Obama's First Gift to Africa: Rick Warren

By: KELLY JEAN COGSWELL
01/11/2009

If you want to foster AIDS and kill queers in Africa, Rick Warren's the man for you. While Warren's characterization of queers (and Jews and Muslims) as godless perverts fuels bigotry in the US, the real effects of inviting Warren to preside over Obama's inauguration will be felt in sub-Saharan Africa.

He has missions all over the place, and he's rolling in dough and influence built on the best P.R. campaign I've ever seen. He hobnobs with Bono and Melissa Etheridge while liberal journalists regurgitate his press releases, crowning him a moderate evangelical and touting his AIDS campaign, which is little but a thinly veiled mask for his proselytizing work. The last thing he needs is more power. In case you actually care, his campaign for AIDS prevention, in a region decimated by the disease, sneers at condoms, needle exchange, and sex education. He claims all those efforts merely slow the spread of AIDS, while his plan can stop it flat. The secret - abstinence before marriage, religious conversion, and, not included on his website, that perennial favorite, queer-baiting. One of his closest allies in Uganda in his so-called fight against AIDS is Martin Ssempa, an evangelical preacher who blames queers for the disease, makes a show of burning condoms, and this spring organized a rally with the theme "A Call for Action on Behalf of the Victims of Homosexuality," where he spent most of his time railing against queers. As far as treatment goes, Ssempsa offers faith healing in his Pentecostal services if only victims believe enough and make a nice donation. In general, the bulk of his anti-AIDS activism seems to be legal battles to ensure that homosexuality remains illegal and the media continues to portray queers as sexual predators. He's getting it done. Homosexuality is still illegal, and queers face increasing harassment and violence from everyone from the government to their next-door neighbors. Newspapers sometimes print lists of people suspected of being lesbian or gay, opening them up to job loss and physical violence. Several activists are arrested every year. Though a Ugandan judge recently ruled in favor of LGBT activists protesting an illegal raid in 2005, it's more likely in that nation that you'll get government officials like Deputy Attorney General Fred Ruhinde and Minister of Ethics and Integrity Nsaba Butoro, who in 2007 actually joined a coalition of conservative Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, and Bahai congregations, "the Interfaith Coalition Against Homosexuality," calling for the arrest, deportation, and even murder of gays and lesbians. And where's the sanctified Rick Warren in this delightful hate fest? Where's the man the New Yorker's Hendrik Herzberg complacently characterized as "much, much less of a jerk than, say, Pat Robertson or James Dobson" and whose inclusion in the inauguration he actually applauded as "another of Obama's brilliant chess moves"? Well... when the Ugandan Anglican archbishop, Henry Orombi, announced his aim to "purify" the Anglican Church by driving out gay and lesbian Christians and their supporters, Warren got right on board. When the Ugandan Church announced its boycott of the global Anglican conference in March last year, Warren told the press, "The Church of England is wrong and I support the Church of Uganda on the boycott." Warren further declared that homosexuality is not a natural way of life and thus not a human right. "We shall not tolerate this aspect at all. "Terrible for queers, Warren and his pals are almost worse for AIDS. Uganda's HIV infection rate, which had dipped from its 1996 height, has been climbing back up in recent times. The problem? Advocates like Warren and Ssempa dumping sex education and condom promotion in favor of abstinence-only programs, which study after study show actually increase risky sex. Homophobia and HIV/AIDS go together in Nigeria, too, where thanks to people like Rick Warren, UNAIDS estimates that only 18 percent of women and 21 percent of men between the ages of 15 and 24 correctly identify ways to prevent HIV. After South Africa, Nigeria has the second largest number of people living with HIV in Africa. The most vulnerable of all are gay men. Warren has supported figures like the archbishop of Nigeria, Peter Akinola, who in 2006 and 2007 campaigned ferociously for anti-gay legislation which stipulated five years' imprisonment to anyone who had anything to do with a same-sex marriage ceremony, participated in gay organizing, or had anything to do with anything gay of any kind "directly or indirectly in public and in private. "Hate-mongering may have become a habit for Akinola. In 2005, he was implicated in the massacre of more than 650 Muslims by a Christian mob tied to the Christian Association of Nigeria. He was president of the group at the time. For all this, Akinola earned praise from Warren in an April 2006 Time Magazine article lionizing him as a defender of the faith, a "Nelson Mandela", and "a model for Christians around the world. "Where's a lightning bolt when you need one?

Visit Kelly Sans Culotte at http://kellyatlarge.blogspot.com/.

©GayCityNews 2009

Important New Poll for MSN Members

New poll for menssocialnetwork

Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for themenssocialnetwork group: With a definate economic slow down in our economy in general - it has shown a definate negative impact on our organization. Our membership numbers are on the decline, participation in scheduled activities has declined.

QUESTION: If our Monthly Newsletter were to go "GREEN" - that is available on the internet for members to read at home on their computer monitor but helping MSN save a tree and money but enabling members to print out all of the pages or just pages of interest)

WOULD YOU CONTINUE YOUR MSN MEMBERSHIP AS A PAID MEMBER NOT RECEIVING A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER IN THE MAIL?

o YES - I WOULD REMAIN AS A MEMBER ALLOWING MSN TO GO "GREEN".

o NO - I PAY DUES TO GET THE NEWSLETTER MAILED TO ME.

To vote, please visit the following web page:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/menssocialnetwork/surveys?id=2813908

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups web site listed above.

Thanks!

Gene Robinson to Deliver Invocation for Inaugural Concert at Lincoln Memorial

January 12, 2009 Chris Johnson

Rev. V. Gene Robinson (pictured), bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church in the diocese of New Hampshire has accepted an invitation from President-elect Barack Obama’s inaugural committee to deliver the invocation at a concert held at the Lincoln Memorial. The concert, which will be held on Sunday, January 18th, is the first inaugural event the president-elect will attend. Bishop Robinson, the first openly gay priest to be ordained bishop by a major Christian denomination, is a member of the Human Rights Campaign Religion Council.
Bishop Robinson is the co-author of three AIDS education curricula for youth and adults and has done extensive work on AIDS in the United States and in Africa. He helped build the Diocese of New Hampshire's close working partnership with the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, advocated for debt relief for the world's most impoverished nations, and lobbied for socially responsible investment within and beyond the Church. He currently serves on the Board of the New Hampshire Endowment for Health, which works for access to health care for the uninsured. He also serves as a Trustee of the Church Pension Fund.

Two wolves.

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, 'My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.'

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: 'Which wolf wins?'

The old Cherokee simply replied, 'The one you feed.'

Meet Tab Hunter

For immediate release:

SPEND THE EVENING WITH A HOLLYWOOD HEARTTHROB …


IT’S “TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL” AT THE LOFT!


TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTAL


Saturday, November 8th at 7:00 p.m.


Admission: $10.00 general / $8.00 Loft members


Presented by Wingspan Reel Pride


The Loft Cinema / 3233 E. Speedway Blvd.


795-0844 / www.loftcinema.com


Meet legendary actor, Hollywood icon and All-American movie heartthrob TAB HUNTER Live in Person, at this very special event featuring an on-stage Q&A, film highlight reel, book signing, and a rare theatrical screening of Tab's hilarious cult classic LUST IN THE DUST, co-starring the one-and-only Divine!


Come join Tab Hunter in person for an entertaining evening you won't soon forget, featuring a clip show highlighting his prolific, decades-spanning film career (which includes such cinematic gems as Damn Yankees, Ride the Wild Surf, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, John Waters’ Polyester and many others), with live on-stage commentary by Tab and author Eddie Muller (co-writer of Tab’s recent autobiography TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL), and a rare theatrical screening of the hilarious 1985 cult classic/spaghetti western parody LUST IN THE DUST (starring Tab and the one-and-only Divine). Followed by a Q&A and book-signing.


Don’t miss your chance to meet legendary movie icon TAB HUNTER, and hear him discuss the wild world of 1950s Hollywood, the ups and downs of teen idol mania, the pleasures and pains of working with Divine, the inside scoop on some of his legendary co-stars, and a whole lot more!


Tab Hunter, a star of stage, screen and television, has appeared in more than fifty films, and has co-starred with some of the most legendary actors and actresses in Hollywood history, including Rita Hayworth, Natalie Wood, Sophia Loren, Lana Turner, Gary Cooper, John Wayne and Robert Mitchum. He has also enjoyed a successful career as a recording artist, and his first pop single, Young Love, was a #1 hit song which topped the Billboard charts for six weeks in 1957. He continues to work as a film producer and currently resides in Southern California.




**Copies of Tab’s book, TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL, will be available for sale at this event.**


10/22/08



Jeff Yanc
Program Director
The Loft Cinema
3233 E. Speedway
Tucson, AZ 85716
(520) 322-5638

Rude Behavior at MSN Events

Subject: Rude Behavior at MSN Events

I have been attending and enjoying the MSN Potlucks for quite a while. Last night (9/6/08) for the first time I saw something I thought I would never see happen at an event of this nature.

Namely, RUDE BEHAVIOR.

We had an invited GUEST Speaker, he was commenting about the upcoming Wingspan Annual Awards Benefit Dinner. During his talk a fellow member spoke up, in essence telling the guest to shut up, as he was starting to conclude his speech. Most of us where appalled at such conduct by one of our members, it was very rude and not called for.

The evening progressed and good food and pleasant camaraderie was wonderful.

An added treat we heard two of our talented members one on piano and one with a great opraretic voice perform two songs. It was a splendid addition to the Italian Theme.

We also had Artie, a guest, that offered Line Dance instructions and some 10 to 15 of our members got up to “learn the steps”. We enjoyed the Line dance, too, either actually learning the dance or watching the performance.

Obviously many hands worked hard at presenting such a nice evening, especially the Kitchen and Setup Krew(s). It is terrific to see that the Monthly Potluck is no longer an EAT AND RUN event.

Entertainment was always something that was missing. Kudos go to the Steering Committee for the addition of dinner themes and entertainment.

During final announcements, another GUEST was making a short talk about the GAY Discrimination Proposition (the Marriage Bill), that is going to be on the November ballot. He was simply informing us about the Proposition's attempt to disallow constitutional rights to our community. The same member that made the rude remarks earlier to a guest, this time made a scene. He did not have the courtesy to let the second guest speaker finish their short talk as he stormed out of the hall yelling that MSN was NOT a Political organization. I was shocked by this second outburst of bad behavior and so where other members. Political awareness is as much a part of our social fabric as any other part of life, though our group is non-political and non-religious, information that affects our daily lives can not be ignored.

Many Steering Committee members and Chairman/Presidents have come and gone in our group but so have the times changed. It is important to be open minded. From time to time pressing issues and information should be brought to the attention of our members. Indoctrination should not be tolerated, however, advising/informing our members of a choice that we can make is something that I value. We have come out of the closet and deserve our rights. If we do not make our voices heard at election time who knows what will happen. At first even Hitler had SOME badly informed Gay & Jewish folks that thought he was good. And we all know of their tragic lot. I do hope that someone speaks to this rude person and informs him that his bad behavior at our events was uncalled for and not appreciated by the majority of the membership in attendance.

MSN is a wonderful organization that provides many varied events through the month and supports scholarships and other charitable events through the year. It allows new comers to Tucson to meet other Gay men away from the bar scene. It also helps older gents when needed, in numerous ways. I for one am extremely thankfull for MSN.

(Writer wishes to remain anonymous at this time.)

McCain's Dangerous Choice

Scroll below to get some of the scoop on Gov. Palin, the Republican's gift
to the Democrats. Richard

INCREDIBLE!!!!
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From:MoveOn.org Political Action
Date: Fri, Aug 29, 2008 at 5:09 PM
Subject: McCain's dangerous choice

Dear MoveOn member,

Today is John McCain's 72nd birthday. If elected, he'd be the oldest
president ever inaugurated. And after months of slamming Barack Obama
for "inexperience," here's who John McCain has chosen to be one
heartbeat away from the presidency: a right-wing religious conservative
with no foreign policy experience, who until recently was mayor of a
town of 9,000 people.

Huh?

Who is Sarah Palin? Here's some basic background:

She was elected Alaska's governor a little over a year and a half ago.
Her previous office was mayor of Wasil la, a small town outside
Anchorage.1

Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of
rape or incest.2

She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000. 3

Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.4

She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change.5

She's solidly in line with John McCain's "Big Oil first" energy policy.
She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won't be
ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar
bears as an endangered species-she was worried it would interfere with
more oil drilling in Alaska.6



This is information the American people need to see. Please take a
moment to forward this email to your friends and family.

We also asked Alaska MoveOn members what the rest of us should know
about their governor. The response was striking. Here's a sample:

She is really just a mayor from a small town outside Anchorage who has
been a governor for only 1.5 years, and has ZERO national and
international experience. I shudder to think that she could be the
person taking that 3AM call on the White House hotline, and the one who
could potentially be charged with leading the US in the volatile
international scene that exists today. -Rose M., Fairbanks, AK

She is VERY, VERY conservative, and far from perfect. She's a hunter and
fisherwoman, but votes against the environment again and again. She ran
on ethics reform, but is currently under investigation for several
charges involving hiring and firing of state officials. She has NO
experience beyond Alaska. -Christine B., Denali Park, AK

As an Alaskan and a feminist, I am beyond words at this announcement.
Palin is not a feminist, and she is not the reformer she claims to be.
-Karen L., Anchorage, AK

Alaskans, collectively, ar e just as stunned as the rest of the nation.
She is doing well running our State, but is totally inexperienced on the
national level, and very much unequipped to run the nation, if it came
to that. She is as far right as one can get, which has already been
communicated on the news. In our office of thirty employees (dems,
republicans, and nonpartisans), not one person feels she is ready for
the V.P. position.-Sherry C., Anchorage, AK

She's vehemently anti-choice and doesn't care about protecting our
natural resources, even though she has worked as a fisherman. McCain
chose her to pick up the Hillary voters, but Palin is no Hillary.
-Marina L., Juneau, AK

I think she's far too inexperienced to be in this position. I'm all for
a woman in the White House, but not one who hasn't done anything to
deserve it. There are far many other women who have worked their way up
and have much more experience that would have been better choices. This
is a patronizing decision on John McCain's part- and insulting to
females everywhere that he would assume he'll get our vote by putting "A
Woman" in that position.-Jennifer M., Anchorage, AK

So Governor Palin is a staunch anti-choice religious conservative. She's
a global warming denier who shares John McCain's commitment to Big Oil.
And she's dramatically inexperienced.

In picking Sarah Palin, John McCain has made the religious right very
happy. And he's made a very dangerous decision for our country.

In the next few days, many Americans will be wondering what McCain's
vice-presidential choice means. Please pass this information along to
your friends and family.

Thanks for all you do.

-Ilyse, Noah, Justin, Karin and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Sarah Palin," Wikipedia, Accessed August 29, 2008

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara h_Palin

2. "McCain Selects Anti-Choice Sarah Palin as Running Mate," NARAL
Pro-Choice America, August 29, 2008

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17515&id=&t=1

3. "Sarah Palin, Buchananite," The Nation, August 29, 2008

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17736&id=&t=2

4. "'Creation science' enters the race," Anchorage Daily News, October
27, 2006

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17737&id=&t=3

5. "Palin buys climate denial PR spin-ignores science," Huffington Post,
August 29, 2008

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17517&id=&t=4

6. "McCain VP Pick Completes Shift to Bush Energy Policy," Sierra Club,
August 29, 2008

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17518 &id=&t=5

"Choice of Palin Promises Failed Energy Policies of the Past," League of
Conservation Voters, August 29, 2008

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17519&id=&t=6

"Protecting polar bears gets in way of drilling for oil, says governor,"
The Times of London, May 23, 2008

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17520&id=&t=7

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 3.2 million
members-no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our
tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in
here.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION,
http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's
committee. This email was sent to Johnny Neumann on August 29, 2008. To
change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To
remove yourself from this list, click here.