutional.

Prop. 8 sponsors argued that their discussions were constitutionally protected and that orders such as Walker’s would discourage candid communications in political campaigns.

Writer’s note – this posting which originally just had the video clip and link to the production company website, has been moved up from it’s original posting date of October 20, 2009 to include the screening announcement and the above news. For a related posting about the Mormon Church go here.

According to an article at The Guardian, Life imprisonment is the minimum punishment for anyone convicted of having gay sex, under an anti-homosexuality bill currently before Uganda’s parliament. If the accused person is HIV positive or a serial offender, or a “person of authority” over the other partner, or if the “victim” is under 18, a conviction will result in the death penalty.

Members of the public are obliged to report any homosexual activity to police with 24 hours or risk up to three years in jail – a scenario that human rights campaigners say will result in a witchhunt. Ugandans breaking the new law abroad will be subject to extradition requests.

Human rights groups within and outside Uganda have condemned the proposed legislation, which is designed to strengthen colonial-era laws that already criminalise gay sex. The issue threatened to overshadow the Commonwealth heads of government meeting that ended in Trinidad and Tobago today, with the UK and Canada both expressing strong concerns. Ahead of the meeting Stephen Lewis, a former UN envoy on Aids in Africa, said the law “makes a mockery of Commonwealth principles” and has “a taste of fascism” about it.

But within Uganda deeply-rooted homophobia, aided by a US-linked evangelical campaign alleging that gay men are trying to “recruit” schoolchildren, and that homosexuality is a habit that can be “cured”, has ensured widespread public support for the bill. Read more at The Guardian.

Meanwhile the Ugandan government is less than pleased with the criticism of its handling of the “homosexual problem” the country faces, The government yesterday (Sunday) responded strongly to international criticism over the proposed anti-gay law, saying the process would continue uninterrupted.

Speaker Edward Sekandi told Daily Monitor that it was necessary “to do whatever we can to stop” homosexual liaisons in Uganda. “We don’t support that practice [homosexuality],” Mr Sekandi said.

But international pressure was mounting on Uganda to rethink a law that would make this country one of the most dangerous places for gay people.

The president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, has claimed European gays are “recruiting” Ugandan citizens into a homosexual lifestyle.

“We used to have very few homosexuals traditionally. They were not persecuted but were not encouraged either because it was clear that is not how God arranged things to be.”, this from the website of PinkNews.

On Wednesday, November 25, The Advocate.com reported the Ugandan government has been “making friends” with several US senators including Nevada Senator John Ensign, Kansas Senator Sam Brownback, Oklahoma Senators Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley and Senator Mike Enzi of Wyoming and playing “footsie” with “The legislator that introduced the bill (which would allow gays to be executed), a guy named David Bahati, is a member of The Family,” he (Jeff Sharlett in an interview with NPR’s Terry Gross) said. “He appears to be a core member of The Family. He works, he organizes their Ugandan National Prayer Breakfast and oversees a African sort of student leadership program designed to create future leaders for Africa, into which The Family has poured millions of dollars working through a very convoluted chain of linkages passing the money over to Uganda.”

In the Ugandan newspaper the Observor, Bahati wrote, The Anti-Homosexuality Bill is a nice piece of legislation. It is a consolidation of values of Ugandans and the country at large. It aims at holding the integrity of Ugandans high in the sky. And we shall not compromise on this cause.

Uganda is not a copycat of other countries. We can’t do what other countries are doing—especially when such countries are doing the wrong things. The fact that the moral fabric in America and Europe has been put under siege by the supporters of this creeping evil of homosexuality should not suggest that we should follow suit.

And I think supporting the cause of this Bill will provide Uganda as a country an opportunity to provide leadership in this area of safeguarding the traditional family. I must also point out that this Bill is not about hate or discrimination. We are not involved in a hate campaign.

But we are pursuing a campaign and a genuine cause of protecting our traditional family. The best output from a family is got when it is led by a mother and a father. The family is the epitome of creation. And anything that deviates from our family values is evil, unacceptable. This Bill is focusing on ways through which Uganda can keep her family values safe and sound.

But ever since we tabled this Bill, we have come under attack. People have argued that we are promoting a hate campaign against homosexuals. And these attacks are coming mostly from civil society members who claim that homosexuality is a human right.

These same groups have persistently continued to place this evil in the category of human rights. They have rallied people to resist the Bill. They argue that we are targeting homosexuals, we hate them. But some of the people behind these messages are mothers and respectable people in our country.

Can you imagine mothers who are supposed to protect their children from abuses like sodomy are the very people protesting this Bill? Instead of protecting their children they are up in arms supporting abusers of these children! People who support this evil have endlessly started to threaten us.

But I want to assure Ugandans that no amount of intimidation will deter us from ensuring that this Bill becomes law. And we call upon all Ugandans to come on board and support, critique or add colour to this wonderful piece of legislation.

On a good note, however, we have received massive support from religious leaders, the government and many people from different circles of Uganda and other countries. In Uganda, there are people, mostly the old, who want to see a traditional family made up of man and woman solidified and not diluted by this same sex marriage talk.

The divine role of man is that of procreation, a far cry from this mentality that man and man can live in the same house as husband and wife, or a woman marrying a fellow woman.

We are happy that we are involved in this issue of attacking homosexuality head on. And generally people have started to see this cause as something that is highly needed. It is not an easy task. Combating homosexuality is not easy. There is massive recruitment in schools—mostly single-sex schools.

Since we tabled the Bill in Parliament, we have received calls from students in schools on a massive scale, urging us to go and help them. On top of this are the NGOs that are hugely involved in recruiting and giving money to our young children with the intention of swaying them into this evil practice.

But Uganda will never exchange her dignity for money. While we are poor in terms of finances, we are extremely rich in dignity. And we will never accept homosexuality for the sake of appeasing other countries or as an incentive for their money.

Jeff Sharlet’s book “The Family” is an investigative look at a secretive group of fundamentalist Christian lawmakers in Washington, D.C. In a recent interview with NPR’s Terry Gross, he broke the news that The Family’s influence in Uganda is rife with ties to Fundamentalists here in the United States.

The Ugandan government and The Family’s tentacles reach the very steps and corridors of the US Capitol.

Monday Night Rachel Maddow Discussed The Issue On Her Show

Since earlier this year there has been a “call to action” against Jamaica both in regards to tourism and products by several of the better known and outspoken in the LGBT community over anti-gay attitudes and violence on this Caribbean island that in TV commercials touts itself as such a grand place to visit. If you’re not LGBT that is.

I wasn’t planning to add any other postings today, the day before Thanksgiving, until I happened across an article in one of my topic search feeds which was written today.

While the story is too gruesome to detail here, the article is about a gay man who has mutilated a “lover” in the North St Andrew part of Jamaica. If that was all there was to the article I wouldn’t have even mentioned it here on Focus On The Rainbow as there are I’m sure plenty of others once they catch wind of it, will, because of the goriness of the story.

The reason I am writing about it, is the absolutely infuriating quote that appears in the article which is reported at the Jamaica Observer. The quote is that of a doctor at the hospital where the victim was taken.

The hospital is University Hospital of the West Indies and the, of course, unnamed doctor is a senior doctor at the facility and as reported by the Jamaica Observer, One of Jamaica’s senior doctors, in commenting on the case, said that homosexuals are to blame for much of the violent attacks that they face.

“Homosexuals always want us to get this perception that they are always being hurt and treated harshly by the society as a whole. But is it not they who are often hurting themselves?” asked the doctor.

Not only is the doctor’s comment infuriating, but also the last paragraph in the article which HG Helps, the Editor-at-Large, wrote, Violence amongst homosexuals in Jamaica is common and in many cases end in bizarre and brutal deaths which have included multiple stab wounds and chops, even though gay and international human rights groups have tried to paint a picture that these are hate crimes.

Is it any wonder that a boycott has been called for and why Jamaica is one of the most homophobic places on the planet.

By the way, feel free to send HG Helps an email …. helpsh@jamaicaobserver.com

On November 29, Helps wrote another anti-gay piece in the Observer which among other things included the following.

“In the gay community, there are people whose passion finds expression through bizarre sexual experiences and through the infliction of pain,” said top psychiatrist Dr Aggrey Irons.

Homosexual spin doctors in lobby groups such as Kingston-based Jamaica Forum for Lesbians All Sexuals & Gays (J-FLAG) and London-based Outrage! often attempt to deflect blame onto ‘homophobic’ Jamaicans, a ploy, critics suggest, to pressure the Government into relaxing anti-gay laws.

Homosexual groups claim that there have been over 50 acts of fatal violence against their members in the last five years, although they failed to say how many of those were committed in their own camp.

Dr Irons said that attacks by homosexuals on their own could rise to unthinkable levels of gory conduct.

 ”Stabbing is not specific to homosexual behaviour, it is a sort of tautological connection,” said Irons. “But with each stab would come some kind of exclamation, some expression of hatred or disgust. This is physical, emotional and verbal. So with repeated stabbing, you would find bizarre amputations as well and even relocations.