Uganda’s Rolling Stone continues “Hang Them” campaign (Photos)

Update: According to the BBC, a Ugandan judge has ordered the Rolling Stone to stop outing gays.

Giles Muhame, editor of the two-month-old Rolling Stone paper, told the AFP news agency that he would defy the ban.

“We will publish more pictures but in a diplomatic way, so that we can dodge the law,” he said.

On his Facebook page, editor Giles Muhame said this about the court ruling:

I have heard on grapevine that Kampala high court today afternoon issued an injunction barring the mighty Rolling Stone from publishing information that could lead to the identification of homosexuals…..the newspaper has already achieved its objective….By the way this means we can write about homosexuality but not …identify them….ok, understood…we are law abiding citizens….

I have obtained some screen shots of the Rolling Stone which continues the “hang the gays” campaign in Uganda. I am going to publish them first and then add commentary through the morning. Some cannot be published without heavy editing since they include pictures and names.

Click the next image to read an interview done by Oral Roberts University Board of Reference member, Martin Ssempa, with a young girl he continues to promote as an ex-lesbian. Ssempa told his former benefactor Canyon Ridge Christian Church that he disapproved of the “hang the gays” campaign but now he appears in the Rolling Stone again. I asked Rolling Stone editor Giles Muhame about his pastor’s (Ssempa) stated diapproval of the first “hang the gays” issue, and he did declined to answer. He did however, say that Ssempa had given them an interview. Two credible sources in Uganda have told me that both Giles Muhame and Cliff Abenaitwe attend Ssempa’s Makerere Community Church.

The next image is a lead article which looks like it could come from the Family Research Institute. In fact, the article titled, “More Homos Faces Exposed” quotes Paul Cameron’s lifespan articles. It also cites a “reliable source” saying that the stalled Anti-Homosexuality Bill will be passed when Uganda becomes an oil producer.

 

 Human rights groups in Uganda are trying to limit or halt the paper’s activities. Today or tomorrow a Uganda court is expected to hear an application for the paper to cease publishing. Managing editor Cliff  Abenaitwe told me in an email that he expects to prevail, saying

As regards the pending court case, its an application by a human rights group requesting court to order this People’s favourite political news paper from publishing more pictures of homosexuals in Uganda but as i stated above it is an application but court is yet to decide. nevertheless, its a matter of time till court decides in our favour because there is nothing wrong with what we are writing.

Click the image above to read Managing Editor Giles Muhame’s defense for this outing campaign. I have blocked out most of the pictures and descriptions of the men outed here. The remainder of the images I have are similar to these.

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.”