Sunday, December 20, 2009

Pure sweet madness, absolute shrieking madness

Africa can be violently homophobic. I've written that Uganda is considering a drastic anti-gay bill, with harsh penalties for even gay supporters. It's passage in parliament could be almost unanimous. Perhaps Uganda's president will veto it.

Sometimes love is mad. A traditional part of the wedding ceremony in Uganda is when the bride presents the groom to her parents. It isn't a case of, "Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet Joe." It is an elaborate party.

Now consider this situation: Friends are invited into a secure compound for the introduction and when the bride is to appear a man comes out instead, ready to introduce his future husband to his parents. If the proposed law passes, the happy couple could earn life in prison. Each guest, if they didn't report the wedding to the police within 24 hours, could face 3 years in prison. If the crowd outside didn't lynch them first.

Incredibly stupid. Incredibly foolish. Poignantly human. We should all be so foolish.

You can read the whole story told by a blogger who calls himself Gay Uganda. It's worth the time. He is trying to tell the story of the gay situation in his country.

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