Comments on: Has Uganda’s antigay bill been stopped by Ugandan opposition?

By: Shawn

Shawn — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:40:57 +0000

FYI, here’s my thoughts on the matter, Warren.

http://six11.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/should-opinion-pieces-always-be-printed/

By: Richard Willmer

Richard Willmer — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:58:49 +0000

Another factual error: Shah says a 'parliamentary committee that recommended the bill be thrown out'. The committee in question was a Government committee - and the difference in important (because the future of the Bill is a matter for [a committee of] the Ugandan Parliament, not the Government, to decide). Furthermore, that Govt. committee still effectively supported attacking freedom of expression when it comes to support for the human rights of LGBT Ugandans.

By: Shawn

Shawn — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:50:28 +0000

Thanks so much for correcting the story, Warren. Your work is appreciated and admired.

CT should allow you to write their articles more often! Maybe then the truth would be presented as truth and not just as theory.

By: Shawn

Shawn — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:40:57 +0000

FYI, here’s my thoughts on the matter, Warren.

http://six11.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/should-opinion-pieces-always-be-printed/

By: Richard Willmer

Richard Willmer — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:58:49 +0000

By: Shawn

Shawn — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:50:28 +0000

Thanks so much for correcting the story, Warren. Your work is appreciated and admired.

CT should allow you to write their articles more often! Maybe then the truth would be presented as truth and not just as theory.

By: ken

ken — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:28:34 +0000

Warren# ~ Mar 16, 2011 at 9:35 am

“Shah wants us to think that there was no support and that the uproar was stirred up by Western liberals.”

Wow Warren, you’ve been converted into a western liberal. Just when you thought change couldn’t happen. 🙂

Seriously though, I think you are doing a good job of not letting this onerous bill go unnoticed.

By: Richard Willmer

Richard Willmer — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:11:20 +0000

@ Warren :

Have just read your update.

I believe that the Lwanga statement (23/12/2009) post-dated the Ssempa one and may, as I have said, have been in response to Vatican pressure. Of course, Ssempa hates Catholics (and also Muslims, whom he calls ‘friends’ in his letter – another deception), so there may have been other reasons for Lwanga to apparently ‘break ranks’. Lwanga himself is not exactly ‘gay-friendly’, of course, although I did read something last spring that suggested (but only suggested) that he favoured an ‘educational’, rather than ‘penal’, approach (I wish I could find that).

Another possibility is that some, like Lwanga, didn’t fully understand what the Bill entailed until papal aides had briefed him. The Vatican statement, that didn’t actually mention the Bill but was clearly aimed at it, was released only on 10/12/2009 (i.e. probably around the time that Ssempa and his chums was drafting his little epistle). Here it is again: http://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=a9849daa-dd60-4028-adc0-2dfa024cb3a9

I remember that things were moving very fast in those days.

Meanwhile, Buturo says his goodbyes. Guess what’s uppermost in his mind? Yes, that’s right …

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1125772/-/c3xhaez/-/index.html

(His predecessor didn’t seem to think much of him, according to the article.)

I wonder if Shah thinks that Buturo loves gays really?!

By: Richard Willmer

Richard Willmer — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 22:07:41 +0000

That is also my impression, Anteros.

Melanie – you may well be right, but I doubt any serious players in this game will take too much notice of Shah. They know the truth.

By: anteros

anteros — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 21:42:27 +0000

i’m stunned that anyone would even suggest that ugandans stopped the bill from passing. sure there was some local opposition, but it was nowhere near as timely, constant and formidable as the international opposition to the bill. and to suggest ugandan religious leaders and politicians strongly opposed the bill just baffles the mind… they were the bill’s loudest supporters, propagating hate and countless lies about the bill and gay people the whole time. almost all local opposition to the bill came from civil society, usually from a carefully articulated human rights angle.