This picture taken on May 17, 2012 shows a Myanmar supporter of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community (LGBT) performing during an event marking the “International Day Against Homophobia” in Yangon.
By J. HARRISON KINYANJUI Posted Thursday, May 17 2012 at 20:00 Prof Makau Mutua’s piece titled “Rights body has finally stood up for gays and lesbians” ( SN , May 13) bashes valid objections to homosexuality and lesbianism, and attempts to recast these practices as human rights protected under the Bill of Rights, though they remain illegal under the Penal Code. Fixated with Western aphorisms such as “democracy”, “human rights”, “tolerance”, and “openness”, an increasing number of African intellectuals under the aegis of “civil society” have gleefully joined a well-choreographed global campaign by Western governments to propagate homosexuality as part of the “human rights” rubric and population control agenda. Aware that within most cultures few openly embrace or accept sexual deviance (including homosexuality and lesbianism), the powers behind this diabolical agenda have relentlessly sought to rebrand them, to make them more readily acceptable, hence the donning of sodomy and lesbianism with the ethereal-sounding and legally-protected garb of “human rights”.
Most Americans believe President Barack Obama came out in favour of gay marriage for political reasons. The New York Times/CBS News poll has found that a majority of voters view Obama’s decision as political rather than because he thought it was the right thing to do. They say the issue would not affect the way they vote, but the public remains deeply divided over same sex marriage nonetheless. Mr Obama, who has long maintained he was “evolving” on the issue, has come out in support of gay marriage last Wednesday after Vice President Joe Biden did so in a television interview. Asked whether Obama took the step for political reasons or because he thought it was right, 67 per cent say it was for political reasons.
Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney was at America’s largest Christian university on Saturday to court young religious conservatives and push family values in the wake of President Barack Obama’s gay marriage endorsement. The presumptive Republican nominee urged graduates not to “lose heart” in the face of diminished job prospects while giving the commencement address at Liberty University in this small city in central Virginia. Virginia is one the key battlegrounds of the 2012 election, and First Lady Michelle Obama pre-empted Romney by delivering her own commencement speech in the state at a university less than 145 kilometres away. With thousands of Christian graduates in his audience, Romney stressed the importance of faith and “the commitments of family.” “Take those away, or take them for granted, and so many things can go wrong in a life
I’ve been pilloried for standing up for gays and lesbians. Tough luck – that won’t stop me. Nor will it drive gay rights activists underground. Those days are over – gone for good. That’s why I was ecstatic when the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, the country’s official human rights watchdog, asked the government to decriminalise homosexuality and sex work.
Posted by AFP on May 11, 2012 US President Barack Obama steps off Marine One May 10, on arrival at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California/AFPSTUDIO CITY, California May 11 – President Barack Obama said his support for gay marriage is a “logical” milestone towards a fairer America, as he was feted at a Hollywood fundraiser hosted by George Clooney tipped to make a cool $15 million. Obama praised his host’s support for liberal causes but also gently teased the A-list actor and Democratic activist at the Tinseltown love-in at Clooney’s Hollywood Hills mansion. “Yesterday we made some news,” he joked about his public endorsement of gay marriage Wednesday. “The truth is, it was a logical extension of what America’s supposed to be … Are we a country that includes everybody?” “Does that make us stronger
President Barack Obama’s support for gay marriage is being met with a mixed reaction around the world. In Europe, Germany’s openly-gay foreign minister Guido Westerwelle praised the decision.
Posted by AFP on May 10, 2012 Obama changed his stance, after previously saying he was “evolving” on gay marriage/FILEWASHINGTON, May 9 – Barack Obama became the first US president Wednesday to say publicly he was in favor of same-sex marriage, in a high-stakes intervention in a pre-election debate roiling American politics. In what supporters will hail as a historic moment in civil rights history, Obama changed his stance, after previously saying he was “evolving” on gay marriage, a fiercely divisive issue in US politics. “I’ve just concluded, for me, personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married,” Obama said in an interview with ABC News. The president said however that a decision on whether to legalize gay marriage should be left to individual states. He also talked about how he and his wife Michelle had squared his decision with their faith
Photo/AFP Andreas Derlrth, 32, of New Zealand (left) holds a trophy after being crowned Mr Gay World 2012 at the Grand Finale in Johannesburg on Sunday. Andreas was one of 25 gays from around the world taking part in the competition.
Photo/AFP Andreas Derlrth, 32, of New Zealand (left) holds a trophy after being crowned Mr Gay World 2012 at the Grand Finale in Johannesburg on Sunday. Andreas was one of 25 gays from around the world taking part in the competition.
