Last Thursday two Ugandan activists, Oundo George and Kiiza, were arrested in Kampala. Both activists have not been charged and are still in custody despite the legal time limit of 48 hours.

According to a spiritual advisor who had access to Oundo George in police custody, both are to be charged with attempt to recruiting people into homosexuality, in spite of this not being a crime under Ugandan law. Amnesty International considers both Oundo George and Kiiza to be prisoners of conscience, arrested solely for their gender identity.

The LGBT human rights defenders were arrested at Oundo George’s home and then taken to Nalukolokolo Police Post before being transferred to Nabweru Police Post the next day. Other LGBT human rights defenders are afraid to visit them at the police station, as they have received reports they may also be detained if they do so. Oundo George has diabetes and requires urgent medical care. He also has swollen feet and feels unwell.

Amnesty International is calling for supporters to please take action - see here for more details.

Last week in Nigeria, The House of Rainbow along with their pastor Rev Jide Macaulay was outed by a local tabloid the PM News. This has now been followed by the Sun putting Rev Jide and his congregation with no protection and at serious risk of hate attacks.

Uganda, Nigeria, South Africa, LGBTI are under attack and having to live in fear - fear from unlawful arrest, rape, murder, beatings, loss of their homes and livelihoods all in the name of Christianity, Islam, culture, tradition none of which stand up to even the most minuscule of scrutinies.

LGBTI
Uganda

The headline on a Nigerian tabloild “PM News” ridicules the “House of Rainbow Church” run by Rev Jide Macaulay in Lagos.

The ministry, House of Rainbow, operates from a two-bedroom apartment in Block 145, Jakande Estate, at the Oke Afa area of Isolo. Scores of homosexuals, bisexuals, lesbians, and ‘transgender’ people regularly congregate at the assembly, touted as the first gay church ever in Nigeria.

Rowland Jide Macaulay, a 42-year-old self-professed ‘reverend’ and UK-trained lawyer, presides over the ministry, attended mainly by top fashion designers, models, celebrities, activists, among others.

A recent discussion around the article on Facebook reveals the extent of Nigerians hatred of LGBTI people and the level of misunderstanding and myths. As it is a FB discussion I am not sure it is “ethical” to repost comments here except to say what a shame the same about of vitriol and strength of feeling could not be directed at Nigeria’s corrupt politicians. Rev Jide Macaulay who founded the Rainbow Church (part of the Metropolitan Community Church network) has taken a brave step in opening up the church amidst the rampant homophobia in a country where religion is all pervasive. Churches like Redeem and Mountain of Fire are massive church communities, with universities, camps and TV stations. The churches are financed through the monthly tithes of members, turning many of the Pastors and church elites into multi millionaires - kinda of like politicians really which may be the reason why there is no mass outrage against the pastors / politicians.

Tags:
Nigeria + Religion
House of Rainbow Church
Pentecostal Church

When the acronym LGBTI hit the headlines the first thing a friend’s sister said was, “I don’t give a toss about all that Lesbian, gay, transgender, transsexual stuff if you ask me. We are all human, all that is about identity”. I wasn’t asking her but she said it, anyway. When I told the friend’s aunt that with a traumatised life like hers that it did not befit her to talk about other people’s identities in such adverse terms, she admitted. “I do not know anything about it!” Talking about something you do not understand to those that shared your transphobia is overt participation in a hate crime. But what happens when members of the LGBTI themselves engage in internalised homophobia or transphobia?

Events are often used to propagate some of these subtle criminal acts as I have found of late but when an online magazine known as Topix asked the question, “are gay men and lesbians transphobic?” finding that the answer is a simple, “YES!” was a gut wrenching turn of circumstance. Is this what mainstreaming the LGBTI does to gay men in particular and lesbians in general at the expense of everyone else? When the gay community bind together in homosexist indulgence in the very abuses we are still exposed to?

What does one call it when gay men overtly show aspects of what a friend called, “‘lesbophobia’ or putting it in simple terms ‘a hatred of lesbians’?” It came as no surprise. I saw the malaise in action myself to my own cost. During the Lambeth Conference when two Nigerian Lesbians were basically put on a short leash by their asylum saved, regional director and victim of homophobia who then turned abuser of others in his care painted a damning picture. I thought it was odd that he held their tickets and passports as assurances that they would not abscond without giving them the benefit of doubt. Worse; coming from the said group leader was the decision to criminalise a female ally just because you do not get on with her is abhorrent. Although one of the women seemed alright with their misogyny they faced in that duplicitous manner a person looking to gain favour adopts, the fact remained that one made it known that she felt mistreated!
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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.

“God is simply a name for an uncompromising commitment to equality and justice…..There is no superior to humankind….. There is no Messiah other than the people….. God is a force for resistance, resistance against Macoutes and all evils. It is better not to believe than to believe in a miracle from heaven.” Jean-Bertand Aristide, President of Haiti.

Tags:
Religion
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Lavalas