Uganda's Trade Status to be Reviewed by State Department and the Pope Turns a Blind Eye to "Kill the Gays" Bill

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 11:39:00 -0500

The international pressure continues to mount on Uganda over the odious Anti-Homosexuality "Kill the Gays" Bill.

The US State Department is responding to a letter by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) about the Bill currently in the Ugandan Parliament by saying it is "a serious affront to internationally accepted human rights standards." From HRC Backstory:

Senator Wyden's letter called for a review of Uganda's preferred trade status under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which authorizes duty-free importation of certain goods from preferred status countries. As a condition of receiving preferred status under AGOA, a country must not be engaged in "gross violations of internationally recognized human rights." In its letter, the State Department said that it will work closely with Congress and other stakeholders during its yearly review of AGOA eligibility.

But the State Department isn't stopping there when it comes to international LGBT rights. That, and more Uganda News about the Pope's silence on the Bill, after the jump...

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Ugandan Pastor Martin Ssempa Reads Bilerico and Responds

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 07:32:50 -0500

Who knew Uganda's main proponent of the "Kill the Gays" bill read our blog?

Pastor Martin Ssempa, who I have written about extensively, left this comment on my post "Uganda's Porn Peddling Pastor Ssempa Responds to Critics" (note- I'm assuming Wayne is Waymon):

Dear Wayne and friends,
Thank you for posting my press statement on website.I would like to make sure that we fight HOMOPHOBIA all over the world by giving people accurate information on homosexuality. I agree we must never make any legislation based on people, rather we must legislate actions. It is actions which constitute social deviance, a social and spirtual debt and harm society.

My question is this, is there any part of the listed sexual acts which are not true? I agree with you unnatural acts whether homo or hetero are still unnatural and must be equally treated as deviant. Having worked as a case worker with people with HIV/AIDS both in the US and Africa for more than 23 years you could imagine I have a little information.

Much, much more after the jump...

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Miss Faux Beverly Hills Lauren "Kill the Gays" Ashley Interview

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 15:20:00 -0500

Looks like someone need a little practice on the interview portion of the pageant...

Miss Faux Beverly Hills Lauren Ashley has hired publicist and is ready to talk to the media to "clarify" her statements that gays should be killed. She may want to reconsider that.

Wow. Like "opposite marriage" advocate Carrie Prejean before her, she seems unable to string together a coherent thought other than to parrot off homophobic talking points. It's hard to walk back "having sex with someone of your same gender is going to bring death upon you", isn't it Lauren?

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InfoMania takes on Johnny Weir & Homophobia in the Media

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:19:33 -0500

The brilliant and irreverent satirist Bryan Safi, from my favorite nerdy show on my favorite nerdy channel - InfoMania, is back exploring more LGBT issues and stereotypes as they are portrayed by the clueless media and pop culture.

This week's clip deals with the media's treatment of Olympian Johnny Weir.

“The most controversial figure skater ever is a threat to the gayest sport ever. Because there's no crying in figure skating.”

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NOM's Maggie Gallagher Supports & Admires Killing Gays

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:03:26 -0500

We all know Maggie Gallagher makes her living off of peddling anti-LGBT hate with the National Organization for Marriage. She claims she's just "saving marriage from the evil gays" and that she doesn't hate us. Sure she claims that we out to recruit kids, indoctrinate them in schools, and destroy them by being parents, but that's just a little political difference, right? She's Miss "warm and fuzzy" homophobia, especially if you see the media coverage of her.

Well, Maggie G let that mask slip a bit and we got to see what we all know is lurking underneath. Gallagher has comes to the defense of (shocker!) Miss Faux Beverly Hills Lauren Ashley, who not only said gays shouldn't marry, but trotted out the old Leviticus Bible verse saying gays are an abomination and should be killed.

Maggie Gallagher has endorsed and supported Lauren Ashley:

“I'm not surprised that Miss Beverly Hills, Lauren Ashley, opposes gay marriage -- after all 45 percent of young Californians voted for Prop 8, as did 7 million Californians generally. But I have to say, I am impressed with her courage in coming forward and for speaking up for Carrie. The elected officials of city of Beverly Hills are not demonstrating tolerance or kindness by continuing the avalanche of hatred against supporters of Prop 8.”

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It's Not God Saying Gays Should Be Put to Death, It's YOU

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:42:07 -0500

Alright. Let's get one thing straight, fundie homophobes- you don't get a pass when you "quote" the Leviticus Bible verse saying:

“If man lies with a man as he would lie with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death and their blood shall be upon them.”

This may come as a shock to the "hate the sin, love the sinner" set, but by quoting that verse, it's not God saying that gays should be put to death- it's YOU. It's not simply a personal religious view or a debatable "political difference" or a great talking point. YOU are saying that I should be put to death.

This week we've heard it from everyone from a Ugandan Pastor to another California Beauty Queen, Miss Beverly Hills 2010 Lauren Ashley. And despite them both saying they 'don't hate gay people', there's not much love in saying I should have 'blood upon me.' That's not really a debatable point.

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Uganda's Porn Peddling Pastor Ssempa Responds to Critics

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:38:33 -0500

Pastor Martin Ssempa, one of the biggest proponents of Uganda's "Kill the Gays" Bill and a favorite contact for American Evangelicals like Rick Warren, has apparently been googling his name and doesn't like what he's been reading.

After numerous scatological porn screenings to drum up support and fear for killing gays in Uganda, one of which ended in people walking out of the room in disgust and another which took place in a church, it seems the criticism is getting under Ssempa's skin. He released a lengthy press release (sent our way by Warren Throckman via Rev. Ssempa's supporting church, Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas, which supports the Ssempas as missionaries to Uganda) that tries its best to shift blame and stir up more fears and misinformation about gays.

The screed is entitled in part "the homosexualist campaign to keep Africans ignorant of Sodomy" and begins with comparing showing the fetish porn as showing films about female genital mutilation to educate the public.

Get ready to go down the rabbit hole... The press release and more after the jump.

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WorldNetDaily: Uganda has it Right with Death for Gays

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:27:11 -0500

Yes, WorldNetDaily is a insane fundie site, peddling in birthers, birchers, and *fill in the blank*-phobes of every stripe. It's really no wonder they have the nickname WorldNutDaily.

Sometimes, however, you have to look at what they are saying, the impact it can have, and real world consequences. As insane as they are, they represent a very real segment of the population and are the natural outgrowth empowered by anti-LGBT movements and legislation.

With that said, I give you this scary bit of fundie nuttery from Molotov Mitchell. Note how it weaves in Martin Luther King Jr quotes and 'patriotic' language:

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Uganda Be Kidding Me: More Gay Porn from Pastor Ssempa & Dangerous Legal Loopholes

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:19:37 -0500

Ugandan Pastor, and Rick Warren's right hand man, Martin Ssempa really hates gay people since he's one of the unapologetic driving forces behind the "Kill the Gays" bill.

But he sure seems to love gay porn.

I wrote about his last public showing of porn in January, where he call a press conference to show scatological fetish porn that ended up driving people out of the room and backfired on him. Looks like he hasn't really learned his lesson. After police blocked his Million Man "Kill the Gays" March, Ssempa held another of his special screenings in a Kampala church:

“The screening was attended by around 300 supporters crammed into an evangelical church in the Ugandan capital after plans for a 'million-man march' were thwarted by police. 'We had planned to have a million-man and -woman march in Kampala but unfortunately we were told that we could not march because of security concerns," Martin Ssempa told the crowd. 'The major argument homosexuals have is that what people do in the privacy of their bedrooms is nobody's business but do you know what they do in their bedrooms?,' the pastor asked. Ssempa then displayed a slide show of gay pornographic pictures. 'This one is eating another man's penis,' the pastor said, before going into even more graphic descriptions. 'Is this what Obama wants to bring to Africa?' he said, following fierce US criticism of a Ugandan bill drafted last year that would further criminalise homosexuality.”

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Trans Bathroom Scare Smear used against Gay Gainesville, FL Candidate

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:07:10 -0500

Our readers may remember last year's battle in Gainesville, Florida where anti-LGBT forces came together to try to repeal Gainesville's Human Rights Ordinance, which included sexual orientation and gender identity & expression.

The fierce battle at the ballot box included tons of odious transphobic statements, mailers, and commercials, yet the anti-LGBT forces were defeated, thanks in large part to the great campaign run by the equality advocates in Gainesville.

Craig Lowe was Chair of the successful campaign to stop the repeal of theHuman Rights Ordinance. He's now running another successful campaign to become the first gay mayor of Gainesville and one of the only openly gay elected official in North Florida.
Cue the scare tactics and homophobic, transphobic fear-mongering.

A group called the "Concerned Citizens of Gainesville" has already started a nasty and outrageous smear campaign, complete with trans panic bathroom scare flyers.

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