"During the interview (on Christian Radio in Uganda), Ssempa was arguing that this Bill was needed to establish equal penalties for the molesters of 'the boy child' since there were already protections for girls. He didn't seem to understand (or want to admit) that this bill goes WAY beyond that. If child abuse is the main problem, why not just enact and enforce tougher problems for that?" - Commentator on Throckmorton site -

This commentator reveals, in the radio talk with Pastor Ssempa (trained in the US by Pastor Rick Warren), that Ssempa's support of the Bill is out of all proportion to his stated objective of providing additional legislation for protection of boys from sexual predation.

This would have seemd a worthy cause. However, the anti-Homosexuality measure being proposed is much more discriminatory than just the protection of boys, on the same level as that of girls, from sexual predation. To use this laudable objective as a reason for the draconian anti-Homosexualuty legislation, is an abuse of the legal process, and an offence against human rights in Uganda.

It has been noted that Rick Warren has recently dissociated himself from Ssempa's stand on the Bill.

"Rowan Williams has been accused of being silent and of not caring. I am pleased to tell you all that I have received a letter on this subject from him in response to mine. The contents of the letter are not for publication, but I was encouraged.

Posted by: Jeremy Pemberton on Friday, 13 November 2009 at 1:28pm GMT"

I was pleased to note Jeremy Pemberton's post on a Uganda thread further down. From it, one might deduce that activity of some sort may be taking place in order for Jeremy to be encouraged. It is unfortunate that Rowan Williams has not indicated publicly, even in the broadest of terms, what he may have been doing regarding this legislation, so that the rest of us might be similarly encouraged.

Hmm, don't know where Dr. Ssempa got his doctorate, but Ssempa apparently cannot even read the plain meanings of his own new and stronger criminalization of queer folks in Uganda. The trope about protecting boys from sexual assault has high folk and symbolic values; it repeats the old accusation that gay men in particular are pedofiles completely, ignoring mountains of clear evidence of course to the contrary.

Ssempa does not even admit the civil worst of this bill, i.e., those wider sanctions about criminalizing associations, housing, promoting homosexuality, and such are completely neglected by Ssempa. Did he get his doctorate from the back of a cereal box? Just kidding, yeah.

This is where conservative religious flat earthisms always get us in the final destinations.

I appreciate the broad range of protests / questions that this Uganda legislation has occasioned. Yes, Dr. T and Exodus are still preaching flat earth stuff about gays and change. Evangelicals are brave to protest. Evangelicals risk folk guilt by association, just for speaking up about fair play for Uganda gay folks.

My strong spontaneous sense of such positives is leavened with having to hear, yet again, the customary sad-mouthed, faux-caring Exodus rhetoric. You know what I mean, all those presupposed mentions of how queer folks suffer confusions, pain, and vexations innate to their not being straight.

This Exodus rhetoric is too cheap.

This Exodus rhetoric is also incredibly demeaning, not to mention - outright, frankly false, lying.

Will Exodus talk thereby reduce all queer folks on the planet, to nothing but callow twelve year olds whose brains have yet to develop to the point that we can read and understand and apply peer reviewed science to ourselves and our gay condition?

Alas.

No thanks to Exodus and most USA Bible Belt evangelical churches, I have been greatly and surprisingly blessed to lead a challenging yet very productive adult life for several decades now, as a citizen in a western democracy and as an Anglican believer who follows Jesus of Nazareth.

Exodus and/or most evangelical believers never, ever raised one little holier than thou finger to support or help me thrive either as a citizen or as a believer; let alone as a gay man.

Thus it is deeply disappointing and frustrating to have the Exodus voices expect to join a global protest against the Uganda legisltation while still repeating the outright false witness that I am defined as innately confused, pained, and crippled just because I happen to be a modern gay man.

Hint to Dr. T and Exodus: I'm no more pained, confused, or crippled by my sexual orientation and life as a gay man, than any of you presumably are because of your sexual orientations or lives as straight men. Get a clue, get real, Exodus and evangelical folks.

You are lying about me.

Worse, your falsehoods often bid to eclipse/supplant my real, true voice, my real, true life: citizen, believer. How dare you high-handedly presume to know what human or religious potentials being gay offers, better than gay people themselves. Shame on you. Stop it. Stop it now.

"The Archbishop of York, who grew up in rural Uganda, has said that he intends to stay silent about proposed legislation in the country which would introduce the death penalty for certain consensual homosexual acts."

Disgraceful.

Lord have mercy!

"Rowan Williams has been accused of being silent and of not caring. I am pleased to tell you all that I have received a letter on this subject from him in response to mine. The contents of the letter are not for publication, but I was encouraged.

Posted by: Jeremy Pemberton on Friday, 13 November 2009 at 1:28pm GMT"

To put the matter as mildly as I possibly can, I am not encouraged. I am not impressed. I continue to be disgusted. This ploy of the learned cleric working behind the scenes did not work for Pius XII vis a vis the Third Reich. Indeed, his name lives on primarily because of the shame attached to it. Pius did not speak out; he did not denounce legislation against Jews, gypsies and gay persons. Almost all Jews have since considered Pius' views and purported secret attempts at intervention to represent a moral failure of historic magnitude.

It will likely be the same for Rowan Williams. His peers in the House of Lords rise in purple splendor to insist on an exemption allowing churches to condemn and verbally abuse LGBT persons. Rowan refuses to permit Bishop Gene Robinson to attend Lambeth so as not to offend those primates in the Anglican Communion who, it turns out, desire the death of LGBT persons. Rowan entrusts the Covenant Design Group to the Primate of the area in the Western hemisphere best known for its officially sanctioned burnings, beatings, and murder of gay persons, about which this primate has nothing of moral significance to say. Rowan scheduled the Covenant presentation and discussion in Kingston, Jamaica where he hob-nobbed with the national leaders who sanction this regime of death against LGBT persons, while the LGBT community was engaged in a boycott against Jamaica.

Rowan is not silent on the issue of Bishop Robinson. Rather, he advocates for a Covenant which would marginalize all those churches that dare to affirm the full humanity and the full Christian life of LGBT persons.

It cannot be acceptable to continue to offer special pleading about the supposed good intentions or private friendly views of Rowan Williams. Immoral actions and inaction speak for themselves. I want to know what decent person would any longer consider entering into any such Covenant, or to covenant with such immorality. Who, any longer desires to be in communion with Canterbury (or York for that matter) when they refuse to publicly defend the most vulnerable among us?

As a person included in the LGBT community, I do not regard the Church of England or its bishops as friends. Indeed, they are dangerous to us.

Not for publication?!

Doing and saying one thing in private and another in public. Isn't there a word for that? What the devil passes for integrity in a British churchman that I can be told this is an encouraging sign.

I with Karen Macqueen - definitively *not* encouraged!

Outraged, yes.

"Not for publication?!"

It could be that the letter contains details of actions by the ABC which, if publicised, might reduce their efficacy and be counter-productive.

However, I must repeat that for there to be NO public statement from Rowan Williams, even in the most general terms, ("I'm doing something, but I can't tell you what it is at present") is indicative of a terrible lack of judgement. Is there nobody at Lambeth Palace to brief him on what is being said on blogs such as this?

It strikes me that he regards the role of ABC as being one of facilitating rather than leading - if ever there were an issue where some clear leadership should be shown, this is it. In the meantime, 'encouraging' signs are limited to those in personal correspondence with him.

The Archbishop of York is prepared to remove his clerical collar until the government of a foreign country falls. What a surprise that he is unable to remove anything so that another foreign government may be held to account.

This is proof positive that the Archbishop of York does not have the views that many attribute to him. He does not hold up the light oF reason and tolerance to a divided church. He should refuse to make statements on anything at all in future - as he has no credibility left.

Silence, Your Grace, is your position now and forever!

The Archbishop of York, is blood brother to: Pastor Robert Kayanja (who has many friends including the President and First Lady of Uganda and the Police)

Uganda: Kayanja Survives Sodomy Charges

Chris Kiwawulo and Roderick Ahimbazwa
25 September 2009

Kampala — THE first half of this year left its mark in the history of Uganda's Born-again church. Renowned pastor, Robert Kayanja, was accused of sodomy.

A group of five pastors and their colleagues pinned the Rubaga Miracle Centre cleric but Kayanja denied the allegations, calling them mudslinging.

The accusers were pastors Michael Kyazze, Martin Ssempa, Solomon Male, Kayiira and Semujju.¨

Read it all at the ¨Pastor Wars¨

http://gayuganda.blogspot.com/2009/10/pastor-wars-summary.html

One thing in public, another in private.

Hypocrisy.

If you can't say it publicly, don't say it privately.