Reconciling Ministries Network

Just Too Much

Yesterday, I said to a colleague, "Every time I open an Internet browser, it seems that I hear about another gay suicide." I know from my training as a student and scholar of communication that the number of news stories about something, whether shark attacks at the beach, plane crashes, or gay teenagers killing themselves is not necessarily indicative of a trend or pattern, but rather of newsworthiness.

I am not sure whether suicide rates of LGBTQ teenagers are increasing, but the recent number of stories about it has caused me to pause for thought. In a widely circulated video, Ellen addresses this series of recent stories poignantly:

As Ellen says, "we have an obligation to change this. There are messages everywhere that validate this, [...] and we have to make it stop. We can't let intolerance and ignorance take another kid's life."

My dear friends, if ever we become complacent in our work of reconciliation, let this be a reminder of what we're about. Our beloved United Methodist Church is one of the places that produces the sorts of messages Ellen refers to so powerfully here. I need not rehearse the hurtful terms in our polity or the even more hurtful things that faithful--but I believe misguided--United Methodists say in their attempts to interpret and live out that polity.

I know some of our readers would not consider themselves Reconciling UMs. Some are here with questions. Some are here to keep tabs and see what we're doing. So, I want to close with a question for those who disagree with me on the question of inclusion/reconciliation: Do you believe, as I do, that God's heart breaks for these young people and their families? And if so, how does the current language of our official position work to do anything but exacerbate their pain and God's pain? When will we understand the impact and the consequences of our language and the attitudes of our hearts?

---

Leland G. Spencer IV, a lifelong United Methodist, is a PhD student in the department of speech communication at the University of Georgia, where he researches religious rhetoric as it intersects with gender and sexuality. Leland holds an M.A. in Communication from the University of Cincinnati (2009). While in Cincinnati, Leland served as the worship intern at the Wesley Foundation. Leland served as a part-time local pastor at Mapleton United Methodist Church in the East Ohio Conference from 2005 until 2007 when Leland withdrew from the candidacy process because of the United Methodist Church's exclusive position about the ordination of LGBT persons.

A Prayer for Haiti

by Dr. Pamela Lightsey

O God, we have been stunned once again by an event
Which seems so unnatural and yet is called "natural disaster."

We have no words to answer the "why" which we feel,
No wisdom to explain away the unexplainable areas of life.

Keep us from attributing this event as a heavenly reprimand,
Or from a certain haughtiness that tempts the distant soul.

Give us to be compassionate and gentle, servants to those in need.
Remind us of your gracious love in the midst of sorrow,
And your ability to work miracles when hope is faint.

We pray for those who suffer in Haiti even now
And for those who await rescue.
For relatives, for the children,
For mothers and fathers,
Sisters and brothers,
Grandparents, aunts and cousins.
For the survivors who question what more they might have done.
And for those who must keep on keeping on, in spite of.
For the leaders,
For those who bring aid
And those who await news.
Strengthen and encourage them we pray.

Now unto you, O God, we take the burdens of this hour and place them in your divine care.

For all you do and are doing, seen and unseen, we give thee thanks, Eternal God of All Creation.

Amen.

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Dr. Lightsey is an accomplished and dynamic scholar, speaker, professor and preacher! She currently serves as Dean of Students at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Her work in the areas of children and youth ministry, leadership development and church growth earned her the coveted Denman Evangelism Award from the United Methodist Church.

Lessons for United Methodists from Mayor-elect Annise Parker and Strom Thurmond

by Rev. Gil Caldwell

I am asked so frequently, "Gil, why are you such an active advocate for the rights of LGBT persons and same-gender couples in the church and state?" that I will repeat here my response. "I am a 76 year old man. I was born in North Carolina and grew up in Texas. I have seen and experienced first-hand the foolish, irrational, unreasonable and the spiritually-demonic reality of separation, segregation and punishment of persons solely because of their race. I cannot be silent now as I observe the same thing happening to persons and couples because of their sexual orientation. Yogi Berra once said, 'Its déjà-vu all over again' and at this moment that is exactly how I feel."

On Saturday, December 12, 2009, the voters of Houston elected Annise Parker as their Mayor. The media described her election as "The first election of a Mayor in a major city, of someone who is openly gay.” Almost four years earlier on November 8, 2005, the voters of Texas, "overwhelmingly approved a Constitutional ban on same-sex marriage." Mayor-elect Parker was worthy of being elected Mayor of Houston, but because Houston is in Texas she cannot marry her partner of many years because they share the same gender. Their children are unable to say their parents are married, because they are not legally allowed to be married in Texas.

The late Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina is the father of Essie Mae Washington who was born from his relationship with Carrie Butler, a servant in the home of his parents who was black. Thurmond, although over time altered his racist views, is remembered as the Senator who filibustered for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Before that, Thurmond had been the presidential candidate of the segregationist States Rights Democratic Party in 1948.

What commonality can we draw from the stories of Strom Thurmond and Annise Parker? Thurmond could demean blacks and vote against legislation that would grant them civil rights because blacks as a group were anonymous and without personhood or personality. But Carrie Butler, with whom he fathered a child, was not anonymous. She was a person; with a personality and humanity known by the Thurmond household as well as by Strom Thurmond. Thus, Thurmond would support Essie Mae Washington financially and otherwise until his death.

There can be no question that some of the voters in Houston who voted for Annise Parker as their Mayor voted earlier against same sex marriage. In 2005 voters denied the rights of same sex couples who represented "them": an unknown segment of humanity undeserving of the same rights heterosexual couples deserve. But, in December 2009 Annise Parker was supported by persons who believed that her experience, gifts, commitment and other personal attributes made her worthy of being Mayor. The contradiction between the vote of Texans in 2005 and the vote of persons in Houston in December 2009, when considered, provides a "learning opportunity" for our denomination.

There is a proposal that a special session of a United Methodist General Conference be held to discuss internal structural and financial issues. I suggest that the Council of Bishops and others who will be developing the agenda add an item on how The United Methodist Church in the USA can be in effective ministry to LGBT persons considering the existence of legal same sex unions, marriages, and the election of public officials who are gay. If we cannot be in full ministry to same sex couples, what does that say about the quality of our ministry to other couples?  And, with our present language and legislation about homosexuality why would any elected official who is gay respect United Methodist ministry?

Many of us believe there is wisdom in applying the Quadrilateral: Scripture, Tradition, Experience and Reason to our practice of ministry in The United Methodist Church. Some would say our legislation and words about same-gender loving couples are unreasonable, even irrational. We are living in a time when attitudes and actions toward LGBT persons and same-gender couples are changing all around us. We have all heard the phrase, "A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste". The history, heritage and hope of the United Methodist Church is too valuable to squander as we fail to use our minds, maybe even lose our minds in our un-reasoned attitudes/actions toward same gender loving persons. If we continue to misuse our minds on one issue can our insights on Scripture, Tradition and Experience be trusted?

Street Theatre Challenges Pastoral Leadership

by Peter L. DeGroote

Self-appointed “messengers” of God recently tried to get arrested by demonstrating in front of the Justice Department in Washington. Their goal was to use their arrest to challenge the protection of glbt from hate crimes by way of the 1st Amendment guarantee of free speech. (They see the law as a threat to their hate mongering.)

First, a summary: I am relying on the reporting of Dana Milbank writing in the Washington Post on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 under the title The Messengers of God can’t get arrested in this town. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/16/AR2009111603248.html)

Act 1: The “messengers” proclaimed such things as:

• Rev. Paul Blair: Anything other than sex "between a male and his wedded wife, is a perversion, and the Bible says that homosexuality is in fact an abomination."

• “Rev. Rick Scarborough, quoting Scripture, listed ‘homosexual offenders’ along with thieves, drunkards, swindlers and idolaters as those unwelcome in the kingdom of God. To fail to call homosexuals to repent of their sin and come to Jesus is the highest form of cowardice and sin."

• Rev. Jim Garlow: "Had people listened to our plea, there would be tens of thousands of people who had not died of a dreaded disease. This breaks our heart to see people die of AIDS."

Act 2: Milbank then notes that their “prayers were not answered. Nobody was arrested, which wasn't surprising: To run afoul of the new law, you need to ‘plan or prepare for an act of physical violence’ or ‘incite an imminent act of physical violence.’"

Act 3: Then the street theatre got interesting (again quoting from Milbank’s article):

• Instead of getting arrested, the ministers got something else: “A couple of dozen gay activists, surrounding them with rainbow flags and signs announcing ‘Gaga for Gay Rights’ and ‘I Am a Love Warrior.’ By the end, the gay rights activists had taken over the lectern and the sound system and were holding their own news conference denouncing the ministers.”

• Chuck Fazio, from DC Podiums “was hired by the religious conservatives to provide the sound system for the event, but upon learning of their cause, he decided to donate his proceeds to the gay rights activists and to give them a chance at the microphone before shutting down the amplifiers.”

Postscript: It seems like fun all around but I am troubled: 

• A reader gets the impression that these self-proclaimed “messengers” represent Christianity and the Church.

• I don’t know what reporter Dana Milbank knows about the deep divisions in the church over glbt issues but I do know that if we do not show up at these kinds of events we have only ourselves to blame if our views are not reported.

• The failure of any clergy to demonstrate a different perspective reinforces the views of those young people who claim that the church is a source of oppression.

• I didn’t know about it in advance. I’m retired but still closely connected to the reconciling activities of Foundry UMC. We know a lot of what’s going on. Still, we never heard about this. Had I known, I would have donned a collar, made a sign, called a few others, and gone. Our information systems need work.

While this event occurred in Washington, similar events take place in many communities. To one degree or another, my troubled thoughts apply to those events as well. However, not to be lost are the underlying challenges to pastoral leadership that need to be thought out.

Bishop Gene Robinson's Inauguration Prayer

HBO failed to air Bishop Robinson's Inauguration prayer on Sunday. According to HBO it was the Inauguration Committee's mistake. The committee has since apologized to Bishop Robinson and an edited version of the prayer will be rebroadcast as part of the Inauguration today. Luckily we have YouTube and the text from the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire.

A Prayer for the Nation and Our Next President, Barack Obama
By The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire

Opening Inaugural Event
Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC
January 18, 2009

Welcome to Washington!  The fun is about to begin, but first, please join me in pausing for a moment, to ask God’s blessing upon our nation and our next president.

O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will…

Bless us with tears – for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.

Bless us with anger – at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Bless us with discomfort – at the easy, simplistic “answers” we’ve preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.

Bless us with patience – and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be “fixed” anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.

Bless us with humility – open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world.

Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance – replacing it with a genuine respect and  warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.

Bless us with compassion and generosity – remembering that every religion’s God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.

And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.

Continued at Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire

A Letter to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

(promoted from UMC.org)

Editor’s note: Each year, United Methodist Bishop Woodie W. White writes a “birthday letter” to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. about the progress of racial equality in the United States. Bishop White was the first chief executive of the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race.

By Bishop Woodie W. White*
Jan. 13, 2009

Dear Martin:

I began writing you on the anniversary of your birth in 1976! But until now, I have not written a letter when I’ve been as consumed with joy as I am today. Joy beyond description!

On the evening of April 4, 1968, when your tragic death was announced, I was at a point of total devastation. Millions joined in a community of grief. It was as though time itself had ended. Hope disappeared, and utter bewilderment took its place.

On the evening of Nov. 4, 2008, just four decades later, when it was announced that Barack Obama had been elected the 44th President of the United States — the first black American to be so elected — there was utter joy! Thousands cheered in Grant Park in Chicago, as did millions more across America. We wept unashamedly, men and women, people of all ethnicities and creeds.

Martin, it was an unforgettable moment! Even as I write, it is difficult to contain the joy or hold back the tears. You would understand.

As I watch President-elect Obama, a senator from Illinois, giving press conferences, announcing members of his Cabinet or speaking to an urgent matter facing the nation, it still seems like a dream. But it is real. America has elected a black man to what is considered by many the most influential political office in the world!

It seems only yesterday that black people were battling for the opportunity to vote. Many died seeking that right. State by state, it eventually changed. But scarcely anyone glimpsed a future when a black man would be elected president of the nation.

Those days of marches and protests were aimed at simple but important goals: to eat at a lunch counter, to try on a garment before you purchased it, to attend a school in the neighborhood where you lived, to be hired for a job for which you were qualified, and yes, to exercise the most fundamental right of citizenship, to vote.

We sought to be accepted, and to be treated as a person and a full citizen in our own nation.

If you could see him, Martin, you would recognize that Mr. Obama is a man of unusual gifts, grace and character. He announced his intentions to seek his party’s nomination on a cold January morning, in front of the state capitol in Springfield, Ill., the state he represented in the Senate.

Springfield, you will recall, was the site of two days of rioting in 1908. White mobs had burned the homes and businesses of black residents, causing thousands to flee the city. Eight people — black and white — were, tragically, killed.

That event prompted leaders to convene a meeting in New York City and resolve that a new organization was needed to address the nation’s racial ills. The result was the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

The organization will observe the 100th anniversary of its founding in the same year the nation witnesses its first black president take office!

The election of Mr. Obama is much more significant than the transfer of power from one party to another. Its significance goes beyond the current economic crisis, in which Americans are looking to government for direction and leadership.

This election will impact an area that has been at the heart of America’s failure as a nation. I believe it will bring to an end the dying ideology of “they.”

American racism is grounded in an often unspoken declaration of innate inferiority and superiority. It is based on the claim that one’s race is the determinative factor in ability and achievement.

But today, Americans can no longer assert that “they” are unable to hold this position or perform that role. The reality has always been that while a specific individual may or may not be able to achieve some goal, a blanket assessment on a group of persons is blatantly unfair and totally inaccurate.

Neither can it be held that the white community is monolithic in its race attitudes. The truth is, it has never been that way, even when it appeared to be so.

President-elect Obama’s election is the result of the votes and support of persons of broad racial and ethnic diversity. He shattered fundraising records for a political campaign. He set records for numbers who attended his campaign rallies. He won votes in geographic areas where his political party has traditionally been defeated.

It can no longer be said that “they” won’t vote, support or accept a person because of race or color. Some will or will not; but “they” is no longer descriptive or normative.

That said, it would be naïve to conclude that racism and bigotry in America are dead. They are very much alive. Racism dies hard. But its grip in the minds and hearts of Americans, Martin, is not as deep or as broad as you experienced.

We need to still challenge every expression of injustice, bigotry and racism in individuals and institutions. Mr. Obama’s election should encourage us to continue rather than end these efforts!

On a personal note, Martin, I must say a word about our buddy, Joe Lowery, who was among the first Civil Rights leaders to endorse Mr. Obama’s candidacy. He often appeared to be a lone voice crying out in the wilderness. But as he campaigned for Mr. Obama across the nation, it seemed like a Moses-Joshua moment, with the Rev. Lowery, 87, urging and supporting the new leadership of Mr. Obama, 47.

Joe will offer the benediction at the swearing-in ceremonies of Mr. Obama as President of the United States of America. It will be a moving moment!

Though this letter is far longer than I expected, I have not said all that is on my heart. But I am mindful that this moment of joy and celebration was made possible by what you and so many others did and said.

In so many ways, Martin, we are a better nation, a better people than you left. Not perfect, but better. And in some ways, the nation is moving beyond The Dream!

Thank you and happy birthday, Martin.

We are overcoming!

Woodie

*Retired Bishop White is bishop-in-residence at Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta.

Witness for My Lord

By Dr. Pamela Lightsey

Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson the first openly gay Episcopal bishop (or openly gay bishop of any mainline Protestant denomination - correct me if I'm wrong), has accepted an invitation to offer the invocation before the Lincoln Memorial at this Sunday's pre-inaugural event which President-elect Obama will reportedly be speaking at.  As you recall, this is the kind of demonstration of change that I addressed in an earlier blog I posted expressing my concern regarding the selection of Rev. Rick Warren to give the inaugural invocation. (See my post, "Can We?)  In that post, I suggested a joint invocation given by Rev. Warren and an LGBTQ minister.  Okay, so they almost got it right.

The selection of Bishop Robinson is a step in the right direction.  Yet, it's only a step.  Hopefully, in the days to come, we will see President-elect Obama demonstrating the inclusive nature of his presidency by making decisions positively impacting the lives of LGBTQ persons and clearly delivering those decisions as first-thought rather than appearing as second-thought.  As it stands, inviting Bishop Robinson to participate sets an example of our President-elect's will to inclusivity which our church has yet to grasp and exemplify.

As I think of this, I can help but long for the day when our church will have within its fold a self-identified LGBTQ bishop.  Indeed, I long for the day where the sexual identity of our clergy is not used against them in the ordination process.  Instead, our parishioners who long for social justice for LGBTQ persons see our own leading politician willing to embrace the ministry of an ordained clergy whom we would find unfit for such a historic invitation because according to our polity same gender loving persons are not afforded the same rights to ordination as persons who identify as heterosexual.

As I see it, Bishop Robinson will not only give an invocation, but also stands as a witness to what we call the "sacred worth" of all persons.  He is not a perfect man, neither is Rev. Warren.  Yet, God loves them both.  And it is with this in mind that I will be praying for Rev. Warren, Bishop Robinson, the catholic Church and the global world in which we live.

Lesbians vs Methodists

By Heather Murphy

No, it wasn't a cage match.  Although that would be fun to watch.  Especially if the Methodists were also lesbians.

The long-reported court case in which a lesbian couple sued the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association for violating New Jersey's non-discrimination laws by refusing to rent their beachfront pavilion for their wedding because of their sexual orientation... has concluded.  The court has ruled on behalf of the Harriet Bernstein and Luisa Paster.

My opinions are still forming.  I do think that churches should be able to refuse to marry people if they believe that same-sex marriages are wrong.  I'm advocating for full legal equality in civil marriage, not for laws that infringe on people's right to practice their religion freely.

But the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association isn't a church.  It isn't a small organization that simply manages a charming wedding pavilion, either.  It is one kilometer of land, with a population of 4,256 people.  Its spaces are open to the public, and the organization accepts public funds.  This organization has more in common with a small town than with a church.

Then again, there are many entities that aren't churches, but still are affiliated with and run by church organizations.  Children's homes, medical clinics, homeless shelters... all of them, like the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, exist in this gray area between church and not-a-church.  I strongly want them to provide their services equally.  I'm prepared to lobby them, write letters, even picket.  But I feel for organizations like Catholic Charities of Boston, which closed its adoption agency after 100 years rather than obey laws that would require them to stop discriminating against gay couples in placing children with families.

As an activist, I'm torn.  In the political arena, I want to change laws to provide equality, even when employers, renters, and courts don't want to give it.  But within the church... I'd rather work to change people's minds than place them in a position where they have to decide between obeying the law and following God's will as they understand it.  That'll take longer.  

Sigh.  God's people should be at the forefront of change for social justice.  Why are we so often behind?  Why must the church be dragged kicking and fighting into what's right, when we should be leading the way?

Exciting, lucrative jobs in the anti-equality industry! Apply now!

By Heather Murphy

Would you be shocked to learn that the forces allied against full equality for gay people are sometimes less than fully ethical in their methods?

You would?

Then you'll probably be shocked to learn that more than half of the money raised in the fight against gay marriage isn't actually going to that fight, but to the fundraisers.  Of the $3 million donated to preventing all those oh-so-stylish gay California weddings, only about $500,000 is going directly to the cause. 

Here's my favorite part- of the money the California Family Council received in its first two years of operation, none of it went to "program services."  Can you imagine?  None of it.  But the heads of the organization are making six-figure salaries.

I think I'm in the wrong line of work.  Maybe I should quit teaching public school and go into preying on people's prejudices while the money's still good.  Ten years from now, I have a feeling that this particular well is going to go a bit dryer, and some of these anti-gay fundraisers might just have to get real jobs.

Gay in Uganda

According to The New Vision, Uganda's leading website:

President Yoweri Museveni has praised Anglican bishops for resisting homosexuality.

“I salute the Archbishop and bishops of Africa for resisting disorientation and a decadent culture, which he said was being passed by Western nations.”

Describing homosexuality as mtumbavu (Swahili for stupid), the President said: “Don’t fear, resist and do not compromise on that. It is a danger not only to the believers but to the whole of Africa. It is bad if our children become complacent and think that people who are not in order are alright.”

Museveni was speaking yesterday as chief guest at the consecration of the Rev. Canon Patrick Gidudu, as the seventh bishop of Mbale Diocese, at St Andrew’s Cathedral. “These foreigners should go and practice their nonsense elsewhere. That is the minimum demand.” Museveni donated a new Mitsubishi Pajero vehicle to the enthroned bishop.

“When I learnt that the bishop was being consecrated I thought of shoes for the bishop. Since walking is now outdated, I thought I should give him a car, which is parked outside,” he said as he handed the keys to the bishop, prompting cheers from the fully packed church.

Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi, who presided over the consecration, is spearheading a global protest against homosexuality.

A gay Ugandan wrote an anonymous Open Letter to President Yoweri Museveni. It comes after President Museveni publicly praised Anglican bishops for resisting homosexuality.

Dear Sir,

First, I would like to thank you for your inspirational leadership of our beloved country Uganda.

I am personally disappointed in your support for the Church of Uganda’s crusade against homosexuality. That is because I am a homosexual myself.  A gay Ugandan.

No. I am not a foreigner.

I am not white. Actually, my beloved dad used to infuriate me by making me cram my genealogy back ten generations of pure bred Africans.

You described us as ‘stupid’, demanded that those foreigners who are forcing this culture on us Ugandans should go and practice their nonsense elsewhere.  You intimated that we are not in order, us homosexuals.

Now, dear beloved leader, you are the elected president of all Ugandans.  Not just the good Ugandans, as you describe them.  You are the president of all of us Ugandans.  Even, homosexual Ugandans.  We know, by the constitution of the country, that you are our president.

It hurts us, a lot, to find that you, our leader, rejects us so soundly.  Saying that we are foreign puzzles us.  We are Ugandans.  Through and through.  Why do you call us foreigners, just because we are homosexual?

As for saying that homosexuality is not African, I would call upon the authority of no less a person than Archbishop Orombi, and anti-gay Pastor Ssempa.  From their mouths you will believe the fact that homosexuality was here in Uganda, even before the coming of the Christian religion.  So, if homosexual Ugandans were here in Uganda before Christianity, why are Christians insisting we homosexuals cannot be Ugandan?

When you say that we are sick,  I would advise you to actually ask medical doctors whether in truth we are.  To my knowledge, doctors concluded as far back as 1994, when you were president of the country, that we homosexuals are not sick or deranged, as you were quoted saying in the newspaper article.

Now, dear sir, when Archbishop Orombi rails against me, I can keep quiet.  His religion is an option. I may choose to leave.  Since his god does not love me, and rejects me.

But I am a Ugandan.  To be assailed by your Excellency so badly, in support of a religion which bashes me as bad is very hurtful.

I can say I am not a Christian.  According to the Archbishop, I am too much of a sinner to be that. I can also opt out of Islam.  According to the Mufti, I should be marooned on an island in Lake Victoria till I die.

But sir, I cannot stop myself from being Ugandan.

I am a Ugandan.  A simple, common, Ugandan.

I have the same problems of poverty, and corruption and others, just like all other Ugandans.  We homosexuals are a minority which will never be a majority.

For the beloved leader of my country to deny my birthright as a Ugandan, and demonise me, just because I am homosexual is something which hurts me a lot.  For His Excellency the President, despite the wealth of advice that is at his hands, to do this from ignorance of what homosexuality is, that, again, is deeply disturbing.

Sir, I am gay, and Ugandan.  I may not be a Moslem. I may not be a Christian.  But I do assert that I am a Ugandan.

You, sir, cannot reject me, because I am a Ugandan. I cannot reject my birthright, nor deny it. I am a Ugandan who is gay. And I am happy that I know that there is no problem with that.

I would like to invite your Excellency to study a little bit about homosexuality, so that you are not led in error by religious leaders’ condemnation of us as human beings.

We are deeply hurt by all that they say, but are more hurt when our country rejects us for what we are, and when our country mates do so.  We are hurt when our beloved President does the same, just to help the very strong church in its moral crusade.  We accept that we may not be good enough to be in the church or mosque.  But if we are denied our birthright as Ugandans, that is more hurtful, more galling.

Please your Excellency, do not bash us like so, and out of ignorance.  We are just a bit different. Homosexual, yes; Gay, yes, but we are still Ugandans.

Yours sincerely,

A Gay Ugandan

(Name withheld)

Additional Coverage:

Ugandan police accused of torturing gay activist (July 28, 2008)