A Chat with an Activist from Uganda - Proud Queer (PQ Monthly - Daily Online)

If you have followed my blog long enough you will know that one issue I follow is the Reich's exportation of hate via Scott Lively and the crew over at NOM.  Although there are many players in this game (Bryan Fischer, Liberty Counsel, Mike Bickle, World Congress of Families [1], and Rick Warren to name a few) these are in my opinion two of the major players, or the ones garnering the most attention with their vile rhetoric.  As you may recall, it began in earnest with Uganda [2], and the "Kill the Gays Bill".  It then jump to Russia and Putin's dalliance with members of the Reich.  Ireland has also been touched by the hate and it looks as if Australia is now in the cross-hairs. [3]

But through all the various postings, one thing has been missing, personal stories and experiences, that is about to change.  Like the author, I "was messaged by a gay male Ugandan who friended me on Facebook,,,[w]e began to talk regularly[4] and I realized that a lot of us don’t understand the real situation happening in Uganda." Although the authors interest in the situation in Uganda appears a bit more personal,

I found out that the president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, had a very close advisor that made me remember every excruciating minute of high school when (the failed) Measure 9 was being fought in Oregon. Scott Lively, for those who don’t know, was the second in command of the Oregons Citizen’s Alliance (OCA), a Focus-on-the-Family-type group and he wrote a charming little book titled, The Pink Swastika, Homosexuality and the Nazi Party.

Carroll's interview is enlightening,

The problems in Uganda are complicated and widespread—including extreme poverty (the average Ugandan makes $510 dollars a year, according to WHO, and $600 a year according to my interview subject), limited access to education (half of school age students live 5km from the nearest school and most people are on foot), skyrocketing HIV rates, and an ongoing conflict with Rwanda. Add that to the fact that according to a 2007 Pew Global Attitudes Project poll, 96% of Ugandans say they agree with punishing homosexuality, it makes for a very hostile and dangerous environment for all LGBT Ugandans.
,,,
 PQ: You have an organization, called the Gay Rights Activist Club, what are the goals for the club? What would you like to see? 
Baguma: Concerning goals for the club, GRAC, Gay Rights Activist Club, we are here to promote the rights of gays, fight homophobia, create sustainability, and provide basics like: shelter, food, and medical care for Ugandans.[5]
,,,
PQ Monthly: Is it hard to find employment as a gay person in Kampala?
Baguma: I feel it vital to tell you about gay prostitutes who are mostly found in affluent suburbs of Kampala, and their clients are mostly whites and Asian executives. Places for gays to pick up include; Buziga, Ntinda, Wandegeya, where there are cozy bars.

I'm personally looking forward to information and experiences that Baguma may be able to share.  Not only is he looking for support in attempting to house the homeless , but ideas as well to combat the hatred.

A Chat with an Activist from Uganda - Proud Queer (PQ Monthly - Daily Online)

[1]   World congress of Families as I have discovered recently is a much bigger player than I realized.
[2]   I have not yet seen the full documentary by VICE as I am attempting to obtain a copy.  As noted in my orgianl post David Badash offers a nice summary.  For another perspective to the same, see "World's Worst Place to be Gay?" (2014, BBC).
[3]  Do a bit of digging and you will find that Faust is "sponsored" by none other than Alliance Defending Freedom.
[4]  I have just recently "met" Baguma and our personal dialogue is just beginning.  And it was I that contacted him via a mutual friend who thought I may be interested.
[5]  The existence of GRAC was a point that Baguma noted as well, when in conversation, I mentioned that homelessness withing the LGBTQ community is a world wide problem.

His reply, "Sure homelessness is a major problem affecting the LGBTQ community and here it's worse due to impoverished communities, high levels of unemployment, etc.."

It appears that the plight of the homeless is an issue of concern when he sent the enclosed photo, with the following caption, "Where can you put all that number of persons as you can see."