Thursday, November 22, 2012

Hours to stop the gay death penalty


Dear friends,


In hours, Uganda could pass a law that could impose the death penalty for homosexuality. An international outcry shelved this bill last year -- we urgently need to ramp up the pressure to press President Museveni to stand up for human rights and stop this brutal law. Sign below, and tell everyone:

Sign the petition
The Ugandan Parliament is set to pass a brutal law that could carry the death penalty for homosexuality. If they do, thousands of Ugandans could face execution -- just for being gay.

We've helped stop this bill before, and we can do it again. After a massive global outcry last year, Ugandan President Museveni blocked the bill's progress. But political unrest is mounting in Uganda, and religious extremists in Parliament are hoping confusion and violence in the streets will distract the international community from a second push to pass this hate-filled law. We can show them that the world is still watching.

We have no time to lose. Let’s get one million voices against Uganda's gay death penalty in the next 24 hours -- we'll deliver it to Uganda's leaders and key countries. Click here to take action, then forward this email to everyone:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/uganda_stop_gay_death_law/?bBbiodb&v=19438

Being gay in Uganda is already dangerous and terrifying. LGBT Ugandans are regularly harassed and beaten, and just last year gay rights activist David Kato (pictured above) was brutally murdered in his own home. Now they are threatened by this draconian law which could impose life imprisonment for people convicted of same-sex relations, and the death penalty for “serial offenders”. Even NGOs working to prevent the spread of HIV can be imprisoned for “promoting homosexuality” under this hate-filled law.

Right now, Uganda is in political turmoil -- missing millions of aid money has embroiled the Parliament in scandal. This upheaval has provided religious extremists in Parliament the perfect chance to slip in the shelved anti-gay bill, calling it a "Christmas gift" to Ugandans.

President Museveni backed away from this bill before, after international pressure threatened Uganda's support. Let's build a million strong petition to stop the gay death penalty bill again, and save lives. We only have hours -- sign below, then tell friends and family:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/uganda_stop_gay_death_law/?bBbiodb&v=19438

Last time, our international petition condemning the gay death penalty law was delivered to Parliament – spurring a global news story and enough pressure to block the bill for months. When a tabloid newspaper published 100 names, pictures and addresses, of suspected gays and those identified were threatened, Avaaz supported a legal case against the paper and we won! Together we have stood up, time and time again, for Uganda’s gay community -- now they need us more than ever.

With hope and determination,

Emma, Iain, Alice, Luis, Ricken, Joseph, Michelle and the whole Avaaz team


MORE INFORMATION

Kadaga wants anti-gay Bill tabled (Daily Monitor)
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Kadaga-wants-anti-gay-Bill-tabled/-/688334/1621218/-/j0h230z/-/index.html

Ugandan Parliament to debate anti-gay bill (AFP)
http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/15453168/ugandan-parliament-to-debate-anti-gay-bill/

Order paper Tuesday 20th November 2012 (Parliament of Uganda)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/114102346/PARLIAMENT-OF-UGANDA-Order-paper-Tuesday-20th-November-2012

Pulling Out All the Stops to Push an Antigay Bill (New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/14/world/africa/14uganda.html


Support the Avaaz Community!
We're entirely funded by donations and receive no money from governments or corporations. Our dedicated team ensures even the smallest contributions go a long way.
Donate to Avaaz


7 comments:

Anonymous said...

According to the Bible queers are to be executed. I'm all for it, too bad we do'nt have that policy here. Of course we"ll never pass that because half of congress and bisexual obumer would get the axe

Tropical said...

Anon 4:05, It is people like you that really need to study the bible. NOWHERE in the bible does it say to kill homosexuals. If you are referring to the Romans book and Paul, he NEVER met the creator, he came along years after him and wrote his own books.
Like I have stated several times, the Bible is a mythological book. Paul even tells us it is an allegory. In other words, DO NOT take it literally!
There were 3 types of eunuchs in the Bible. Those who abstained from sex for religious purposes, those who were castrated for harem purposes, and natural born, who are the same as the Gay's of today. The true eunuch is not a castrated male, but a homosexual. The natural eunuchs of old, had the same rights as a normal person in their day. Ref. Roman law: (D23.3.39.1,28.2.6). Natural eunuchs had the right to adopt children and engage in marriage. In other words, they had the same rights as natural men. The Church will not tell you this. Most people do not even know this.
What did Jesus say concerning these three types of eunuchs?
Matthew 19:12 covers all three. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.

Also, If we are to follow the Christian belief that the King James Bible is the inspired word of God, then we are also to assume that God also selected the people that were to put the Bible together. If this is correct, then God chose a Gay person.
King James was Gay. He had a 14 year homosexual relationship with a Frenchman named Esme Stuart.
That was not the only lover our Bible producer had. King James 1st, also had a love affair with George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham.
So, please do some research and go into your heart space, before commenting.

Anonymous said...

Let us not forget that the whole "it is an abomination for a man to lay with another man" was right next to "it is an abomination to eat shellfish" or "it is an abomination to wear garments of mixed fabrics". If you want to get all biblical and protest gays, then you should be protesting macy's for their cotton/poly "abomination". Whatever happened to judge not lest ye be judged? What ever happened to love your fellow man and let god sort them out? Gotta love how a book heavily edited around 1700 years ago by people with a vested interest in controlling the masses is touted as the end-all-be-all word of the almighty.

Anonymous said...

Tropical: who cares about Roman law, what about bible law? Now I'm not a King James Onlyer, but this is what the KJV says: Lev 20:13 KJV If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
That means King James was a hypocrit for sponsering this translation and not living what it says.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying homosexuals should be put to death as I think the bible has sometimes been mistranslated and therefore wrongly acted upon.

For example, there is a version called the Literal Translation of the bible and it says: Leviticus 20:13 LITV And a man who lies with a male as one lies with a woman, both of them have done a detestable thing, dying they shall die; their blood shall be on them. Notice it says "dying they shall die". Lets see where this has been said before.

Gen 2:15-17 LITV And Jehovah God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden, to work it and to keep it. (16) And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Eating you may eat of every tree in the garden (17) but of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil you may not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, dying you shall die.
Now did Adam die staight away? No he lived to over 900 yo. But what kind of life did he have? He could have lived in Eden with God, but instead Gen 3:17-19 LITV And He said to the man, Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree about which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat from it, the ground shall be cursed because of you; you shall eat of it in sorrow all the days of your life. (18) And it shall bring forth thorns and thistles for you, and you shall eat the plant of the field. (19) By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until your return to the ground. For you have been taken out of it; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

As to Paul, he did meet the Creator on the road to Damascus. It changed his life. He went from persecuting and trying to destroy the early church and Christians to becoming one of the most fervent apostles. Now the verses I believe you refer to are: 1 Cor 6:9-10 LITV (9) Or do you not know that unjust ones will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be led astray, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, (10) nor thieves, nor covetous ones, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor plunderers shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Now homosexuals are just one of many lifestyles that are not ideal. Notice it does not say "shall be put to death" but will not inherit the kingdom of God. What does this mean? Now I believe in the restoration of all things, that there is no hell (just what we make ourselves here on earth), but that all will be resurected, some before and some after the millenium to either straight to the kingdom or through further learning of righteousness in the lake of fire which is not hell but a form of obedience training in the post millenial age (as the law was describes as like a fire in the OT). I also believe the millenial kingdom or golden age to come is where those found worthy will be resurected or transfigured into immortal bodies and will rule and reign with Christ.

So what has this to do with homosexuals. Well I believe that there is nothing wrong with being homosexual, but if you act upon it and live the lifestyle you will not inherit the kingdom of God along with those who PRACTICE fornication, idolatery, prostitution, thievery, covetousness, drunkeness, revilers or pluderers etc.

The point is if you want the best, if you want to really know God, if you want to rule and reign with Him in the golden age, then you will turn away from your vices (everyone has them) and live for God, you cannot do both, you are just fooling yourself.

If thats too hard for you, go ahead do it in the privacy of your own home, but dont force it on society or you may disqualify others from inheriting the kingdom of God, not just yourself.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure, but I think God would look more favorably on a gay person who hasn't hurt anyone, than a straight person who murders (or supports the murder of) gay people.

Titus 1:16 : "They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny Him."

Anonymous said...

Bible busting arrogance, love is love

Anonymous said...

It makes me happy to see people looking beyond the dogma and connecting to the message of love.