Tags:

LGBTI
South Africa
Hate Speech
Homophobia

My first reaction was “here we go again” but this is far worse. I’m referring to an article in the South African Sunday Sun “Call me names but gay is NOT OK”. The article - which includes a despicable cartoon equating same sex realtionships with bestiality, calls for a rewriting of the SA constitution and the criminalisation of same-sex relationships.

Given the increasing number of attacks - murder, rape, beatings - against lesbians this article is outrageous and irresponsible and does nothing but incite even more hate crimes against the LGBTI community in Africa.

The Sunday Sun is owned by SA media giants, Media 24 and is one of the the fastest growing newspaper in the country ….

meaning A LOT of people get to read this & the ignorant masses will be swayed to points of view like such, as they know no better! Please lend a helping hand let your voices be heard, and forward on to anyone else that would agree.

Please take the time to sign the petition calling for the sacking of Jon Qwelane and to write to the paper’s editor Linda Rulashe (lrulashe@sundaysun.co.za) & cc the senior general manager for RCP Media Sarel du Plessis (sduplessis@naspers.com).

Tags:

LGBTI
South Africa
Hate Speech
Homophobia

The breakaway Anglican Church, Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon) has banned eight Anglican Church activists including Nigerian gay activist, Davis MacIyalla of Changing Attitude Nigeria. Gafcon which includes a large number of preachers of intolerance and un Jesus like individuals such as Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, Archbishop Henry Orombi of Uganda and Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi of Kenya. Gafcon was formed by these and some 1000 other Bishops from across the Anglican Church to oppose the ordainment of gay clergy, blessings of same sex marriages and are vehemently anti-homosexulality.

Archbishop Akinola’s speech at the Gafcon highlights the intransigence and dogmatic attitude of this group of Bishops. Also note the grouping together of homosexuals along with child abusers and rapists.

Looking back, one must confess that some of the resolutions couldn’t have been more prophetic. Take for instance the Encounter’s resolution about ‘Scripture, the Family and Human Sexuality’:

Reflection on our Encounter theme has helped further to deepen our resolve to uphold the authority of Scripture in every aspect of life, including the family and human sexuality.
Therefore:

6.1 We call on the Anglican Communion as a Church claiming to be rooted in the Apostolic and Reformed Tradition to remain true to Scripture as the final authority in all matters of faith and conduct;

6.2 We affirm that Scripture upholds marriage as a sacred relationship between a man and a woman, instituted in the creation ordinance;

6.3 We reaffirm that the only sexual expression, as taught by Scripture, which honours God and upholds human dignity is that between a man and a woman within the sacred ordinance of marriage;

6.4 We further believe that Scripture maintains that any other form of sexual expression is at once sinful, selfish, dishonouring to God and an abuse of human dignity;

6.5 We are aware of the scourge of sexual promiscuity, including homosexuality, rape and child abuse in our time. These are pastoral problems, and we call on the Churches to seek to find a pastoral and scriptural way to bring healing and restoration to those who are affected by any of these harrowing tragedies.

The church is a powerful institution and the words of the Bishops repeated from their pulpits on Sunday mornings encourages and condones the anti-LGBT violence in countries such as Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda. The Two weeks three gay men were violently attacked and arrested in Lagos..

The attack happened in an area called Alabarago, a commercial and suburban part of Lagos, just over two weeks ago. Three men, all in their in their twenties, went out late in the evening to buy drinking water. Area boys (the name for thugs in Nigeria) attacked them and started beating them. The area boys then took them to the Baale (chairman of the local street community). He handed the men over to the police, telling the police the three were homosexuals and that they behave like women. The three have lived in the area for some time and are well-known locally. They were not involved in any form of sexual activity.

The police then arrested them for being homosexual. At the police station they were put in a cell and held in custody for almost two weeks. They were not taken to court but each of them was eventually made to pay bail of N10,000 (approximately £50).

One of the BANNED, Susan Russell, asks the question “Who would Jesus ban?” - good point!

Tags:
Gafcon
Anglican Church
LGBT

Africa’s Anglican bishops are presently meeting in Lagos to “discuss what they regard as the major challenges facing the church including AIDS, war and poverty”. However so far the main focus has been homosexuality and the ordination of a gay bishop in the US. According to various reports this issue may split the Anglican church forever. The meeting is being held in Nigeria but I don’t see the bishops or President Obasanjo, who has joined melee, in uproar over sentence to death by stoning of two women under Sharia law. Nor do I see them in uproar over the fact that 40,000 women in the past 6 years (many of the them no doubt Christians) have been repeatedly raped in the Democratic Republic of Congo and more recently the women in Darfur. Yet there is this fierce rage towards gays and lesbians, endless pronouncements about how “un African” homosexuality is, against our culture and tradition etc etc etc. These religions of dogma and control, preaching fire and damnation against all who do not submit to rules made by men but claiming to be divine.

In an outrageous statement against LGBTs and asylum seekers, UK’s Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith claims gay and lesbian asylum seekers can be deported to Iran (and other countries such as Nigeria, Uganda and Cameroon) safely as long as they are “discreet”.

In a letter to a Liberal Democrat peer, seen by The Independent, Ms Smith said there was no “real risk” of gay men and lesbians being discovered by the Iranian authorities or “adverse action” being taken against those who were “discreet” about their behaviour.

in her letter to Lord Roberts of Llandudno, Ms Smith rejected a call for an immediate halt to the deportation of gay and lesbian asylum seekers. “We recognise that the conditions for gay and lesbian people in Iran – and many other countries – are such that some individuals are able to demonstrate a need for international protection,” she wrote. “We do not, however, accept that we should make the presumption that each and every asylum-seeker who presents themselves as being of a particular nationality or sexuality, regardless of their particular circumstances, should automatically be … allowed to remain in the UK.

The idea that you will be safe from being executed if you pretend to be straight is inhumane and makes a mockery of a country claiming to defend human rights. The last “throwaway” sentence is an insult to asylum seekers and panders to the erroneous belief that there are hundreds of thousands of applicants every year with the government operating on the presumption that by far the majority are criminals. (23,610 in 2006) The reality is the numbers of people seeking asylum are small and they are not criminals. The statement is consistent with the governments attitude towards asylum seekers of disbelief and blaming the victim: - not believing claims; believing claims based on rape but saying unless they claimant can prove that the rape was part of a campaign of persecution against women then it is not valid; blaming the claimant for making a stand (for example in the case of a Zimbabwean, blaming him for protesting against Mugabe)

Links:
Trouble Sleeping [Film]
The Hell of Being an Asylum Seeker

Tags:
Asylum Seekers
Immigration + Britain

An Angolan gay couple get married in the midst of hypocrisy walking in the night……….

Angolan couple, Bruna and Chano paid a high price for making their homosexual relationship public.

The two young men met when they were both living in the Luanda neighbourhood of Bês. After seeing each other for three and a half years, they decided to hold a ceremony to make their relationship feel official, although doing so legally was not an option continued…………..

Tags:
LGBTI
Angolan