I've been diplomatic, today I am angry at the Ugandan lawmakers who are supporting the Bahati Bil

From: Lisa Salazar
Date: March 23, 2011 10:53:00 AM PDT
To: cbaryomunsi@parliament.go.ug
Cc: eldombo@parliament.go.ug, gbtubwita@parliament.go.ug, j.l.elford@gmail.com, member@parliament.go.ug, ssempam@gmail.com, members@parliament.go.ug, iekwau@parliament.go.ug

Subject: Your Premise that gay behavior is learned is ludicrous

Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, M.D

Perhaps you should read what Exodus International, one of David Bahati's and Stephen Buturo's sources of inspiration, has to say.

“In no way shape or form is our message about trying to cure or do we try to promote that type of methodology or message” Jeff Buchanan, Exodus International’s Senior Director of Church Equipping & Student Ministries, to The Christian Post.

Dr. Jallen Rix, co-facilitator ofBeyond Ex-Gay and author of the book Ex-Gay No Way: Survival and Recovery from Religious Abuse has this to say:

“Cured,” “healed,” “changed,” “heterosexually challenged,” — There’s no end to the lingo ex-gay leadership (Exodus) coins to infer that homosexuals are damaged goods. They’ll find another term as long as heterosexuality remains supreme. All the while, the leadership ignores the harm it causes in their attempts to enforce their views.

It is significant that Eighty-five nations endorsed the UN Joint Statement on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity presented by Colombia to the UN Human Rights Council, an inter-governmental body within the United Nations made up of 47 states. The statement was signed by the Central African Republic, Rwanda, and South Africa among others.

I call upon the Parliament of Uganda to consider endorsing the UN Joint Statement on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity rather than giving David Bahati the time of day to promote his homophobic views. Join the growing number of nations that recognize that religious bigotry and unfounded views on homosexuality and gender identity should not play a part in the laws they enact.

I further call on the Honorable Members to work towards adopting the Yogykarta Principles on the application of international human rights law in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity. The document's opening statement says:

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. all human rights are universal, interdependent, indivisible and interrelated. sexual orientation* and gender identity** are integral to every person’s dignity and humanity and must not be the basis for discrimination or abuse.

If you have not taken the time to avail yourself of this important document, this is the link.

In closing, do you as a medical doctor support the view that the advancement of medical knowledge, with respect to human sexuality, stops at the Ugandan border because you must protect your un-inlightened residual colonial religiosity? This backward way of thinking has not seemed to prevent the prevalence of extra-marrital relationships, single women with illegitimate children and the spread of AIDS amoung the heterosexual community, nor has it helped in eliminating corruption and graft. How can you then turn around and espouse that your "African" views on sexuality must be protected and should not be challenged and dealt with intelligently?

THE ONLY SOLUTION IS FOR UGANDA TO START THE PROCESS OF SEPARATING CHURCH FROM STATE so you can start thinking for yourselves without religious bigotry and bias.

God help Uganda.

Sincerely,

Lisa Salazar
creator of ugandaurgentaction.com

* sexual orientation is understood to refer to each person’s capacity for profound emotional, affectional and sexual attraction to, and intimate and sexual relations with, individuals of a different gender or the same gender or more than one gender.
** gender identity is understood to refer to each person’s deeply felt internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned at birth, including the personal sense of the body (which may involve, if freely chosen, modification of bodily appearance or function by medical, surgical or other means) and other expressions of gender, including dress, speech and mannerisms.

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:57:05 +0300
From: cbaryomunsi@parliament.go.ug
To: eldombo@parliament.go.ug
Cc: gbtubwita@parliament.go.ug, j.l.elford@gmail.com, member@parliament.go.ug
Subject: Re: I'm deeply concerned about your country!

Hello,

I write to add my voice on this debate. Thank you for your mail. I have also
read many similar ones from several others of your kind. I ntice this bill
before the Parliament of Uganda has raised a lot of debate. Unfortunately, most
of you seem not to have read the bill. You are merely relying on the
international media propaganda. Why do you call it "Kill the Gays Bill"?
Although there is a suggestion for death penalty for one convicted of an
offence of aggravated homosexuality - which the bill defines - this is merely a
proposal and we are at liberty as parliamentarians to uphold it, amend it or
even reject it. The best thing for you (and other activists) to do is to read
the bill and suggest for us where you would want amendments in the bill.
OTherwise, it is our constitutional duty to consider the bill.

Some of your colleagues in the international community have used harsh language
on Hon Bahati, the author of the bill. I do believe that Hon Bahati did his work
to introduce the bill. And by the way the people we represent in Uganda greatly
abhor homosexulity and other forms of LGBT orientations. There is a great saying
"I may not believe in what you are saying but I will defend, up to death, your
right to say it". Therefore Bahati's right to introduce the bill and make
suggestions must be respected.

I have seen people argue that gay behaviour is inborn, meaning it is genetically
propagated. As a medical sceintist, I say this is scientifically hollow and
baseless. This would presuppose that one can detect at the embryonic stage that
an individual will grow into a homosexual or lesbian once he or she is an adult.
Gay behaviour is learnt behaviour and it can be unlearnt. Period. How come it is
unheard of in some communities and more prevalent in other communities? We also
know the reasons why this behaviour is spreading accross communities. Social-
economic factors and not genetic predisposition. Can any scientist out there
tell me which gene or genetic properties are responsible for gay behaviour? Show
me the evidence from a scientific stand point.

Nonetheless, when this bill comes to the floor of Parlaiment, we shall consider
what is good for Uganda and Ugandans. Further exposure of our children to
homosexuality is not one of them.

You indeed say that when things go wrong, those of you who care speak out. You
are right from your perspective. But Bahati is also right because when he as a
Ugandan saw that things were going wrong in Uganda, when the gays intensified
their campaign to recruit our children into this abominable behaviour, he spoke
by authoring a bill to thwart this catastrophe.

Best regards,

Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, M.D