Indiana Republicans Introduce The Most Anti-LGBT LGBT Rights Bill Ever | ThinkProgress

After last spring’s disastrous “religious liberty” legislation and months of chatter, Indiana Republicans have cooked up some new legislation to protect LGBT people from discrimination. Unfortunately, a draft of the new bill reveals that it is designed to accomplish the complete opposite.

The bill, which will be known as Senate Bill 100, does add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the state’s nondiscrimination laws as it claims to. However, it expends far more words to limit the extent of those protections, making them all but worthless to most plaintiffs.

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In other words, Indiana Republicans are proposing legislation that creates nondiscrimination for LGBT people that is as weighted as much against those LGBT people exercising their protections as possible. Lambda Legal decried the bill as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” noting, “This doesn’t protect LGBT people — it is a road map for discrimination against LGBT people.”

Indiana Republicans Introduce The Most Anti-LGBT LGBT Rights Bill Ever | ThinkProgress

Anti-gay harassment: Missouri man cannot sue for sexual orientation discrimination.

For those that say this does not happen, I have two words for you - Fuck You!

James Pittman faced discrimination because he was gay—that, nobody denies. As an employee at Cook Paper Recycling Corp. in Missouri, Pittman was subject to vile homophobic harassment: Employees called him a “cocksucker,” asked whether he had AIDS, mocked him for being gay and having a boyfriend, and ridiculed him when they broke up. Then Cook Paper fired him.

Pittman sued, alleging he was subject to illegal workplace discrimination. The court promptly dismissed his suit, ruling that Pittman’s harassment was perfectly legal. Neither Missouri nor federal law explicitly bars discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, the court reasoned, so Cook Paper’s employees were free to torment, mock, and fire Pittman for being gay. On Tuesday, the Western District Missouri Court of Appeals affirmed the lower court’s ruling.

And as Stern notes, it will continue to happen

Twenty-eight states offer no explicit protection against sexual-orientation discrimination in the workplace, and congressional Republicans are currently blocking a vote on a federal law to ban anti-LGBTQ discrimination nationwide. Until that law passes—or until the Supreme Court adopts the EEOC’s interpretation of sex discrimination—people like James Pittman will continued to be harassed, humiliated, and fired for no reason other than their orientation. That strikes me as a profoundly distressing and unjust status quo. But it is a status quo that conservative politicians appear eager to maintain.

Anti-gay harassment: Missouri man cannot sue for sexual orientation discrimination.

Outbreak of anti-LGBTI attacks in Uganda | 76 CRIMES

Here are some brief accounts of the past 5 days [October LGBTQI violence] in Uganda.

• On the 17th October, SMUG’s administrator Diane Bakuraira was attacked at the gate of her home. Her attackers told her to stop dressing like a man, while repeatedly punching her in the face.
• On the same day, Jay Mulucha and Apako Williams — known transgender activists — were attacked in the night at a sports bar called Legends, frequented by rugby players and sports fans. Apako and Jay had bottles flung at them, and group of rugby players repeatedly punched them. The bouncers of the bar joined in. Their bleeding bodies were flung against the metal bars at the back of the police van. Instead of arresting the attackers, these known national rugby players were escorted to their cars by the police.
• Beyonce Karungi was attacked on Sunday night, 18th October at her home. She shares this home with four other trans women. They were all threatened, as the attackers (men) threatened to cut off their testicles. On the 21st October on her way to find a place to stay, Beyonce faced another group of men determined to kill her. She says that while she was being assaulted, the attackers kept saying, “Let’s remove her teeth.”
• On the 20th October 2015, Joseph, a trans woman, was attacked by a known blackmailer. Sometime back, Joseph was being blackmailed by a man known to her. She filed a case at the police station and the file remains open as investigations continue. She faces repeated violence and threats.

Outbreak of anti-LGBTI attacks in Uganda | 76 CRIMES

Brunei's LGBT Community Faces Terrifying Future

In Brunei, being gay could soon be punishable by death.
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Once the third phase is rolled out, activists are worried that the country will crack down on the LGBT community. This final phase, which was slated to be implemented later this year or in early 2016, will reportedly involve the introduction of executions for “offenses” like homosexuality and adultery.

“In Southeast Asia, the country that has the most worrisome state of rights for LGBT people is Brunei,” Ging Cristobal of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission says. “[The community] there is really concerned about their safety.”

LGBT activism in the public sphere is non-existent in Brunei, and based on anecdotal reports the small community that does exist keeps itself well hidden. Brunei was the only country in ASEAN where not a single LGBT person or advocate was willing to step forward to share their story with HuffPost -- even anonymously.

Brunei's LGBT Community Faces Terrifying Future

In Cambodia, Some Families Still Try To 'Cure' LGBT Sons And Daughters

When Meas Sophanuth started to transition in high school, his mother -- afraid that her child would bring shame to the family -- tried to stop what she saw as his “unnatural” behavior.

She took away his phone, kept him at home, and forbade him from seeing his friends. She finally took her son to a traditional healer, known in Cambodia as a Kru Khmer, in the hope that the shaman would be able to “cure” him.

It was a traumatic experience, Sophanuth, who identifies as transgender, told the Phnom Penh Post last year. “After that, I did not feel warm to my parents anymore. They frightened me,” he said.

Such attempts at “curing” are not uncommon in Cambodia, where LGBT people are often seen as being mentally ill or as being possessed with “bad spirits.”

“Usually the Kru Khmer will chant something [at the LGBT person], sometimes they burn the head, back or palm,” Srun Srorn, an LGBT activist, says of a typical “curing” ritual. “When they burn they believe the bad spirits will fly away. Sometimes they use the bamboo to hit the person.”

Homosexuality is not criminalized in Cambodia, which is a predominantly Buddhist country, but marginalization of the LGBT community is widespread.

In Cambodia, Some Families Still Try To 'Cure' LGBT Sons And Daughters

Indonesia: ‘Suspected Lesbians’ Detained | Human Rights Watch

As of this posting I am not aware of any change is status concerning this incident.  It highlights well, that we have a long way to go in the fight for equality on the world stage where the ramifications are much greater. Following the story is a discussion of Aceh's "Special Status agreement" and the direct influence of Sharia on the laws in the province.  Why I choose to include this narrative despite the date.

Indonesian authorities should immediately and unconditionally release two women arrested on suspicion of being lesbians in Aceh province, Human Rights Watch said today. The arrests under Islamic bylaw are contrary to the rights to nondiscrimination and fundamental freedoms under Indonesia’s constitution and international human rights law. 

On September 28, 2015, the Wilayatul Hisbah, or Sharia police, arrested the two women identified as AS, age 18, and N, age 19, when the police saw the pair hugging in a public place in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital. A police official told reporters that they “suspected the women were lesbians.”

“The arrest of two women in Aceh for everyday behavior is an outrageous abuse of police power that should be considered a threat to all Indonesians,” said Graeme Reid, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights program director at Human Rights Watch. “The Indonesian government needs to press Aceh to repeal its discriminatory new by-laws.”
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Aceh’s criminal code, which went into effect in September 2014, prohibits lesbianism and sodomy. These offenses do not exist in the Indonesian national criminal code. The Acehnese by-laws extend Sharia, or Islamic law, to non-Muslims, and the criminal code permits punishments of 100 lashes and 100 months in prison for consensual same-sex sex acts.
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Aceh’s parliament drafted the Principles of the Islamic By-law, while the province’s official Islamic Affairs Office drafted the Islamic criminal code. These by-laws apply not only to Aceh’s predominantly Muslim population, but to about 90,000 non-Muslim residents, most of them Christians and Buddhists, as well as domestic and foreign visitors to the province.

Indonesia: ‘Suspected Lesbians’ Detained | Human Rights Watch

Gay Men Share Horrific Stories of Life Under ISIS: 'In My Society, Being Gay Means Death' - WATCH - Towleroad

Sean Mandell does a superb job of detailing the "dire conditions" faced by LGBTQ individuals in "ISIS-controlled territory".  Though dated from August, the situation has not changed.

For months, we’ve reported on the dire conditions faced by gay men living in ISIS-controlled territory. The Islamic State has claimed to have murdered more than 30 gay men since it rose to power. While many have been unable to confirm these figures for various reasons, not least of which being that ISIS often labels any dissident as a homosexual, two gay men who lived in ISIS-controlled areas are speaking out for the first time about the brutality and fear they and others faced living under the draconian regime.

As ITV News reports, Syrian refugee Subhi Nahas told of the fear that ruled him living in an environment so hostile even his family proved a threat to his safety,,,
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While Adnan remains in Iraq, Nahas has successfully made it to the U.S. and now works with the Organization for Refuge, Asylum and Migration, an organization specifically aiming to help LGBT refugees.


U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power underscored the importance of addressing LGBT rights globally, making note that yesterday’s meeting of the Security Council was the first time the committee had discussed LGBT issues. Via The Independent:

“It is impossible not to take up the struggle for their rights as our own as we have other great human rights struggles,” she is reported to have told the meeting. “Today, we take a small but important step in assuming that work. It must not be our last step.”

Gay Men Share Horrific Stories of Life Under ISIS: 'In My Society, Being Gay Means Death' - WATCH - Towleroad

ADDENDUM::Texans Owner Donates $10,000 To Fight LGBT Protections In Houston | ThinkProgress

 There will be an update coming!!

Is Michael Sams correct, that anti-gay biases that still permeate the league?

Houston Texans owner Bob McNair has donated $10,000 to Campaign for Houston, an organization that opposes the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), a nondiscrimination law that’s up for vote on November 3rd.

While the ordinance provides wide-ranging nondiscrimination protections for Houston residents and visitors, including in cases of race, sexuality, gender, disability, nationality, and religion, the Campaign for Houston has centered in on LGBT protections, particularly the fact that this law allows trans women to use women’s restrooms and trans men to use men’s restrooms.

“We are Citizens of Houston of all races, creeds and political beliefs who feel there should be NO MEN IN WOMEN’S BATHROOMS,” the organization’s website reads.
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The NFL’s interest in Houston’s nondiscrimination ordinance goes beyond McNair, however: The city is set to host the Super Bowl in 2017. In 2014, Arizona was in the news due to the state’s Religious Freedoms Restoration Act, which allowed businesses the right to discriminate against customers and patrons based on their religious beliefs. The bill was considered a “license to discriminate” against LGBT customers.

At the time, the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury all spoke out against the law. The NFL even released a statement that said, “Our policies emphasize tolerance and inclusiveness, and prohibit discrimination based on age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or any other improper standard.”

Many believed that the league would move the Super Bowl from Arizona if the bill was passed, but Gov. Jan Brewer (R) vetoed it before that became an issue. The same concern has been raised in Houston.

Texans Owner Donates $10,000 To Fight LGBT Protections In Houston | ThinkProgress

The Dangers Of Being LGBT In ‘Tolerant’ Philippines

The Philippines has one of worst records of violence against the trans community. The murders of 29 transgender people have been documented in the Philippines since 2008, according to the TvT project, which monitors and analyzes cases of transphobia worldwide. This is the highest number in the Southeast Asian region, and the second highest in Asia -- though activists say that many murders of trans people go unreported in the country, so the number is likely much higher.

The trans community is not the only LGBT group that has experienced violence in the Philippines. There were at least “28 LGBT-related killings” in the country in the first half of 2011 alone, according to a 2014 UNDP/USAID report. These troubling statistics offer a glimpse into the marginalization and abuse that the LGBT community faces in the predominantly-Catholic archipelago.

On the surface, the Philippines may appear to be one of the more “liberal” ASEAN countries when it comes to the LGBT community.
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However, although “there is high tolerance here, there’s not real acceptance,” Ging Cristobal, a Manila-based activist with the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission, tells The Huffington Post.

Legal recognition and protection of LGBT people at the national level largely remains absent.

The Dangers Of Being LGBT In ‘Tolerant’ Philippines

'We Were Treated Like Animals': The Story Of Indonesia's LGBT Activists

Aceh, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra, is known for its draconian system of Sharia law. It has a population of 4.7 million and is the only province in Indonesia where homosexuality is illegal. The LGBT community has been forced “into hiding” there, according to Reuters.

Earlier this year, the deputy mayor of Banda Aceh, the province’s capital, labeled homosexuality “a social disease that should be eradicated.”

The province, however, isn't the only place in Indonesia where it's unsafe for the LGBT community.

Though homosexuality isn't technically criminalized under Indonesian law, in many states, such as south Sumatra, anti-prostitution laws (where “prostitution” is widely defined to include same-sex intercourse) are used to limit the rights of LGBT people, and according to activists, the community is marginalized even in bigger cities like Jakarta.

“LGBTI people are discriminated against in just about all domains of life,” Dédé Oetomo, founder of Gaya Nusantara, the first LGBT rights organization in the country, tells The Huffington Post. Discrimination even happens in the work place and in schools.

Indonesia, which has the world's largest Muslim population, is mostly conservative and society is “very heteronormative,” Oetomo says. “The greatest challenge is still the immediate family.”
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Despite myriad challenges, LGBT activism has been growing in Indonesia. About 120 LGBT grassroots organizations are currently in operation, working primarily “in health issues, publishing and organizing social and educational activities,” according to the USAID/UNDP report.

Still, despite a relatively vibrant activist community, activists say real change has been slow to come. 

'We Were Treated Like Animals': The Story Of Indonesia's LGBT Activists

Lines being drawn for Indiana’s next fight over LGBT rights – LGBTQ Nation

Months after a divisive religious objections law thrust Indiana into an unwanted national spotlight, gay rights supporters and religious conservatives are preparing for another potentially bitter debate — this time over enshrining LGBT protections into state law.

Republican Gov. Mike Pence and key leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature have gone to lengths to avoid publicly discussing the matter, even as Democrats plan to push legislation and several Indiana cities have considered adopting their own lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender protections. At the same time, religious conservatives are using a new tactic: raising concerns that children will be exposed to transgender people and what they say are sexual predators in public restrooms if the protections are approved.

No one with a stake in the issue — including a gay-rights coalition that includes many of Indiana‘s prominent businesses — says there’s much room for compromise. That sets the stage for what “could be a huge mess” when the Legislature convenes in January, said Paul Helmke, a public affairs professor at Indiana University and former Republican mayor of Fort Wayne. It also could have a lasting impact on Pence’s re-election bid next year.

Lines being drawn for Indiana’s next fight over LGBT rights

ADDENDUM::Tampon-waving woman demands officials protect her right to speak in tongues amid anti-gay rant

In regards to the troublesome equal rights law proposed by Anchorage Assembly member  Bill Evans:

Evans said that he borrowed the religious conscience provision from elsewhere, and that may refer to the recent nondiscrimination protections passed in Utah. The Utah compromise, however, was unique because religious exemptions already existed under state law, for other civil rights protections. Thus, the carveouts were not unique to LGBT people, but were the same as they were for race, sex, and other classes.

In this proposal, Evans is actually doing the opposite in quite a problematic way. He’s trying to create new exemptions specifically to accommodate the addition of LGBT protections. Moreover, he’s not even qualifying them as LGBT-specific, so all of Anchorage’s civil rights protections would be weakened as a result. Refusing to serve an interracial marriage would hypothetically be just as shielded as refusing to serve a same-sex marriage.

We now have this bit of wackiness,

A failed U.S. Senate candidate known for speaking in tongues spoke out against LGBT rights in a wacky, tampon-waving address to city officials in Anchorage.

Kathleen Tonn, [mentioned here] the former Republican candidate, carried a briefcase stuffed with props and wore a wool hat and flannel sweatshirt Tuesday night to the meeting of the Anchorage assembly, which is considering an LGBT rights ordinance, reported the Joe My God blog.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. You like my trumpet? It’s a sound heard around the world,” Tonn said, before pulling a Bible from her briefcase.
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“Since one of my brethren introduced the King James Bible, since I represent the Lord Jesus Christ the great I am, I’m going to add to your public document and your public record from the public document of the great I am,” Tonn told baffled officials.

“Starting with, oh my — a tampon,” she said, pulling a feminine hygiene product from between the pages of her Bible. “Reminds me that little girls in pubescence get periods — female girls.”

Tonn, who is probably best known for a video she posted online showing herself fully clothed and speaking in tongues in a sauna, then angrily read a lengthy passage from the Second Epistle of Peter describing God’s wrathful judgment against Sodom and Gomorrah.

WATCH: Tampon-waving woman demands officials protect her right to speak in tongues amid anti-gay rant

Alabama boss asks trans employee two terrible questions, fires her, and now has to pay up – LGBTQ Nation

When Jessi Dye showed up for her first day of work at Summerford Nursing Home, she had nothing but high hopes. She filled out her hiring paperwork, attended workshops and received vaccinations. Jessi was excited that the home had offered to pay for her training to become a certified nurse’s assistant.

But a few hours later, she was fired.

Robert Summerford, the manager of the company, called her into his office at lunch to discuss her paperwork.
As soon as Jessi walked through the door, Robert bluntly asked her “What are you?”

“It was exactly like being punched in the stomach,” Jessi recalled to HuffPo.
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Jessi filed a workplace discrimination lawsuit with the help of the Montgomery-based Southern Poverty Law Center, and rather than see the matter reach a federal court, the company Robert works for agreed to settle.

Part of the settlement required the company to institute an official policy banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and to conduct sensitivity training regarding LGBTQ people.

A lawyer with the SPLC told HuffPo that the quick settlement should be seen as a sign of progress.

Alabama boss asks trans employee two terrible questions, fires her, and now has to pay up – LGBTQ Nation

See also::   Woman Fired For Being Transgender Scores A Victory

Vladimir Putin: If Gay People Marry, Russians Will Stop Having Children - The New Civil Rights Movement

Vladimir Putin insists the if his country made same-sex marriage legal, a demographic nightmare would ensue, causing a huge population drop because Russians would stop having babies. This ludicrous public policy was revealed in a lengthy profile of the relationship between Russian President Vladimir Putin and UK Prime Minister David Cameron, published this past weekend by the London Daily Mail.

The revelation came in 2013 during a conversation between the two heads of state. Cameron was in the middle of pushing for same-sex marriage while Putin was ramping up his anti-gay homophobia and enshrining it into law.

"The conversation takes a bizarre twist and they end up having a ‘bickerfest’ about gay rights, both wanting to have the last word," the Daily Mail reports.
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Putin's statement is similar to ugly theories of a "demographic winter" popularized several years ago by the religious right, including Maggie Gallagher. Their idea is conservatives have to make more babies than liberals in order to ensure conservative ideals are propagated by more people – as if everyone born into conservative families stays conservative.

Vladimir Putin: If Gay People Marry, Russians Will Stop Having Children - The New Civil Rights Movement

Here's Everything You Need To Know About The Next Big Fight For LGBT Rights - Towleroad

With marriage equality out of the way (minus a few exceptions), it’s no secret that religious exemption laws represent one of the next major battlegrounds in the struggle for LGBT equality.

Which means that if you haven’t already, this might be a good time to bone up on which states have these laws, how they work and why they pose such a grave threat to gay rights going forward.

The Movement Advancement Project (MAP) released a report today that serves as a good primer on the subject, and as you can see in the map reproduced above, the news is not so good.

The report shows that nearly half of LGBT Americans live in one of 21 states with broad religious exemption laws, and with new proposals likely this fall, those numbers may soon grow. Already, lawmakers in 17 states have introduced religious exemption proposals since the beginning of the year, largely in response to the spread of marriage equality.

Here's Everything You Need To Know About The Next Big Fight For LGBT Rights - Towleroad

Texas Same-Sex Marriage Lawyers Seek $740,000 from State

Two things come to mind, the egregious use of tax dollars to fund cases known to be contrary to the Supreme Court ruling.  These so-called "religious liberty" cases are losing, and losing big; the zealots don't care as long as it fits their agenda:

“Had the State of Texas not deprived our clients of their constitutional rights, they in turn would not have had to engage attorneys, and this motion for attorneys’ fees and costs would have been unnecessary. If the State is not held accountable for the legal costs it caused to be incurred, then it will be more likely to engage in similar objectionable conduct in the future.”

Does anyone believe that, had Texas won the case, they would not be demanding legal costs from the plaintiffs,,,

The attorneys for same-sex couples who successfully challenged Texas’ gay marriage ban in federal court are seeking nearly three-quarters of a million dollars in fees and costs from the state.

In a 27-page motion filed Friday, attorneys from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in San Antonio asked U.S. District Judge Orlando L. Garcia to award them $720,794 in fees and $20,203 in costs.

Akin Gump represented two same-sex couples in De Leon v. Perry, which was filed in October 2013 and resolved pursuant to the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 26 ruling in favor of same-sex marriage. Under federal law, prevailing parties in civil rights cases are typically eligible for fees and costs.

Texas Same-Sex Marriage Lawyers Seek $740,000 from State

See also::  Lawyers: Texas owes $741,000 in legal fees in gay marriage case

Lawyers for the attorney general’s office are expected to argue that the Texas couples cannot be considered “prevailing parties” because Texas law changed as a result of a June opinion by the U.S. Supreme Court, a legal action they were not part of, the motion said.

But Neel Lane, the lead lawyer for the two couples, disputed that assertion, saying their lawsuit prompted Garcia to declare the Texas ban unconstitutional in February 2014 — delaying enforcement of his ruling only while Texas appealed. The lawsuit eventually led Garcia to issue a permanent injunction barring Texas from enforcing a state law and a constitutional amendment that prohibited gay marriage, Lane said.

“Same-sex marriages in Texas is now lawful, and plaintiffs and other same-sex couples are no longer denied their fundamental right to marry and have their marriages recognized,” Lane told Garcia.

"Together We Can Achieve'."

As some of you may recall, I posted about the plight of Baguma Berges Ronnie and his fellow LGBTQ folk in Uganda.  Besides the insidious persecution by governmental elements (encouraged by cretins such as Scott Lively, Rick Warren, and the slags that run World Congress of Families), an issue that is prevalent among the LGBTQ community is homelessness. Over the course of the past two weeks I have been discussing said issue with Baguma and how he and GRAC would like to combat it.

First, GRAC is an underground resistance group committed to reversing the draconian laws put in place by Yoweri Museveni and gaining basic human rights for all Ugandans. It is a LGBTQ "group dedicated to fighting homophobia and transphobia; and bring[ing] together all LGBTQ people irrespective of color, race, creed, religion, political party, etc. We strive to promote the rights of the sex oriented persons in a homophobic environment"  GRAC's online presence began in late 2012 with the goal, "All LGBTQ people around the world unite to fight and defeat homophobia for good!"  What started as a 10 member group currently has over 500 members; locally we dont disclose their identities in the media for security reason.

As I noted in my initial post, "homelessness is a major problem affecting the LGBTQ community and here it's worse due to impoverished communities, high levels of unemployment, etc.."  I think what struck me in our conversations, was not only Baguna's dedication to this cause, but his willingness to put his neck on the line - literally.  I was hesitant in using Baguma's full name in my initial post even though the article associated had.  Our lines crossed but he posted this in response to my query, "Please go ahead and use my name as I am an activist who wants equality for LGBTQ persons and I don't mind [being] a martyr as long as the next generation gain their freedom!"

So with that in mind, Baguma filled me in on, let's call it phase one, what he and GRAC are trying to accomplish.

I do have a few questions, do you definitely have a building in mind touse for a shelter?  I know you mentioned one is available that is in your target purchase/rental,,,

We would like to rent a building in the city suburbs which can accommodate most of the members who are homeless. This idea was brought up today after meeting with the landlord and agreed on the rates per month; though this has to be done with the help of some generous donors out there.

You mention a cost of $350, is that per month and is that amount in US dollars?

That amount is for every 3 months and its in US dollars.

And this building will be used as a shelter like facility?  Are you going to be offering any other type of services - schooling, job training - or is your focus right now just on housing?  

We are going to use the building as a shelter facility. We have a vision of setting up projects like vocational training to equip people with skills for self sustainability, but that is long range.

So, what is being asked of us?  Help in securing the funds necessary and help in spreading GRAC's cause far and wide.

Questions::  ronbaguma07@gmail.com
Donation being accepted via Paypal::Baguma Ronnie c/o. mawa@godfreymawa.com
Western Union and Money Gram are also options

One final question I had for Baguma:  Besides GRAC are there other organizations also working towards the same or similar goals?  And does GRAC have a working relationship with any of them?

Sure they are there and currently we are working with TASO for HIV/AIDS

The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) was founded in Uganda 1987 by people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA), based on common experiences faced when encountering HIV/AIDS at a time of high stigma, ignorance, and discrimination. TASO's activities include HIV/AIDS counselling, medical care, social support, training and capacity building, HIV/AIDS education and community mobilisation, and advocacy and networking.

and Youth on the Rock Foundation!

This is a mess "we" have helped create,

A bunch of conservative Christians from US are bemoaning cultural imperialism in Africa? There's a direct connection between US missionaries working within Uganda and the writing and passing of this draconian legislation. The laws that they support are artifacts of cultural imperialism.

Or do they imagine we've all forgotten that? Or do they believe Scott Lively's work time in Uganda doesn't qualify as imperialism? Out-fucking-rageous!!

It Is also a mess we can help fix!!

How An Alaska Lawmaker Is Trying To Sneak Anti-LGBT Discrimination Into The Law | ThinkProgress

Three years ago, Proposition 5, which would have created LGBT nondiscrimination protections, failed to pass in Anchorage, Alaska. The defeat followed a very ugly campaign that demonized LGBT people with warnings of “tranvestites who want to work with toddlers” and men sneaking into women’s locker rooms. Now, a member of the city’s Assembly says that he wants to pass those protections into law — or so he claims.

Anchorage Assembly member Bill Evans has proposed an expansion to the city’s equal rights law to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the protected classes, but there’s a catch. His bill has a gaping exemption that will allow religion to continue to justify anti-LGBT discrimination.
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Evans said that he borrowed the religious conscience provision from elsewhere, and that may refer to the recent nondiscrimination protections passed in Utah. The Utah compromise, however, was unique because religious exemptions already existed under state law, for other civil rights protections. Thus, the carveouts were not unique to LGBT people, but were the same as they were for race, sex, and other classes.

In this proposal, Evans is actually doing the opposite in quite a problematic way. He’s trying to create new exemptions specifically to accommodate the addition of LGBT protections. Moreover, he’s not even qualifying them as LGBT-specific, so all of Anchorage’s civil rights protections would be weakened as a result. Refusing to serve an interracial marriage would hypothetically be just as shielded as refusing to serve a same-sex marriage.

How An Alaska Lawmaker Is Trying To Sneak Anti-LGBT Discrimination Into The Law | ThinkProgress

Malaysia will not protect LGBT people because of Islam, says Prime Minister · PinkNews

So adherence to a religious ideology that espouses belief in an imaginary sky fairy takes precedent over the life of a human being,,,

The Prime Minister of Malaysia has cited Islam in saying that the human rights of LGBT people will not necessarily be protected.

Najib Razak spoke at an international Islamic moderation seminar in Bangi Selangor, to say that his administration will adopt some human rights protections but not those which conflict with Islam.

Noting LGBT rights, he said that some of the “more extreme aspects of human rights”, would not be defended by Malaysia.

He said this was in line with the Islamic teaching of balance and moderation.

“Although universal human rights have been defined, we still define human rights in the country in the context of Islam and the Shariah,” he said, reports the Malay Mail.

“Even though it is difficult to defend internationally, we must defend our definition of human rights.”
“And even if we cannot defend human rights at an international level, we must defend it in the Islamic context,” he said.

Malaysia will not protect LGBT people because of Islam, says Prime Minister · PinkNews

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."