Ugandan President claims homosexuality is "foreign culture"

The Ugandan President has spoken of his country's "rejection" of homosexuality during a speech he gave at the wedding of a former MP's daughter.

Yoweri Museveni said the purpose of life was to create children and that homosexuality was a "negative foreign culture."

Uganda is one of the African countries at the centre of a row in the Anglican Communion over homosexuality and the ordination of gay priests that threatens to rip the Anglican Church to shreds.

260 bishops, many of them African, have declined invitations to the Lambeth conference, (the once a decade meeting of Anglican bishops) on the grounds of ordination of woman and gay bishops is immoral and against the teachings of Christ.

The conference began in Canterbury this week. 650 bishops and archbishops are in attendance.

The Archbishop of Uganda, Henry Luke Orombi has already called for all pro-gay bishops to apologise to God. During a press conference he said, "The rift in the Church can only be bridged if the liberal bishops, espousing sexual perversion, repent and return to Christ's teachings."

In June this year, Ugandan Bishop Luzinda condemned homosexuality.

"I have been hearing that gays are demanding that the government should legalise their activities. This is absurd because God created a man and woman so that they can produce and fill this world," Bishop Luzinda said.

"The government should not be tempted to legalise this backward culture which is bound to destroy this country."

"Not all that comes from Europe is superior and must be taken up by us," Bishop Luzinda said.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has also angered liberal members, particularly the US Episcopal Church, for not inviting openly gay bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire to the Lambeth conference.

The plight of Uganda's gay men and lesbians has been highlighted recently, with high profile asylum cases such as Prossy Kakooza championed by Peter Tatchell and LGBT equality groups.

At Pride London earlier this month the Deputy Labour Party Leader and Minister for Equality, Harriet Harman, was booed over the government's high deportation record of gay and lesbian asylum seekers.

Many gay asylum seekers are being deported on the premise that they can continue to pursue their sexuality in the native land if they act "discreetly".

In 2006 a Uganadan newspaper published a list of citizens they believed to be gay. The Red Paper printed 45 first names and professions of people believed to be homosexual men.

During President Museveni's time in office LGBT Ugandans have been repeatedly threatened, harassed or attacked. Many have fled the country.

Ugandan AIDS Commission Chief says homosexuality must be stamped out in schools

Dr Kihumuro Apuuli, the Ugandan AIDS Commission Chief, has warned the education ministry of that country that homosexuality is "rife" in schools.

Dr Apuuli also urged the education ministry to stamp out homosexuality, and said that parents and guardians must aid them in this, The New Vision reports.

"The practice [of homosexuality] is common among young people between 15 and 24 years," he said.

Dr Apuuli recently returned from the International AIDS Conference in Mexico, and claims that Uganda was under attack by other states due to its conservative stance on gays and lesbians.

"We had quite adverse publicity in Mexico," he said.

"Many speakers condemned our country but I believe we have strong values in terms of behaviour and what we think is right."

At the conference at the beginning of this month, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon advised nations to "pass laws against homophobia" in order to slow the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Writing in the Washington Times, Ban Ki-Moon continued to urge societies "to speak out against discrimination and to guarantee the rights of people living with HIV."

Lisa Power, Corporate Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), was present at the conference.

She recently told PinkNews.co.uk:

"One of the main foci of the conference was the problem in places where there is stigma attached to gay and bisexual men and HIV positive people.

"Basically, until you stop persecuting these people, you can't prevent the spread of HIV.

"This is a problem particularly in some places in Latin America and Africa."

Arise Uganda, Homosexuality is eating you up

Ugandans, please arise and make a difference. It is time take action and take steps to stop homosexuality from expanding, read the comments of these high school students and know what danger we have in our schools, everywhere. Please pray, and act, talk to your children, write to head teachers, and take care of what you expose your teens to.

I know parents are always the first to point fingers at schools but have you played your part? Parents have failed to. give their children parental guidance; sex education and enough love and care; they haven't taught their children various virtues patience, contentment and selflessness. This exposes children to wrong sex education from uncensored movies that you have not cared to sieve. If you didn't know, teens are emulating what they see in those movies.


The children, especially teenagers who have a lot of demands, go in for homosexuality because they have been promised money and sponsorship to universities abroad.


Parents deny their children a chance to interact with the opposite sex thinking it is bad but all they are creating are bigger problems. Most parents do not interact with their children so they do not get a chance to .listen to their challenges and know their friends. If your child's friends are homosexuals, chances are that your child is the next target. You have thrown all these responsibilities to the teachers at school.

For heavens sake, teachers have their own families and they are dealing with a large number of students. How can they handle each child at a personal level? It is these loopholes that are creating space for this evil to spread in schools. When a homosexual is expelled, parents complain claiming that expulsion is not the solution to the problem.

This featured in New Vision Teen Magazine

But when a homosexual student is retained by the school on condition that he/she will be counseled, complaints from parents arise in fear for their children!!! Therefore, what should be done? You know, homosexuality is a very sensitive issue and it has other underlying causes like Western influences, pornography, mass media, material gain, betrayal by the opposite sex, mental illness and permissiveness.

I only meant to open our eyes to avoid the business of painting fingers at schools; there are greater causes. Pointing fingers does not solve the problem; let's look for solutions to eradicate this fast spreading moral disaster that is spreading thrice as fast as the school fires. Together, we shall fight if there is hope for the teenagers, a brighter future and a homosexual free environment.

Messages from Students

PATRICIA AJUMA, S4, STELLA MARIS COLLEGE NSUBE


Homosexuality is more rampant in boys' schools. Many boys are sexually active so they begin admiring each other and practicing these weird tendencies.

I do not know about the boys but girls involved in lesbianism are too much into each other. They call each other sweetheart and carry for each other water to the bathroom. Personally I believe expulsion is not enough. These people need to be counseled by professionals

JONATHAN WANDERA, S.6, KIIRA COLLEGE BUTIKI

I have read about homosexuality in the press and I have heard of massive expulsions of homosexuals from many schools.

I think it is more common in single sex schools because they do not interact with the opposite sex. It is worse in boys' schools because boys are easily influenced by many things. Boys in higher classes usually take advantage of younger ones in lower classes and force them into homosexuality.

Schools should do more in educating students about the dangers of homosexuality. Parents should be involved more in their children’s lives ,so they guide them. Imprisonment does not change or help matters. Counseling does.

PETER PARKER RANCHEZY OS-COL,19 KAMPALA


WHOEVER believes that homosexuality does not occur in schools is like the proverbial ostrich which buries its head in the sand.

A friend told me he used to practice homosexuality at their school until he developed complications down there. I did not believe him because I did not expect a friend to be homosexual. He told me it was because of money given to him by his ‘sponsor’, a white guy. I think school authorities should be very strict when it comes to homosexuality because it is a movement. Teachers and health officials should examine both boys and girls suspected of this act, and when evidence is got, they should be handed over to the Police. Such strong meassuere will deter many from practicing it.


SANDRA ASIZU S4, ST JOSEPH’S GIRLS NSAMBYA

Friends from other schools tell me of girls who have been expelled from their schools because thy are suspected of lesbianism. I think the best way of handling this is by counseling the girls other than expulsion. Counselling them about the dangers of homosexuality is enough to deter many from it. I do not buy the argument the people are born homosexuals. God was not foolish to create man and woman. School authorities should get very serious with the so called…


HALID AKANKWANSA, SEROMA CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL


I believe teachers know about homosexuality but keep quiet because they want to protect the reputation of their schools.

The onus is on the government. School inspectors should inspect single sex schools. To stop this habit from taking root in schools, I think it should be a school policy for single sex schools to kill the monotony. Socials should be held ever weekend so girls can interact with boys.


FELIX MUKUNZI, MBARARA HIGH SCHOOL.

I will say homosexuality exists in schools number of my friends from other schools have testified to it. They say that the homosexuals behave. walk (in a certain way. gug additions!)


MARY NAJJUMA sS3, ENTEBBE SECONDARY SCHOOL

A Rwandese guy in my former school was a homosexual. Of course it was known in the student’s circles and boys in his dormitory knew that he was gay but none of them reported him to the school authorities. He was girlish in everything he did, for instance he liked hugging boys tenderly.

I think silence has favored homosexuality. I think the more that students chose to keep quiet about it fuels its spread. Open discourses are better than shunning the culprits because they never change. Maybe though talk, they will realize that they are damaging their bodies.

Ssempa rewarded for anti-gay crusade

By Joyce Namutebi

DR. Martin Ssempa, a pastor at Makerere Community Church, has received an award for his fight against homosexuality.

Ssempa and his wife Tracey received the plague from Apostle Alex Mitala, the overseer of the National Fellowship of Born Again Churches in Uganda.

This was during the “Great Marriage Celebration” organised by the National Association of Marriage Enhancement in conjunction with the National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostal Churches in Uganda at Nakivubo Stadium over the weekend.

Mitala led hundreds of couples who converged at the stadium from various parts of the country into a prayer for Ssempa to continue being the torch-bearer in the fight against the vice in Uganda.

“You are not fighting alone. We are with you,” Mitala said.

He said homosexuality was one way of making the world extinct.

“When men marry each other and women marry women, clans and tribes become extinct,” Mitala noted.

Bishop Michael Mugerwa, the organiser of the celebrations, urged couples to continue the fight against homosexuality, saying marriage was made for man and woman.

Ssempa thanked the Christians for standing by him and said he was encouraged by their support to continue with his campaign.

He proposed the establishment of a national marriage alliance to counter homosexuality.

Ssempa said the alliance would also discuss problems concerning marriage in Uganda.

Dr. Joseph Serwadda, the patron of Churches in Communities, asked the Government to consider declaring a national day for married people.

Pr. Robert Kayanja of Lubaga Miracle Centre Cathedral urged husbands to listen to their wives, saying that God can use them to bring blessings in their families.