Comments on: Uganda govt says Anti-Homosexuality Bill not necessary; fate in Parliament unclear – Updated

By: Richard Willmer

Richard Willmer — Wed, 30 May 2018 23:49:32 +0000

If this is true, then it would be useful if Tashobya’s committee (which includes the Lord Mayor designate of Kampala – someone who is allegedly opposed to the Bill on jurisprudential grounds) were to come to the same conclusion. To this end, it is important that opponents of the Bill, both inside and outside Uganda, continue to put their arguments to Tashobya.
http://canyonwalkerconnections.com/2011/03/stop-the-ugandan-anti-homosexuality-bill-from-a-vote/

By: Richard Willmer

Richard Willmer — Wed, 30 May 2018 23:49:32 +0000

I just laughed when Bahitler was talking about ‘counselling and caring’ – ‘machete-style’ is presumably what he had in mind! (He did look peeved in that clip.)
It will be interesting to see what the Sexual Offences (Amendment0 Bill contains. Will it seek to make all sexual offences ‘gender-neutral’, or will it be a ‘Bahati’s back door’ (so to speak!).

By: David Roberts

David Roberts — Wed, 30 May 2018 23:49:32 +0000

One could get dizzy watching the status of this bill.

By: David Blakeslee

David Blakeslee — Wed, 30 May 2018 22:31:31 +0000

I feel less dizzy, only because people have been on full alert and helped move us all into the real issues of safety and respect and tolerance on this issue.
Watched the Vanguard: Missionaries of Hate documentary last night. It could not exist without all the efforts here, at Ex-gaywatch, at Box Turtle Bulletin, TWO and Rachel Maddow.
My prayer is that Evangelicals and Fundamentalists will be given more support in their skepticism of people like Bahati, Lively and Fischer. Evangelicals and Fundamentalists, because of several generations of “anti-intellectual” indoctrination are ripe for the simplistic exploitation and manipulation of such men.

By: Richard Willmer

Richard Willmer — Wed, 30 May 2018 22:31:31 +0000

@ David : One cannot discount the possibility that what is happening is designed to make us ‘dizzy’, and we should remain ‘on full alert’.

By: Richard Willmer

Richard Willmer — Wed, 30 May 2018 22:29:31 +0000

@ Lynn David : You may well have a point here! Now the NRM has ‘won’ the elections, it has greater freedom to pursue a policy that could be in Uganda’s interest (e.g. better laws on child protection generally) rather than mess about with dirty gimmicks such as the Bahitler Bill. One should also consider UG’s current economic situation (e.g. food prices have doubled in the last two months): this is not the time for them unnecessarily to alienate development partners.

By: Val Kalende

Val Kalende — Wed, 30 May 2018 22:29:31 +0000

David what do you mean by saying,
“It could not exist without all the efforts here, at Ex-gaywatch, at Box Turtle Bulletin, TWO and Rachel Maddow?”

By: Throbert McGee

Throbert McGee — Wed, 30 May 2018 22:29:31 +0000

Val and Richard: I thought that David B. was saying that the documentary film called Vanguard: Missionaries of Hate could not exist without the support of various blogs in the US — not that he was giving the bloggers credit for the events in Uganda.

By: Richard Willmer

Richard Willmer — Wed, 30 May 2018 22:29:31 +0000

@ Val :
I suspect that what David means is that international vigilance and pressure has played a part in getting to this point. My own concern is that the prospective Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill will contain specific discriminatory measures aimed at gay people, although I do not know this for certain. Thus continued vigilance is needed.
http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/ugandas-kill-the-gays-bill-appears-to-be-dead/legislation/2011/03/25/18278
It is also the case that Bahati (or ‘Bahitler’, as I sometimes call him) and his cronies are far from ‘beaten’; Bahati still uses that old ‘recruitment’ propaganda line, although he never supplies any ‘evidence’ (I wonder why?!). Personally, I think it is important that Tashobya’s committee also reiterates the Government’s line at this stage. Then it will be clear that Bahati has lost this particular battle. The war against the unjust treatment of LGBT persons continues though, and will be long and hard, as you are only too aware, of course.

By: David Blakeslee

David Blakeslee — Wed, 30 May 2018 18:59:32 +0000

Throbert,
A veritable smorgasbord of factoids…
1 is still the loneliest number :).
Thanks for filling out this context…again, I wish fundamentalists and more evangelicals could reconcile their faith and their science.
For too long, I needed to believe that the earth was less than 10,000 years old. Fundamentalism’s need for literal interpretation starts all sorts of problems, and ultimately leads, in the wrong hands, to the perversion of Christ, by creating a triumphant or supremacist world view…
This process intertwines with Hagee, Lively and Fisher. Their intellect and position, misused, guides many sincere followers of Christ.