Petrelis Files

Ugandan Gays: Help Us End Witch Hunts in Kampala

The gay and sexual minorities communities in Uganda have issued urgent appeals for help from the international human rights community, to combat another hateful witch hunt causing much worry.

The Red Pepper tabloid is instilling fears of violence by printing intimate and precise details about homosexuals, as you can see from the scans of the two-page article.

Messages from gay Ugandans implore their brothers and sisters to hit their keyboards and send short emails and letters, to the editor of the Red Pepper and Ugandan embassies around the globe.

Regardless of where you live, write a brief letter to the editor of the Red Pepper, protesting their despicable coverage. The contact info can be found below.

And if you reside in the United States, send off an email to the deputy in charge of the Ugandan embassy in Washington. Just cut-and-paste his email address from my letter.

Click here to read veteran journalist Doug Ireland's excellent story in Gay City News this week, or go here to read his blog post, with updates from gay Ugandans.

Taking just a few minutes to pen a letter to the Red Pepper and Ugandan government officials will do a lot to help bring a small degree of safety for gays and sexual minorities there, and go far in creating international LGBT solidarity.

To learn more about gays in Uganda, visit this terrific blog.

Feel free to adapt these letters for your own emails to the Ugandan leaders:

September 13, 2007

Charles Ssentongo

Deputy Chief of Mission

Cssentongo@ugandaembassyus.org

Embassy of the Republic of Uganda

Washington, DC

Dear Mr. Ssentongo,

As a gay human rights advocate I am deeply worried for the safety and well-being of my sexual minority brothers and sisters in your country, because a hate-filled article appeared in the September 9 edition of the Red Pepper in Kampala.

American newspapers and bloggers, at the urging of gay activists contacted by Uganda's gays, are writing about the latest poor journalism from the Red Pepper, which has a history of printing articles whipping up hysteria and causing tremendous fear for gay Ugandans.

I write to you to convey a request to you and your government:

Please immediately condemn the inflammatory and homophobic September 9 story in the Red Pepper, ask the editor to quickly implement acceptable standards of journalism related to covering gay people, and publicly state that the human rights of all Ugandans, including its gay and sexual minority citizens, will be protected.

To further educate all Americans about the plight of gay people in your nation, I have posted the Red Pepper story and a copy of this letter.

It is hoped that you will soon reply to me in writing, so I can share with my fellow Americans, your response to my concerns and we can continue a dialogue about how the Uganda government and press treat gay people.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

Michael Petrelis

Please send letters to both email addresses:

September 13, 2007

Mr. Richard Tusiime

Editor
Red Pepper

rugyendo@mail.redpepper.co.ug

administration@redpepper.ug
Kampala, Uganda

Dear Sir,

I am a human rights advocate who is gay and wish to convey my deep displeasure with the September 9 story "Homo Terror!" that appeared in your paper.

It is highly unacceptable and very uncivilized to publish precise descriptions of private citizens you claim are homosexuals. There is no valid reason for your story and I fear it creates stigma and real fear for the people identified and all sexual minorities in Uganda.

Men named on your list have expressed on the web that they live in terror of being attacked and suffering violence. This terror is because the Red Pepper is not practicing normal standards of acceptable journalism.

I ask that you refrain from further publishing similar defamatory stories about gays and sexual minorities, adopt reporting principles that don't violate the privacy or human rights of Ugandans, and issue an apology for the September 9 story.

Please be aware that gays and lesbians in San Francisco and across the United States of America stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Uganda.

Best regards,

Michael Petrelis