“As a Christian organization, Focus on the Family Action encourages pro-family policies. As such, we respect the desire of the Ugandan people to shield their nation from the promotion of homosexuality as morally equivalent to one-man, one-woman marriage. That said, the purpose of laws is to make societies safer, and there is legitimate concern that the legislation being debated in Uganda will incite violence against homosexuals. That is morally unacceptable, as is enacting the death penalty for homosexuals, which some versions of this bill are reported to require.”
– Jim Daly, President of Focus on the Family
Sure hope this is true. Hard to believe…
It is true. I have confirmed it, so feel free to quote it.
I still don’t care, and I still feel insulted by them as always. Isn’t defamation by anti-gay forces always of the indirect slap in the face type? FOTF says “the Ugandan people” are the ones driving this bill… FALSE; it is radicalized “christians” in their parliament, trained by American Evangelicals. FOTF says they respect very much Uganda’s fight to shield their children from “catching” homo-itis: yeah, as if it is promoted and sold on TV, like a 2-for-1 special… FALSE. And FOTF does NOT say they are against anti-gay legislation, or against imprisoning gays. All they say is that overt violence (wink wink) and murder is wrong (wink wink). Oh and again, we are not LGBT or gays and lesbians, no, we are referred to as always as the dreaded H O M O S E X U A L Ssssssss. Kiss my A#* Dobson and Daly. These two want us dead, believe me, but they accept life-term prison sentences if that’s all they can get. This whole ugandan thing had better F-ing wake people up. STOP GIVING THEM STROKES FOR ONLY HATING AND IMPRISONING US! (yes, lots of exclamtion marks! Isn’t it time?)
I got my gay on TV. They said if I called in the next five minutes, I got a free salad shooter.
I thought everybody got their gay that way…
LOL, toss it baby! :) No, in Uganda, they get a free Machete… or was that Rwanda…
It’s not really important that WE believe FOTF. I only care that Ugandan religious leaders might believe them — and join in opposing the Bill.
Unfortunately, Bahati, the author of the bill, was quite strident in HIS condemnation of Rick Warren!! He basically called Warren a fallen leader, for backing down after pressure from “the homosexuals” (my quotes). So, American Evangelicals like TheFamily and C-Street have been verrry successful in their goal: creating a strongly-held conviction among Ugandan “christ-ians” that they are on a mission from God, and the mission is to COMPLETELY WIPE L, G, B & T PEOPLE FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH. Did you hear what I said?? This thought pattern is not changed the next day, after a good night’s sleep and a hymn or a sermon. No, face it: it is a declaration of war… to the death- in THEIR words of the bill. Blood-thirsty Christians, shouldn’t that be an oxymoron? :\
Michael Bussee is correct. What actually matters is that our religious right – who trained the Ugandan religious right – is taking the veneer of moral and public approval away from this bill. We need to do everything we can to stop it.
Yeah, I got my gay on an infomercial last night. Luckily I have three business days to back out.
I personally don’t give an airborne copulation what FOTF has to say on anything. Why didn’t they say something when this bill was first proposed? Uh, on second thought, bleep! them. I am so tired of their “homosekshuality” cant. They don’t own up to the fact that this bill and the hatred it so clearly reveals have been carefully fostered and pushed forward by American fundie homophobes.
The only difference between those who hate and want to recriminalise us and those who hate us and want to recriminalise us up to and including judicial murder is merely one of degree.
I applaud FoF finally relenting and making this statement in spite of it’s hippocracy. They are guilty of sponsoring milder forms of laws in the US that give license to violence here. I hope this is a sign of their awakening to their own sins.
Ugandan Christians who hold the notion that executing homosexuals is an expression of God’s love are no better than the other religious terrorists roaming our world today. They should be on no fly lists.
I thanked them. It’s called “successive approximation”. You give a reinforcement every time there is a step in the right direction. In working with kids, adults or organizations, praise often has more impact than criticism — no matter how much the criticism is deserved.
The key point, I think, is that those in Uganada expected social approval for their actions, particularly from their evangelical mentors. Instead, they have been isolated on the international stage and have received strong and persistent criticism. They have damaged their reputations and look like monsters.
Suddenly, the costs outweigh the benefits of passing this bill. There are tangible disadvantages, including social pariah status and public rejection by those who they admire.
Instead of conquering heroes, those like David Bahati and Martin Ssempa have become individuals one is not seen in polite company with. Clearly, this must sting.
Other nations may take notice and weigh the social costs before following the lead of Uganda.
So, whether anti-gay groups are sincere or not is immaterial. What matters is that the public risk now outweighs the public reward for sponsoring this bill. That is no small thing and should not be easily dismissed.
And, sure, why not thank these anti-gay groups for taking a stand? They have increased pressure against this bill and made it clear that passing it is now considered a public relations disaster.
well, groups like TWO can and should thank them – thank away! but i am just a regular citizen, a person. and it is my duty to tell FOTF that they should F*** off. they would have to first ask for my forgiveness for all these years of cr*p, in order to get it. i dont owe people like dobson (or stand-in Daly) or groups like FOTF or Exodus anything. Their rallying cry worldwide is “GAYS WILL DESTROY THE EARTH!” – that is not mere phobia… so, until they recant such threats – and they are threats – i say f*** ‘em. They have hurt a lot of people, then lay the blame at our feet. Sickos. Wacky. Influential, too.
Interestingly, we are hopefully saving ugandans from themselves, as you say (ironic, ‘eh?)… saving them from actually BECOMING monsters, and not just appearing to be monsters. big diff.
Ouch. You know the whole Uganda law to Kill Gays is bad press when even FoTF think it’s a bad idea. I suppose this is political back peddling by conservatives who wanted Uganda to join them in banning gays but didn’t realize Uganda would go that far and are now trying to distance themselves from the fall out. It’s ok to hate gays but killing them is bad press- and oh yeah, a mortal sin.
Their second sentence clearly encourages Ugandans to act boldly, to protect themselves from the Homos! Wow, such enlightenment for the world’s christ-ians, coming from 200+ years of democracy and freedom, that was supposed to demonstrate to the world a better way to get along with each other. FoTF is a disgrace; they convince evangelicals to pray for god or someone to tell them what to do, so they won’t be responsible for anything, not even their own thoughts…
As reported by Rachel Maddow, several U.S. Congressmen, members of “The Foundation,” aka the “The Family,” aka “The C Street Gang” Have been meddling in Uganda for years, promoting their ultra conservative, right wing brand of Christo-fascism for years. Only now, when they see they’ve helped to create a Frankenstein’ monster, are they sheepishly trying to distance themselves from what their Ugandan friends are trying to do.
They and Focus on the Family are foreseeing a blood bath, and they don’t want to have that smeared on them, because up until now, they have been champions of hatred against gays.
They don’t give a rat’s a*s about the gays, they just don’t want to be blamed for a holocaust. It’ all just to protect themselves, and it’ too little too late for both them and the innocent people who will lose their lives.
A publicity stunt to take away people’s scrutiny of their heinous operations here and areound the world. These are radicalized christians who would strap on a bomb and enter a gay bar just go get rid of a few hundred of us.