Uganda's proposed gay genocide law isn't just an abstract concern for students at Beaverton, Oregon's Southridge High School. Southridge has a sister school in Kalisizo, Uganda, and students and faculty from both have an ongoing and active relationship.
Southridge also has an active Gay-Straight Alliance club (GSA), and the entire school experienced the sting of anti-gay bigotry when in 2005 principal Amy Gordon (still on staff) canceled The Laramie Project, a play exploring the hate crime murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard.
According to Esther Griffin, a parent volunteer for the Southridge GSA, the interests and concerns of several student groups have now aligned.
Some Southridge Leadership students were upset earlier this month about the proposed Ugandan "Kill The Gays" law, and went to both the Uganda Matale Sister Schools Club and the Gay-Straight Alliance at Southridge to talk about it, raise awareness. It was just a little class assignment/project Morgan and Seta (pictured together below, right) were doing to raise awareness, and since talking to the other clubs at school, it's taken on a life of its own. The students are now working on a major "Respect Humanity: Uganda March and Rally" for Saturday January 23rd in Beaverton OR.
They are pulling in other Beaverton and westside (west of Portland) schools, as well as those in the Portland area. There will be 3 starting points for the 12 noon marches (Southridge HS, Jesuit HS and Cedar Park MS), all ending at the Beaverton City Library fountain area for the rally at 1:15pm that day.
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/14653/oregon-high-school-with-ugandan-sister-school-plans-protest-against-ugandas-gay-genocide-bill
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