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Wayne Besen
PO Box 25491
Brooklyn, NY 11202
World leaders and members of Congress should skip the National Prayer Breakfast, February 4th, in protest of The Family's (aka The Fellowship) direct role in promoting a bill that would lead to severe human rights abuses against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in Uganda.
The National Prayer Breakfast is giving legitimacy to those who promote barbarism in the name of the Bible. I hope that world leaders who care about human rights will reconsider attending this year's breakfast. To say grace with the people pushing this hateful and dehumanizing bill in Uganda would be disgraceful.
Think about it. Is it not unconscionable to pray with a group that is actively preying on innocent people in Uganda, just because of their sexual orientation? No one should break bread with a group that is breaking the bones and spirits of gay and lesbian people.
On National Public Radio's Fresh Air, Terry Gross interviewed author Jeff Sharlet, whose book, "The Family", is a groundbreaking expose on the clandestine group in charge of the National Prayer Breakfast. On the program, Sharlet revealed a "smoking gun", tying The Family directly to the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009, which threatens liberty and life for all GLBT people living in Uganda. Here is the key part of the transcript:
GROSS: So you're reporting the story for the first time today, and you found this story -- this direct connection between The Family and the proposed [Uganda anti-gay hate] legislation by following the money?
SHARLET: Yes, it's -- I always say that the family is secretive, but not secret. You can go and look at 990s, tax forms and follow the money through these organizations that The Family describe as invisible. But you go and you look. You follow that money. You look at their archives. You do interviews where you can. It's not so invisible anymore. So that's how working with some research colleagues we discovered that David Bahati, the man behind this legislation, is really deeply, deeply involved in The Family's work in Uganda, that the ethics minister of Uganda, Museveni's kind of right hand man, a guy named Nsaba Buturo, is also helping to organize The Family's National Prayer Breakfast. And here's a guy who has been the main force for this Anti-Homosexuality Act in Uganda's executive office and has been very vocal about what he's doing, and in a rather extreme and hateful way. But these guys are not so much under the influence of The Family. They are, in Uganda, The Family.
GROSS: So how did you find out that Bahati is directly connected to The Family? You've described him as a core member of The Family. And this is the person who introduced the anti-gay legislation in Uganda that calls for the death penalty for some gay people.
SHARLET: Looking at the, The Family's 990s, where they're moving their money to -- into this African leadership academy called Cornerstone, which runs two programs: Youth Corps, which has described its in the past as an international quote, "invisible family binding together world leaders," and also, an alumni organization designed to place Cornerstone grads -- graduates of this sort of very elite educational program and politics and NGO's through something called the African Youth Leadership Forum, which is run by -- according to Ugandan media -- David Bahati, this same legislator who introduced the Anti-Homosexuality Act.
24 Comments:
I've heard of these crazies, but still can't understand why the ultra-rightwingers (religious and political) are so maniacally obsessed with gay people. Is it because there really aren't any more minority groups left that they can 'safely' scapegoat? Are there any psychologists or psychiatrists reading this website who can answer this?!
posted by Anonymous, at
11/28/2009 11:17 AM
The Family that has an address at C Street in Washington, not only houses republican right wingers but democrats too. That evil Stupak who wanted no federal funding of abortions is a conservative democrat, among a handful of others who are members.
posted by Anonymous, at
11/28/2009 3:44 PM
No public servant should be attending prayer meetings of any kind while on duty. Go on your own time and stop spreading a religious agenda. That is grounds for removal. Every government employee should simply respond that they represent a diverse group of people which include many religions and some that don't believe anything at all when asked about this selfish attention seeking farce.
posted by Spouse Walker, at
11/28/2009 9:57 PM
I think you have hit the nail squarely on the head. These people need someone to look down upon and people are the last group that is socially acceptable to look down upon and discriminate against.
I dunno, guys. If I was one of these idiots I probably wouldn't be ultra-obsessed with gay people lest someone think, "Methinks the lady doth protest too much."
posted by Merlyn, at
11/29/2009 11:54 AM
