For More on This Story, Tune in to ABC’s “World News with Diane Sawyer’” at 6:30 p.m. ET and ABC’s “Nightline” at 11:35 p.m. ET Tonight
There are interviews with Scott Lively and Martin Ssempa.
ABC To Feature Uganda Crisis Tonight On Evening News and Nightline
9About the Author
Wayne Besen is the Founding Executive Director of Truth Wins Out and author of “Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth” (Haworth, 2003). In 2010, Besen was awarded the “Visionary Award” at the Out Music Awards for organizing the American Prayer Hour, an event which shined a spotlight on the role American evangelicals played in the introduction of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill.
Alan Chambers just posted on Throckmorton that ABC News declined his request to set the record straight — pardon the pun.
Here is Alan’ post: Alan Chambers ~ Mar 10, 2010 at 4:48 pm
“I am disappointed that Exodus won’t be heard in this piece. Sadly, Don Schmierer declined the interview and our request to go on record with ABC was denied. I would have loved nothing better than to share our disdain for this bill and apologize for going anywhere near such a horrible conference.”
http://wthrockmorton.com/2010/03/10/abc-news-anti-homosexuality-bill-causes-global-uproar/comment-page-1/#comment-243698 I emailed ABC news to see if they really did deny him the opportunity to oppose the Bill and apologize.
Here’ a link to ABC News: http://abcnews.go.com/WN/anti-homosexuality-bill-uganda-global-uproar/story?id=10045436
Instead of making excuses on TV and trying to recruit others into the anti-gay lifestyle, the anti-gay advocacy group, Exodus, needs to aggressively work to undo the fire they have lit in Africa. If governments begin to murder gay citizens in Africa, we should demand that our Congress investigate Exodus, et al., for incitement of murder.
Thanks for the update, Michael B.
In my view, this is proper journalistic practice. Chambers is not a first-person source, Don is. And Chambers is notorious for expressing his personal opinion-of-the-moment when media ask him for Exodus’ official position.
Only Schmierer can speak for Schmierer, and only the Exodus board of directors can issue an official position regarding Uganda — which it has never done.
ABC asked for official statements from those responsible for this scandal, and Exodus declined.
Alan failed to make his comment on Exodus’ own sites — further suggesting that he is not expressing the views of Schmierer and the board, and reminding us that Exodus continues to sweep this entire scandal out of view of its supporters.
I guess Mr. Schmierer had second thoughts since December 3, 2009:
“What is true, however, and worth all the news media coverage possible, is the tragic nature of and heartbreaking potential this bill holds.”
http://blog.exodusinternational.org/2009/12/03/rachel-maddow-uganda-me-guest-post-by-don-schmierer/
In my view, the claims attributed to Schmierer in December were self-contradictory and potentially incriminating — hence his refusal to talk to ABC.
Schmierer admitted spending the past 7 years steering Uganda policy toward homosexuality, and yet claimed to be completely ignorant of the Uganda evangelical community’s persistent efforts during the entire period to exterminate the LGBT population — first, through a series of pogroms, and then through the “kill-the-gays” legislation which was being planned in advance of, and in conjunction with, the March 2009 ex-gay conference.
Michael A, Can you elaborate on what you mean by “potentially incriminating?” Is there a legal recourse available?
Sorry for the choice of words, I was being figurative — incriminating in the sense that he effectively admitted to wrongdoing without intending to do so.
I don’t know whether there are any U.S. or international laws regulating what Americans can do to promote genocide abroad. If there are, I wish the State Department and FBI would take action.
If the UN ever gets around to recognizing this as genocide, perhaps Schmierer can have a nice trial in The Hague, followed by a life sentence.
Both Closet cases, Scott Lively and Martin Ssempa, denied the question that those who fight the hardest against Gays has had Gay Experience. Ssempa nearly choked on his own answer, Lively was a little more sedate, and both denied that could be a possibility.
Just the Body Language gave them away— Mr. Ssempa definitely was uncomfortable to even be quoted about it.
These two are proving the old statement, that many men are OVERLY Homophobic, when they are trying their hardest to NOT get caught up in their own lies. These three jerks truly should be brought up on Charges of endangering lives, and MURDER!!!