Gay men arrested in Kenya

Africa is a screwed up place, and you can somewhat blame the dutch, portuguese, and the british for it. they created systems of inequality during the slave trade and conflicts they started between tribal groups.

Woman still are property in some parts of africa, and laws put in place to fix human rights issues are rarely enforced. It doesnt surprise me one bit this still happens.

It is sad that people just turn a blind eye to this, and corrective rape, and other violations of human rights and equality.

 

of course usa on the other hand is soooooooooo innocent the word slave doesent exist there.

fact is get over it...thats a long time ago and the world has changed they are there own people, and as far as im concerned people should learn from the past to how they should treat their people so as not to let it be like the oppressive nature of the past ...so problems in Africa are Africas problems now and cant be blamed on anyone else. all we can do is help as much as we can but to say the intolerant country full of crime and violence torture murder rape drugs everything that needs stopping is our fault is wrong. they want to be their own people they have to stand up and be held responsible for their lives.

what happens to lgbt people in these parts of the world is hideous and it happens based on their own customs and moral beliefs be them right or wrong and all we can do is help them realise mistakes and help them progress

problem is due to the past, places openly dont like our help and do the opposite in spite.

but its life.

so personal chip on shoulder aside of my people getting blamed for the horrors happening in Africa

final thought not shocked by this the country does need some serious aid from the rest of the world but i think we need to stop what we are doing of throwing money at it.

 

Just Adam, what we are seeing is a result of interference by empire building nations useing africa the way that they did. they came in, turned the people against each other, and brought with them religious interpretations that thrive on intolerence towards people who are different. Not saying africa was a birthday party before external influence/control, but you have to acknowledge the problems that put these systems in place.

But the past cannot, nor should it be forgotten. the way africa is today is a relfection of what others did in africa, putting in place the very systems that allow things like this to continue to happen.

but the past is still relevant to why these things continue to happen.

 

The sad thing is people outside of African countries (and other countries were it is illegal) don't really care. I mentioned the cruelties and laws in Uganda to my friends and they said we (as in the western world) should just keep out of it.. but then how is change going to come if we turn a blind eye??



And wait, were these men citizens of Kenya? If they were they should move to South Africa where homosexuality isn't deemed 'illegal'.

 

What is really upsetting from where I sit is the silence of the churches in regards to the treatment of gay people in Africa. I know for many of you this is no surprise but the Episcopal church in particular is about justice for all people. We are not doing what we say in this case.

 

I used to donate to a charity to help people in africa, until I found out most of the money was taken by goverment buracracy and pocketed. The systems of goverment in some, if not most african nations makes the corruption in western goverment seem tame.

 

I agree with your sentiments about this issue. But during the years when I was coming out, gay sex was also a crime on the books in most places in the United States. I remember people saying "oh, but they didn't enforce those laws." But in many ways they did. You could use them to your advantage (?) to avoid the draft for the War in Vietnam by asserting a claim of homosexuality (meaning you could be persecuted for it even if you truly wanted to serve or were already serving). In the 1930s you could be involuntarily confined in a mental hospital and given electric shock therapy. If there were some additional issues with it, like age or force, the penalty could include castration. The vile treatment called Aversion Therapy was pioneered not that long ago, and for things that are legal now.:tears:

Africa isn't the only part of the world where these conditions exists. I think that the 21st century is a time when there really is new hope, and it is happening because we are standing up and being counted, and we are talking to each other, and giving love and encouragement all around. And Empty Closets dot com is an example of the new social revolution occurring from the Internet. :eusa_clap

Lets all vow to keep up the pressures everywhere and in all things. :icon_bigg To use an old expression "Keep on Keeping On"