Being the Change I Wish to See

This article is part 11 in a multi-part series about the Ugandan anti-homosexuality bill of 2009, better known as the Ugandan kill-the-gays bill. The first 10 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
• Part 9: Condemn the bill to Uganda’s President
• Part 10: The Family finally condemns bill

Short update video (3 min.).

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Rachel Maddow reports the following in this video:

Last week, the State Department‘s top diplomat in Africa told reporters he had been in touch with Uganda‘s president to express the U.S. government‘s opposition to the bill.

According to new reporting in “D.C. Agenda”…Uganda‘s president has told the U.S. State Department that he‘s going to veto the bill.

After “D.C. Agenda” first reported this, we confirmed it today [Dec. 22, 2009] with the State Department. State says the Ugandan president has committed to the top U.S. diplomat for Africa, both in person and in a follow-up phone conversation that he, the Ugandan president, will stop the bill.

Meanwhile, according to “D.C. Agenda,” the next U.S. step is to try to get the Ugandan president to make that commitment in public, to get him to speak out against the bill in public, rather than just giving assurances in private.

Take a lesson here about being persistent. By continuing to report on this story for weeks, Rachel Maddow has put this issue front and center in the media. I believe she has played a large role in turning this issue around and preventing this legislation from becoming law in Uganda, though it isn’t over yet.

This is an important issue not because it’s a gay rights issue, it’s important because it’s a human rights tragedy that came about because of interference in Uganda by U.S. evangelicals and the cure-the-gays quacktivist industry.

Sunlight really can be the best disinfectant.

Part 12 is available at this link.

Technorati Tags: Bart Stupak, Chris Smith, Chuck Grassley, Frank Wolf, James Inhofe, Joe Pitts, John Ensign, Joseph Cao, kill-the-gays bill, Museveni, Rachel Maddow, Richard Cohen, Rick Warren, The Family, The Rachel Maddow Show, Trent Franks, Uganda

\\ tags: Bart Stupak, Chris Smith, Chuck Grassley, Frank Wolf, James Inhofe, Joe Pitts, John Ensign, Joseph Cao, kill-the-gays bill, Museveni, Rachel Maddow, Richard Cohen, Rick Warren, The Family, The Rachel Maddow Show, Trent Franks, Uganda

This article is part 10 in a multi-part series about the Ugandan anti-homosexuality bill of 2009, better known as the Ugandan kill-the-gays bill. The first 9 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
• Part 9: Condemn the bill to Uganda’s President

Jeff Sharlet recently interviewed Family leader Bob Hunter, a primary contact with The Family in Uganda. Here’s what he had to say.

The Fellowship, AKA the Family, opposes the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

Bob Hunter has been working quietly behind the scenes speaking out against the bill to his Family counterparts in Uganda. Mr. Hunter has also encouraged influential Family members to speak out against the bill.

Short update video (2 min).

Jeff Sharlet describes Uganda as The Family’s outpost in Africa. David Bahati, who introduced the anti-homosexuality bill in the Ugandan Parliament, is a member of The Family. Ugandan President Museveni is also a member of The Family.

Many U.S. Senators and Representatives who are members of The Family have spoken out condemning the bill, except for Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas. He says he still doesn’t know the details and can’t comment.

Sen. Brownback is perhaps too lazy to educate himself about this pending legislation. He may feel sufficiently distanced from the Ugandan bill to ignore it. He may even agree with the legislation and not really wish to condemn it, although supporting it in the U.S. and within The Family would have negative political consequences for him.

Regardless, Sen. Brownback is still playing dumb about this issue and it isn’t acceptable. He’s a Republican Senator and what has he had to do all year since all the GOP does is block Senate business and sit on their butts? If you’re not going to do any real work for the country, Senator, how about at least learning about the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill and taking a position on it? Sam Brownback has the same access to the State Department as Chuck Grassley, who stepped up and did his homework. Get off your duff, Sen. Brownback.

Part 11 of the series may be accessed at this link.

Technorati Tags: Bart Stupak, Bob Hunter, Chuck Grassley, James Inhofe, Jeff Sharlet, Joe Pitts, John Ensign, kill-the-gays bill, Rachel Maddow, Sam Brownback, The Family, The Rachel Maddow Show, Uganda

\\ tags: Bart Stupak, Bob Hunter, Chuck Grassley, James Inhofe, Jeff Sharlet, Joe Pitts, John Ensign, kill-the-gays bill, Rachel Maddow, Sam Brownback, The Family, The Rachel Maddow Show, Uganda