Month: October 2010

Uganda’s Rolling Stone brings out second part of Hang Them campaign; court to hear objections

While I haven’t seen it, I have independent verification that the Rolling Stone has hit the street in Uganda. According to Giles Muhame (seen in this CNN interview), and the Rolling Stone Facebook page, the paper became available today. According to Muhame:

The Rolling Stone has again published 20 more pictures of homosexuals in Uganda. The early edition for monday is already on the street. Our kampala readers can pick copies from Petro (jinja road) and “sell-out” point -Bugolobi stage,” said Circulation chief Nicholas. There we roll….

Also, according to Muhame and other sources in Uganda, a complaint has been filed against the editors and will be heard early this week. I hope to have screen captures of the paper soon. Watch for updates…

Uganda’s Rolling Stone editor speaks to CNN (video)

Giles Muhame’s interview with CNN – where he says gays have no privacy and he hopes that the police investigates the gays and hangs them.

This is very similar to arguments offered by Martin Ssempa early on when the Anti-Homosexuality Bill was offered in late 2009. In his view, gays are doing illegal things in private so there is no private consensual behavior to protect.

According to the Rolling Stone editors, the paper will come out tomorrow (or Saturday according to one of them) with part two of the “hang them” campaign.

Who are the “real Christians?”

On Wednesday, a coalition of groups led by Linda Harvey, issued a press release titled, “Real Christians Say ‘No’ to Bullying and Homosexual Behavior.”

Clint McCance who thankfully will resign (click the link to read his remarks) from his post as the Vice President of the Midland, AR school district said that his views were based on his Christianity. Tonight, he apologized for his remarks on Anderson Cooper’s AC 360 news hour.

After the McCance interview, I saw the parents of Asher Brown interviewed who in their grief said they were praying for Clint McCance. They were devastated again by the remarks of McCance which were directed at the recent suicide victims on his Facebook page. Brown’s parents said they knew Asher believed he was gay and demonstrated unconditional love toward him.

Read the news release and note the attitude of the writer toward GLBT people. How does it come across to you?

Now consider people watching and reading and looking for some evidence of Jesus in the positions taken and the rhetoric offered by McCance, Asher’s parents and the “real Christians.”

It is actually offensive to me when a group suggests they are the “real Christians” so I will not engage in the same kind of rhetoric. My point is to wonder aloud what a watching world thinks about “real Christians” and if they are seeing Christ in any of us.

Midland AR School District official will resign over anti-gay comments

The Midland School Board Vice-President who made remarks suggesting that gay kids should commit suicide will resign. Clint McCance told Anderson Cooper just a few minutes ago that he will resign from the school board. He also expressed sorrow for the hurt he caused the families of recent suicides. He acknowledged that he said “hateful and hurtful” things. Video is here.

Yesterday, the Midland School District issued this statement on the district website:

October 27, 2010
 
For Immediate Release:
 
The Midland School District, Board of Directors, administration, faculty, and staff do not support or condone the comments Mr. Clint McCance posted on his personal social networking page. Mr. McCance was not acting as an agent of the school board, but as a private citizen when this comment was posted. This post does not reflect the thoughts of the board or administration of the Midland School District.
 
The district strives to foster an environment that discourages all forms of bullying and an environment that encourages a safe and productive educational climate of all of our students. The district is very diligent in pursuing and addressing bullying of any variety on our campuses. 
 
Sincerely
 
Dean Stanley, Superintendent
Midland School District
The statement seems a little restrained to me but nonetheless makes it clear that McCance does not speak for his peers.
No doubt there will be video on the CNN website, and I will embed it when it is available.
Currently, I cannot find McCance’s Facebook page – perhaps Facebook or McCance removed it.
Anderson Cooper had this summary in preparation for the broadcast tonight:

As we reported last night, McCance wrote a series of posts on Facebook against “Spirit Day”, where people were asked to wear the color purple to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.

His rant had offensive language and many misspellings.

“Seriously,” McCance wrote in one post, “They want me to wear purple because five queers committed suicide. The only way im wearin it for them is if they all commit suicide. I cant believe the people of this word have gotten this stupid.”

McCance added, “We are honoring the fact they sinned and killed thereselves because of their sin. REALLY PEOPLE.”

Six people actually pressed the ‘like button on that post. But others fired back.

McCance responded in part with this:

“It pisses me off though that we make special purple fag day for them. I like that fags can’t procreate. I also enjoy the fact that they often give each other AIDS and die.”

He also wrote, “I would disown my kids if they were gay. They will not be welcome at my home or in my vicinity.”

 

Bahati says Anti-Homosexuality Bill has not been shelved (VIDEO)

David Bahati finally speaks. He had been contacted by several media sources asking about the AHB.

Kampala, Uganda (CNN) — The member of the Ugandan Parliament behind a controversial “anti-gay” bill that would call for stiff penalties against homosexuality — including life imprisonment and the death penalty — says that the bill will become law “soon.”

“We are very confident,” David Bahati told CNN, “because this is a piece of legislation that is needed in this country to protect the traditional family here in Africa, and also protect the future of our children.”

Governments that have donated aid to Uganda and human rights groups applied massive pressure since the bill was proposed a year ago, and most believed that the bill had been since shelved.

Not so, says Bahati, adding, “Every single day of my life now I am still pushing that it passes.”

His statements come in the wake of a global outcry over a tabloid publication of Uganda’s “top 100 homosexuals” that included pictures and addresses of Ugandans perceived to be gay.

It is not hard to imagine a coordination of efforts between various players and the Rolling Stone. Time is short if the bill is to move before the holiday recess. Elections are not far away either, so this might be election talk. However, with the Rolling Stone preparing an issue with more outings on Friday, a government official pledging anew to make the “hang them” campaign law is an ominous development.

Video has been provided by CNN: