American Psychiatric Association opposes Uganda's anti-gay legislation

Over the weekend I received this from psychiatrist David Scasta:

8/14/11
Dear Warren:
I want to thank you for keeping me and the American Psychiatric Association apprised of the situation in Uganda regarding the Anti-Homosexuality Bill – which failed to make it on the agenda of the last Ugandan Parliamentary Plenary but apparently is being resurrected in a modified form for the current Plenary. As you know, the American Psychiatric Association was alarmed that there has been a credible attempt to criminalize homosexuality in Uganda with draconian punishment that includes the death penalty. While the APA likely will not comment on the religious dynamics behind the bill, the APA can comment on the psychiatric implications of the bill and the quality of the scientific pronouncements about homosexuality by Ugandan mental health organizations.
By way of context, the APA is the largest psychiatric organization in the world, numbering almost 38,000 members. On May 14, 2011 the legislative Assembly of the APA passed legislation without dissent putting the APA in opposition to criminalization of homosexuality and reiterating the APA’s longstanding positions about homosexuality that decry stigmatization and discrimination. The Assembly’s legislation made its way up to the Joint Reference Committee and the Council on Minority Mental Health and Mental Health Disparities. The Joint Reference Committee then called upon the APA Board of Trustees to direct the President of the APA to write to the President of Uganda and the Speaker of Parliament expressing the APA’s concern about the health and safety of Ugandan gay and lesbian citizens. Dr. John Oldham, the current president of the APA, sent that letter on July 26, 2011. I attach that letter for your readers’ perusal.
Thank you again for keeping all of us informed about this critical issue for the African continent.
David L. Scasta, M.D., DFAPA
Representative to the Assembly of the APA
Association of Gay & Lesbian Psychiatrists
Vice-chair, Assembly Allied Organizations Committee
Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Temple University Medical School

The letter from Dr. Oldham is attached and is addressed to President Museveni, Speaker of Parliament Kadaga and David Bahati, mover of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. It also is copied to Charles Tuhaise, the President of the National Association of Social Workers – Uganda. That group has endorsed the AHB which seemed to bring motivation to the APA to go on record opposing the bill and criminalization of homosexuality in general.

22 thoughts on “American Psychiatric Association opposes Uganda's anti-gay legislation”

  1. Maazi NCO’ talks as if he has some kind of electoral mandate – which might be the case, of course. Or he has delusions of grandeur.

    The only people who have delusions of grandeur are unelected foreigners who think they can veto the sovereign parliament of Uganda. Only a deluded person would think that Ugandans will surrender their right to make laws for the good of their society to foreign interest lobbyists and their domestic puppets. Only a deluded person can think that he can successfully sell to Ugandans a behaviour that is universally condemned as unAfrican, inhuman and insane. Only a deluded person would believe that he has actually succeeded in selling such a product on the basis of receiving polite responses from Ugandans during phone conversations.

  2. The alleged support enjoyed by the Bahati Bill probably stems from the fact that many people don’t understand what it is really all about.
    Most of my discussions with Ugandans have followed a similar pattern: my Ugandan interlocutor starts by saying that he/she ‘doesn’t approve’ of ‘homosexuality’ and thus thinks the Bill is a good idea. I then explain to him/her what the Bull actually says, and my interlocutor then says something along the lines of ‘oh no, I don’t support that!’. In fact, most end up taking a view once expressed by ‘Maazi NCO’ himself, and say that consenting adults in private should be left alone …
    ‘Maazi NCO’ talks as if he has some kind of electoral mandate – which might be the case, of course. Or he has delusions of grandeur.
    BTW, I do accept that Bahati’s parents did not christen him ‘Adolf’ or ‘Hermann’. I wouldn’t suggest that for a moment. However, I have heard that ‘Bahati’ was, once upon a time, not his family name (I don’t know if this is true or not, but the person who told me is someone whom I trust).

  3. ‘Maazi NCO’ speaks of adjustments to the Bill. He forgets that last time the Bill was ‘adjusted’, it made no practical difference (the ‘adjustments’ were a pathetic attempt to make the Bill not look like the proposed slaughter programme it still is).
    The reason why it is Uganda that is currently in the spotlight is that it is David Bahati who is advocating making a bad situation worse. Of course what these other* places do is reprehensible, but this is no excuse for additional repression in Uganda. Furthermore, Bahati is not proposing slaughter for so-called ‘sodomy’ alone, but also for a whole host of other activities (including repeatedly speaking one’s mind, if that mind is not in agreement with Bahati’s!) which straight people can do with impunity.
    Who will win? Well, we all will if Bahati and his brownshirts are defeated!
    ‘Maazi NCO’ will need to be very careful what he says if the Bahati Bill ever does become law (he’s already criticized the Bill in the past, and Clause 13 etc is extraordinarily wide-ranging …).
    * The main problem is in Iran.

  4. Is ‘Maazi NCO’ saying that Ugandans are polite and reasonable in public but not in private? That’s rather unfair on Ugandans, isn’t it? ‘Maazi NCO’ should restrict himself to speaking for himself, methinks.

  5. The alleged support enjoyed by the Bahati Bill probably stems from the fact that many people don’t understand what it is really all about.

    Of course, you are the master. Only Europeans and Americans can understand what the bill is all about. No way African MPs can understand such a highly complex bill which they produced themselves…

    .Most of my discussions with Ugandans have followed a similar pattern: my Ugandan interlocutor starts by saying that he/she ‘doesn’t approve’ of ‘homosexuality’ and thus thinks the Bill is a good idea. I then explain to him/her what the Bull actually says, and my interlocutor then says something along the lines of ‘oh no, I don’t support that!’.

    I lived abroad for several years. There is nothing a gay propagandist can tell me, I have not heard of before. So it is highly unlikely that any gay propagandist can convince me that they are not up to something very sinister as many Americans opposed to gayism are finding out today as they continue to lose battle after battle against victorious Euro-American Gay Forces. That said, let me just say that Ugandans generally are very polite people and may fake diffidence when talked to by cajoling foreigners. It would be interesting to find out what such an MP says in company of other MPs or in privacy with other family members…

  6. The main problem is in Iran.

    No,no, no. I am talking of your beloved head-beheading allies in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, etc, etc. Why are you not worried that they will string you up the minute they catch you shoving your penis into another man’s bum?

    Who will win? Well, we all will if Bahati and his brownshirts are defeated!

    Stop hallucinating !!! There is no Hermann Goring, Adolf Hilter or Benito Mussolini in Uganda. Even the sodomy-loving Ernst Rohm is not here for your pleasure. 🙂 These characters are all dead and buried in Europe not Africa.
    Stop pretending as if the general aspirations of the Bahati Bill does not enjoy wide support among the populace and politicians from all political parties in Uganda. With adequate amendments, the Bill shall enjoy my unflinching support and I will do what it takes to push it through to the end on behalf the Ugandan people.

  7. Richard,
    Just as a side comment—-Why are you chaps not worried about heavily enforced “death-by-hanging” penalties for sodomy which is commonplace in the fiefdoms of those Oil Sheiks that are your strongest allies in the Middle-East ; those sheiks that sell you lot cheap oil and in return your governments corruptly sell them billions of dollars worth of weapons? You chose Uganda—an African nation— because you think you can defeat the majority opinion of the Ugandan people. Well, we will see whether you can win here or not. Bye for now !!

  8. When any country looks as if it might go into ‘slaughter mode’, there are international repercussions, so Bahati’s proposed murderous marauding is everybody’s business, and the likes of ‘Maazi NCO’ will just have to get used to others taking a very close interest for as long as it is necessary.

    1) There is no slaugher-in-the offing. Its just gay propaganda and justification to intrude in our internal affairs
    2) We are already used to your imperialist intrusion in the internal affairs of Africa and Uganda in particular. We have made adequate adjustments to take these intrusions into account.

  9. Maazi NCO’ talks as if he has some kind of electoral mandate – which might be the case, of course. Or he has delusions of grandeur.

    The only people who have delusions of grandeur are unelected foreigners who think they can veto the sovereign parliament of Uganda. Only a deluded person would think that Ugandans will surrender their right to make laws for the good of their society to foreign interest lobbyists and their domestic puppets. Only a deluded person can think that he can successfully sell to Ugandans a behaviour that is universally condemned as unAfrican, inhuman and insane. Only a deluded person would believe that he has actually succeeded in selling such a product on the basis of receiving polite responses from Ugandans during phone conversations.

  10. Is ‘Maazi NCO’ saying that Ugandans are polite and reasonable in public but not in private? That’s rather unfair on Ugandans, isn’t it? ‘Maazi NCO’ should restrict himself to speaking for himself, methinks.

  11. The alleged support enjoyed by the Bahati Bill probably stems from the fact that many people don’t understand what it is really all about.

    Of course, you are the master. Only Europeans and Americans can understand what the bill is all about. No way African MPs can understand such a highly complex bill which they produced themselves…

    .Most of my discussions with Ugandans have followed a similar pattern: my Ugandan interlocutor starts by saying that he/she ‘doesn’t approve’ of ‘homosexuality’ and thus thinks the Bill is a good idea. I then explain to him/her what the Bull actually says, and my interlocutor then says something along the lines of ‘oh no, I don’t support that!’.

    I lived abroad for several years. There is nothing a gay propagandist can tell me, I have not heard of before. So it is highly unlikely that any gay propagandist can convince me that they are not up to something very sinister as many Americans opposed to gayism are finding out today as they continue to lose battle after battle against victorious Euro-American Gay Forces. That said, let me just say that Ugandans generally are very polite people and may fake diffidence when talked to by cajoling foreigners. It would be interesting to find out what such an MP says in company of other MPs or in privacy with other family members…

  12. The alleged support enjoyed by the Bahati Bill probably stems from the fact that many people don’t understand what it is really all about.
    Most of my discussions with Ugandans have followed a similar pattern: my Ugandan interlocutor starts by saying that he/she ‘doesn’t approve’ of ‘homosexuality’ and thus thinks the Bill is a good idea. I then explain to him/her what the Bull actually says, and my interlocutor then says something along the lines of ‘oh no, I don’t support that!’. In fact, most end up taking a view once expressed by ‘Maazi NCO’ himself, and say that consenting adults in private should be left alone …
    ‘Maazi NCO’ talks as if he has some kind of electoral mandate – which might be the case, of course. Or he has delusions of grandeur.
    BTW, I do accept that Bahati’s parents did not christen him ‘Adolf’ or ‘Hermann’. I wouldn’t suggest that for a moment. However, I have heard that ‘Bahati’ was, once upon a time, not his family name (I don’t know if this is true or not, but the person who told me is someone whom I trust).

  13. The main problem is in Iran.

    No,no, no. I am talking of your beloved head-beheading allies in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, etc, etc. Why are you not worried that they will string you up the minute they catch you shoving your penis into another man’s bum?

    Who will win? Well, we all will if Bahati and his brownshirts are defeated!

    Stop hallucinating !!! There is no Hermann Goring, Adolf Hilter or Benito Mussolini in Uganda. Even the sodomy-loving Ernst Rohm is not here for your pleasure. 🙂 These characters are all dead and buried in Europe not Africa.
    Stop pretending as if the general aspirations of the Bahati Bill does not enjoy wide support among the populace and politicians from all political parties in Uganda. With adequate amendments, the Bill shall enjoy my unflinching support and I will do what it takes to push it through to the end on behalf the Ugandan people.

  14. ‘Maazi NCO’ speaks of adjustments to the Bill. He forgets that last time the Bill was ‘adjusted’, it made no practical difference (the ‘adjustments’ were a pathetic attempt to make the Bill not look like the proposed slaughter programme it still is).
    The reason why it is Uganda that is currently in the spotlight is that it is David Bahati who is advocating making a bad situation worse. Of course what these other* places do is reprehensible, but this is no excuse for additional repression in Uganda. Furthermore, Bahati is not proposing slaughter for so-called ‘sodomy’ alone, but also for a whole host of other activities (including repeatedly speaking one’s mind, if that mind is not in agreement with Bahati’s!) which straight people can do with impunity.
    Who will win? Well, we all will if Bahati and his brownshirts are defeated!
    ‘Maazi NCO’ will need to be very careful what he says if the Bahati Bill ever does become law (he’s already criticized the Bill in the past, and Clause 13 etc is extraordinarily wide-ranging …).
    * The main problem is in Iran.

  15. Richard,
    Just as a side comment—-Why are you chaps not worried about heavily enforced “death-by-hanging” penalties for sodomy which is commonplace in the fiefdoms of those Oil Sheiks that are your strongest allies in the Middle-East ; those sheiks that sell you lot cheap oil and in return your governments corruptly sell them billions of dollars worth of weapons? You chose Uganda—an African nation— because you think you can defeat the majority opinion of the Ugandan people. Well, we will see whether you can win here or not. Bye for now !!

  16. When any country looks as if it might go into ‘slaughter mode’, there are international repercussions, so Bahati’s proposed murderous marauding is everybody’s business, and the likes of ‘Maazi NCO’ will just have to get used to others taking a very close interest for as long as it is necessary.

    1) There is no slaugher-in-the offing. Its just gay propaganda and justification to intrude in our internal affairs
    2) We are already used to your imperialist intrusion in the internal affairs of Africa and Uganda in particular. We have made adequate adjustments to take these intrusions into account.

  17. When any country looks as if it might go into ‘slaughter mode’, there are international repercussions, so Bahati’s proposed murderous marauding is everybody’s business, and the likes of ‘Maazi NCO’ will just have to get used to others taking a very close interest for as long as it is necessary.

  18. 8/14/11

    What is it with you Americans. You lot cannot even write the date properly? It is 14/8/11 not 8/14/11. Please Americans should take note of this whenever they decide to inundate us with their numerous unsolicited spam emails or voluminous letters dripping with gay propaganda.

    The letter from Dr. Oldham is attached and is addressed to President Museveni, Speaker of Parliament Kadaga and David Bahati, mover of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. It also is copied to Charles Tuhaise, the President of the National Association of Social Workers – Uganda.

    Very soon we will be receiving a letter from the American Truckers Association, Boys Scouts of America, Daughters of the American Revolution and perhaps, the National Rifle Association. Which part of mind your own business !! don’t these nosy Americans understand?

  19. When any country looks as if it might go into ‘slaughter mode’, there are international repercussions, so Bahati’s proposed murderous marauding is everybody’s business, and the likes of ‘Maazi NCO’ will just have to get used to others taking a very close interest for as long as it is necessary.

  20. 8/14/11

    What is it with you Americans. You lot cannot even write the date properly? It is 14/8/11 not 8/14/11. Please Americans should take note of this whenever they decide to inundate us with their numerous unsolicited spam emails or voluminous letters dripping with gay propaganda.

    The letter from Dr. Oldham is attached and is addressed to President Museveni, Speaker of Parliament Kadaga and David Bahati, mover of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. It also is copied to Charles Tuhaise, the President of the National Association of Social Workers – Uganda.

    Very soon we will be receiving a letter from the American Truckers Association, Boys Scouts of America, Daughters of the American Revolution and perhaps, the National Rifle Association. Which part of mind your own business !! don’t these nosy Americans understand?

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