Being the Change I Wish to See

This article is part 9 in a multi-part series about the Ugandan anti-homosexuality bill of 2009, better known as the Ugandan kill-the-gays bill. The first 8 articles can be accessed at the following links:

• Part 1: Born in the USA
• Part 2: Horrific Details
• Part 3: American Silence is Deafening
• Part 4: HIV-AIDS Statistics in Uganda
• Part 5: State Dept Must Make US Policy Clear
• Part 6: Richard Cohen and debunking gay cure
• Part 7: Evangelicals were for it before they were against it
• Part 8: Rick Warren forced to oppose Ugandan bill

In the following video, Senator Russ Feingold demonstrates to those involved with The Family, other right-wing religious organizations, and the “cure the gays” quack industry exactly how one goes about communicating his or her condemnation of the Ugandan kill-the-gays bill (4 min).

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Let’s review:

• Don’t just “hope” something changes, make it change by doing what needs to be done
• Don’t be involved with organizations or people who support such archaic views, or condemn them early and widely when you find you are in an indefensible position because of that association
• Use America’s huge amount of leverage – we provide hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Uganda every year – and raise the issue that the money may stop coming if the Ugandans pass this horrible legislation
• Don’t just tell the American press, Rachel Maddow or American audiences; tell Uganda’s President Museveni that you condemn this pending legislation

President Obama, Senators James Inhofe and John Ensign condemn the pending bill while Senator Sam Brownback won’t comment on the bill specifically or whether he agrees or disagrees with punishing homosexuals generally. Come on Senator Brownback. You can answer a basic question about whether you support or condemn the punishment of people for being gay. (4:29 min)

Uganda was saying they won’t be swayed by international interference about this issue, but it is nearly the end of February and the bill is at least stalled in the Ugandan Parliament. When it comes to millions of dollars in aid from multiple countries, and the condemnation of world leaders a lot more powerful than they are, I believe they changed their position.

Maybe Congressmen and Senators will be more careful in the future with whom they associate themselves. Maybe when they make “humanitarian trips” to third world countries they will convey mainstream American policies, values and ideals. If they don’t, our State Department diplomats must visit whoever they visited right away to make sure foreign leaders understand the people they just met with do not represent U.S. policy positions nor do they speak for America as a whole.

Now that this story has stayed in the news for a couple of months, the American leaders who were meddling in Ugandan affairs are being held accountable by Americans, and Ugandan leaders are being held accountable by America and European countries that provide them aid.

We will have to keep a much closer eye on religious organizations and “experts” with an agenda that go overseas to provide humanitarian aid and “education”.

My first thought is this is why we need good investigative journalists and enough of them to keep us properly informed in this complex world. The State Department must also be aware of the messages delivered by these organizations and make sure foreign countries’ leaders understand they do not necessarily represent American policy, then make clear what our policies are.

Unfortunately, third world countries trust just about anyone who comes to them from America with money and aid claiming to be experts, especially if those people are telling them exactly what they want to hear.

Uganda, like many African countries, is severely homophobic. The “cure-the-gays” industry claims gays can be turned straight. In Ugandan leaders’ minds that means gay people can be cured, therefore anyone who is gay remains so by choice, and therefore any actions against gays, no matter how harsh, are acceptable. This is flawed logic since being gay is not a choice, it is not a disease, and it cannot be cured.

Part 10 is available at this link.

Technorati Tags: Barack Obama, Bart Stupak, Chuck Grassley, Human Rights, James Inhofe, Jeff Sharlet, Joe Pitts, John Ensign, John Kerry, kill-the-gays bill, Mike Stark, Museveni, Rachel Maddow, Rick Warren, Russ Feingold, Sam Brownback, Starkreports.com, The Family, Tom Coburn, Uganda

written by Sherri Joubert \\ tags: Barack Obama, Bart Stupak, Chuck Grassley, Human Rights, James Inhofe, Jeff Sharlet, Joe Pitts, John Ensign, John Kerry, kill-the-gays bill, Mike Stark, Museveni, Rachel Maddow, Rick Warren, Russ Feingold, Sam Brownback, Starkreports.com, The Family, Tom Coburn, Uganda