‘Kill the Gays’ Bill Author Coming to National Prayer Breakfast (bumped)
17 January 2010 4:49 pm by psychodrew
http://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/-/689844/843418/-/n5cj94/-/index.html
There are reports that the man behind Uganda’s ‘Kill the Gays’ bill, David Bahati, is coming to Washington, DC next month to attend the National Prayer Breakfast, an annual event sponsored by the powerful Christian organization the Family.
From Uganda’s Daily Monitor:
In February, David Bahati, the mover of the controversial Anti-Homosexuality Bill is expected to attend a prayer breakfast in the American capital of Washington DC.
Mr Bahati, according to reports, may speak at the event where President Barack Obama – a gays-tolerant liberal president, is also expected to attend. On Friday, Mr Bahati said he would attend. The event is organised by The Fellowship- a conservative Christian organisation, which has deep political connections and counts several high-ranking conservative politicians in its membership.
“I intend to attend the prayer breakfast,” said Mr Bahati – himself a part organiser of the Ugandan equivalent of the national prayer breakfast. This week, citing international pressure, President Yoweri Museveni advised his party’s National Executive Committee, his cabinet and the NRM parliamentary caucus to “go slow” on the Bill.
The National Prayer Breakfast is an annual event held the first Thursday in February. It draws religious and political leaders, including prominent members of Congress. Every president has spoken at the event since Eisenhower. President Obama spoke at the event last year, as did keynote speaker Tony Blair. Other past speakers include Bono and Mother Theresa. This is a big, mainstream religious event.
If this man, David Bahati, is at the event, the president cannot go. Members of Congress cannot go. They cannot confer legitimacy upon this man’s views by allowing him to attend a prominent event attended by the president of the United States. This isn’t about paying back the gays for the Rick Warren inaugural address or the slow pace on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. This is about allowing this man’s views to be seen as mainstream, not only here in the United States, but in Uganda, where the LGBT community is under seige.
One note. All of the reporting on this links back to this story at the Uganda newspaper. It’s not clear that the newspaper confirmed that he is attending the event.
This post was submitted by psychodrew.
Thanks psychodrew. This bears watching.
Praying for death. Exactly when did this become a part of the agenda of the Evangelical Christian movement? Perhaps when bush declared a “war on terrorism” and launched his “crusade” against Islam. Peace
Thanks for posting this. It sickens me that he would even be invited. Hasn’t “The Family” (or The Fellowship) lost a wee bit of credibility given the events of the last year with all the sexual affairs? Not that hypocrisy ever mattered to the conservatives.
“Praying for death. Exactly when did this become a part of the agenda of the Evangelical Christian movement? Perhaps when bush declared a “war on terrorism” and launched his “crusade” against Islam.”
It has been ever since I became aware of them well over thrity years ago. The pshyco UUUberchristofacists(and these folks are TRUE facists along with all the racist baggage)really got rolling with the militias, minutemen and “Christian Identity” movement.
Falwell, Robertson, Swaggert and all the rest mearly became the face turned towards the mass media, the “polite” face when not preaching to the chosen.
As psychodrew posted – this hasn’t been confirmed anywhere I can find beyond the Ugandan media. It could be referring to Uganda’s National Prayer Breakfast.
But it certainly bears watching.
Psychodrew, congrats. This is the first “In the News” diary to make Memorandum.
http://www.memeorandum.com/100117/p58#a100117p58