Alyson writes:
Elton John and husband David Furnish are on the cover of US magazine with their baby and a Harps supermarket in Mountain View, Arkansas placed the “family shield” in front of the magazine in their store because some customers complained about seeing the two guys holding the baby as a happy family!
This is insane and the latest homophobic reaction to the happy event for the couple.
I’m exhausted to argue with these people, but let’s point out one more time how ignorant and illogical they are:
First they are gonna tell you homosexuality is sooooo unnatural. Wrong! It is so current in nature that even flies have been reported to have homosexual acts. All animal species do it, we are animals, so we don’t escape the behavior, and some of us do it.
Then they are going to argue that we are not animals, and should be above the beasts. See how they flip-flop already, first homosexuality was not part of nature and we were so it should be banned, then now that they have to admit that it’s part of nature, we are suddenly above nature? So illogical.
Sorry, we are animals, we behave very much like them, we have more morals than the average beast, although it depends what human you may consider, but yeah, let’s say humans in general are moral animals.
And then they are stuck, because they are unable to defend their point of view: how homosexuality is immoral? How can they characterize this as an immoral behavior? Their only recourse is then the bible, the last refuge of the guy who has no more argument. It’s immoral because that old book says so… so I want to blame religion one more time, that archaic institution which tricks your logic sense and make you condemn the faces of two happy guys just loving their baby.
Iman writes:
As perverse and stupid as that is, there is worse. In Uganda, a gay activist in Uganda was mentioned by name and beaten to death. Police say it was during a robbery and they have arrested somebody.
I am going to cut and paste the story here but every time I think gay rights is not in question, I am reminded that it is.
The story is off the Toronto Sun (ps not that rolling stone):
“KAMPALA – A Ugandan gay rights activist murdered after his photo was printed on the cover of a newspaper that called for gays to be executed was likely killed during a robbery, police said on Thursday.
David Kato was one of three people featured in Uganda’s Rolling Stone newspaper in October who won an injunction this month barring it from continuing its anti-gay campaign that had pictured gays under the headline: “Hang Them.”
Kato said he had received death threats since Rolling Stone’s publication.
U.S. President Barack Obama expressed sadness over Kato’s murder and called on the government of Uganda to investigate.
“David showed tremendous courage in speaking out against hate. He was a powerful advocate for fairness and freedom,” Obama said in a statement, adding that rights for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people were human rights.
“My administration will continue to strongly support human rights and assistance work on behalf of LGBT persons abroad.”
The U.S. State Department’s top diplomat for Africa, Johnnie Carson, also expressed shock at Kato’s murder, which followed strong U.S. pressure on Uganda’s leadership to tone down anti-gay political rhetoric.
The murder sparked worldwide condemnation and fast became one of the top 10 topics on the social media website Twitter.
Kato was attacked at home and died on the way to hospital. Police said he had been bludgeoned to death with a hammer.
Police told a news conference in the capital Kampala that one man, Arnold Senoga, had been arrested in connection with the killing and that they were looking for another man, Nsubuga Enock, who had been staying with Kato after the activist bailed him out of prison on Monday.
“His homosexuality has not come up as an issue in the preliminary investigation,” police spokeswoman, Judith Nabakooba, told Reuters.
“At the moment, we think theft is the most likely motive. Nsubuga Enock, who had been staying with Kato, was well-known for committing robberies and had almost been lynched in the area before.”
Nabakooba said items were missing from Kato’s home, including a briefcase, and that neighbours had seen Enock leave the house dressed in the activist’s clothes.
“We are now trying to establish what relationship Kato had with Enock, whether or not they were relatives and why Kato posted his bail,” Nabakooba said.
‘HANGED, NOT STONED’
Gay rights campaigner, Pepe Julian Onziema, who worked with Kato at rights group, Sexual Minorities Uganda, told Reuters she suspected he was killed for being gay.
“David had faced so many threats in his area that he didn’t feel safe anymore,” Pepe said. “I don’t know if the police are aware but they should investigate that before ruling out homophobia. He was too frightened to leave his house.”
Rights groups and gay campaigners were quick to condemn the attack on Thursday with many calling on Uganda to quash a tabled parliamentary bill that proposes a death penalty for gays who are “repeat offenders.”
The bill was quietly shelved after international pressure, but rights groups fear it may be passed after a February presidential election that Museveni is expected to win.
“This savage killing will, I hope, finally prompt Uganda’s political, religious and media leaders to cease their homophobic witch-hunts,” British gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said.
Homosexuality is taboo in many African nations, including Uganda. It is illegal in 37 countries on the continent and activists say few Africans are openly gay, fearing imprisonment, violence and loss of jobs.
Rolling Stone published 29 photographs with names and, in some cases, addresses before the High Court ordered it to stop on grounds of privacy.
Giles Muhame, the 22-year-old editor of the newspaper, told Reuters he condemned the murder and that the paper had not wanted gays to be attacked.
“If he has been murdered, that’s bad and we pray for his soul,” Muhame said.
“There has been a lot of crime, it may not be because he is gay. We want the government to hang people who promote homosexuality, not for the public to attack them. We said they should be hanged, not stoned or attacked.”