WATCH: U.S. to Send Homosexuality 'Experts' to Uganda

[William769]

Rachel Maddow calls the Obama administration's plan to send American experts to Uganda a new kind of experiment in 'real science and real diplomacy.'

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Tuesday announced plans to send American scientists to Uganda in an effort to counteract the flawed "science" cited by Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni when he signed into law the Anti-Homosexuality Act, which imposes lifetime prison sentences for multiple instances of same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults and criminalizes anyone who "aids or abets" homosexuality or LGBT people.

When Museveni signed the law last month, he pointed to a so-called scientific report from antigay Ugandan lawmakers "with medical backgrounds" who concluded that homosexuality was partially innate but mostly influenced by environment and active recruitment.

"There are those who engage in homosexuality for mercenary reasons on account of the underdeveloped sectors of our economy that cause people to remain in poverty," Museveni said at the bill signing ceremony. "And then there are those that become homosexual by both nature [genetic] and nurture [upbringing]. … Can somebody be homosexual purely by nature without nurture? The answer is: 'No.' No study has shown that. Since nurture is the main cause of homosexuality, then society can do something about it to discourage the trends. That is why I have agreed to sign the Bill."

But as out MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow noted on her eponymous show Tuesday evening, the harsh antigay attitudes of many Ugandan lawmakers were directly influenced by American evangelicals who traveled to the East African country in 2009 to hold a conference on the evils of LGBT people. One of the key speakers at that conference, Massachusetts minister (and gubernatorial candidate) Scott Lively, is currently facing international persecution charges alleging crimes against humanity for his role in motivating Ugandan lawmakers to violently oppress LGBT people there.

http://www.advocate.com/world/2014/03/19/watch-us-send-homosexuality-experts-uganda

Video at link.

[geek tragedy]

1. Would they be arrested in Russia? nt

[William769]

2. First they would be disputed as quacks. Second they would be beaten, third they would be arrested

and serve jail time & fourth after serving jail time, they would be kicked out of the Country (if they are lucky).

But to the topic at hand, I am curious to see how the Ugandan Government receives this information and if they will act on it or not.

[geek tragedy]

3. I suspect this is about giving them cover to reverse themselves

rather than lose US funding.

"We were just following science" sounds better than "he, we need the money."

[William769]

4. I hope you are right.

[geek tragedy]

5. so do I.

[okaawhatever]

6. Here is a blip about the lawsuit against Scott Lively:

"On Monday, January 7, lawyers representing Sexual Minorities Uganda will make oral arguments in a landmark case that aims to hold the American founder of Abiding Truth Ministries, Scott Lively, responsible for inciting persecution of LGBT people in Uganda. SMUG v. Scott Lively was filed in federal district court in March 2012, and alleges that the Evangelical pastor's efforts in Uganda to equate homosexuality with the Nazis, Rwandan genocide, pedophilia and more, violate international human rights law."

I love that anti-LGBT folks are going to be taken down by scientists. It's a one two punch to right wing nut jobs everywhere. Which do you think they'll be more afraid of, gay men and women or scientists?

[William769]

7. Thanks! +1.

[nomorenomore08]

24. PLEASE PLEASE let that shitstain be bankrupted by this!

Hit him hard enough where it hurts - in the bank account - and maybe it'll discourage others from trying the same bullshit.

[Bluenorthwest]

8. Of course Uganda's population is 84% Catholic and Anglican, so while evangelicals have

certainly had a hand, the Anglican Church has been source of much horrible teaching and the Catholic Church of course teaches that gay rights are an attack on God authored by Satan. None of this would be happening if it was not supported buy those two faith groups.
Francis, who has spent years spinning demonological attacks on LGBT people, has not said so much as one word against these laws in Uganda.
I'm sick of folks pretending the hate speech of some religions and their leaders are exempt from criticism, which is reserved for another much smaller group.
They are all to blame. Letting the RCC and Anglicans off the hook is shitty. Maddow seems to have some strong bias in this regard.

[sheshe2]

9. I hope the US can make this work in Uganda, then in other countries.

"I talked personally to President Museveni just a few weeks ago, and he committed to meet with some of our experts so that we could engage him in a dialogue as to why what he did could not be based on any kind of science or fact, which is what he was alleging," Kerry said during a University Town Hall meeting at the U.S. Department of State. "He welcomed that and said that he was happy to receive them and we can engage in that kind of conversation… maybe we can reach a point of reconsideration."

snip

Kerry added that U.S. diplomats have also been tasked with actively advocating against discrimination.

"It’s going to have to be strategic country by country," Kerry said. "I don’t think you’re going to find different countries will have different needs, different sensitivities. So we’re going to try to put together the overall umbrella program tailorable, obviously, region by region and country by country."

A vocal opponent of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, Kerry also compared the anti-gay measure to anti-Semitism laws and apartheid policies while speaking to reporters in February.

"You could change the focus of this legislation to black or Jewish and you could be in 1930s Germany or you could be in 1950s-1960s apartheid South Africa," Kerry said last month. "It was wrong there egregiously in both places and it is wrong here."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/18/john-kerry-uganda-anti-gay-experts_n_4988264.html

Thanks for posting the news William.

[karynnj]

11. The town hall itself was excellent

On the question of gay issues, he did mention that change on this in the US was recent.

[sheshe2]

14. Thanks for the link...

I will watch it tomorrow, karynnj.

[William769]

12. Thanks sheshe.

[karynnj]

10. Secretary Kerry is not the only Kerry fighting this - here is Dr Vanessa Kerry's oped

There are few aspirations that almost all of the globe’s human population shares. Good health is one, and I believe healthcare to be a fundamental human right. Illness impedes individuals from supporting themselves, their families, and their communities. Without health and good access to healthcare, a society cannot function.

But decisions such as the Ugandan parliament’s—with support from President Yoweri Museveni—to criminalize homosexuality, pose incredible barriers to health and human rights in Uganda and consequently around the world. Anti-gay legislation is unfortunately not new in Uganda or elsewhere, but the severity of the recent law is alarming. Any effort to outlaw or push lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender Ugandans out of sight, either through legislation or through outing them in the media, hurts the country, the health of all its people, and the ability to honor all its citizens with the fundamental rights and dignity they deserve.

This issue is especially important to the many organizations like mine working in Uganda to improve the health of—and access to healthcare for—people there. My organization’s mission is supporting U.S. doctors and nurses to help train a new generation of medical and nursing providers in Uganda and other countries. We and our Ugandan partners cannot do this if patients are put at risk by disclosing their sexual orientation, or doctors and nurses are put in harm’s way for treating LGBTQ Ugandans. We are also restricted from safely sending outstanding volunteers to Uganda if their sexual orientation puts them at risk.

Obstacles that prevent safe access to healthcare can be detrimental, but in countries like Uganda, which shoulder a disproportionate burden of disease, obstacles can be lethal. Uganda has the sixth-highest rate of people living with—and deaths related to—HIV/AIDS in the world. This is in addition to growing amounts of cardiovascular disease, malignancy, and non-communicable diseases or persistent challenges from trauma, or maternal morbidity and death, to name a few.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2014/02/28/uganda_anti_gay_law_endangers_the_health_of_the_entire_nation.html

Vanessa's organization of doctors coordinates with the Peace Corps -
http://seedglobalhealth.org/about-us/staff/


In 2004, one reason I believed in Kerry as much as I did is that his daughters, especially Vanessa, had values that were so similar to his.

[Cha]

18. Thanks for that karynVT~

[Archae]

13. The damage has been done, and is irreversible.

Just look at the other nearby countries, like Gambia and Nigeria.

Evangelical gay-bashers from the US have blood on their hands.

Even if Lively goes to jail, his work has taken it's toll.

[Behind the Aegis]

15. This is certainly an interesting development.

I don't know how much good it will do, but it couldn't hurt.

[Cha]

16. Thanks Obama.. You @#$%^ &%&*^*%^*%

Rachel Maddow calls the Obama administration's plan to send American experts to Uganda a new kind of experiment in 'real science and real diplomacy.'

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Tuesday announced plans to send American scientists to Uganda in an effort to counteract the flawed "science" cited by Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni when he signed into law the Anti-Homosexuality Act, which imposes lifetime prison sentences for multiple instances of same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults and criminalizes anyone who "aids or abets" homosexuality or LGBT people.

[phleshdef]

19. LOL, you are riding that meme all the way to the bank Cha.

Not criticizing, just expressing amusement. Heh.

[Cha]

20. I didn't figure you

were critiquing, phlesh.

[Hekate]

22. Did you just call the Prez an old cuss? LOL

Thanks, Obama -- and thanks, John Kerry. Nice to have some good news once in awhile.

[Cha]

25. LOL.. I called him a

young cuss.

Hekate~

[RainDog]

17. k&r n/t

[Luminous Animal]

21. Is he sending Rick Warren (it's only a speech)? Rick Warren: Uganda, A Purpose Driven Nation.

http://www.rickwarrennews.com/080329_uganda.htm

[joshcryer]

23. Classy.