Congratulations Kasha!

Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera

We reported a couple of months back that LGBT rights campaigner Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera had been chosen to receive the 2013 Nuremberg International Human Rights Award. Well, she's just been talking about it:

Leader of African gay rights movement honored in Nuremberg

Kasha Nabagesera fears the day when she will return home, but promises to go back soon. “My friends are in jail. I also have to be very careful, because they arrest anyone whenever they want. It’s a big risk,” she said this week.

Two months have passed since she arrived in Nuremberg, Germany, to receive the prestigious International Human Rights award granted by the city. She has not yet returned to her home in Uganda. Meanwhile, she is conducting the struggle she has been leading in recent years − for the rights of the gay community in Africa − by remote control from Stockholm, Sweden, where she spoke to Haaretz via telephone...

Speaking from the dais when she received the prize, Nabagesera said that society must know how to repair its mistakes, “instead of being self-satisfied and pretend that everything is all right.” Despite the danger, she remains optimistic. “We’re making progress. I’m very optimistic, even if I may not get to enjoy the fruits of my struggle. Future generations will be able to benefit from the freedoms I’m fighting for,” she said.  

After the recent arrest of fellow campaigners Samuel K. Ganafa and Mleuben Maccarthy, it's hardly surprising she's staying put. 

Keep up the good work Kasha!

Randall May be Deported

Former British banker, Bernard Randall, who is due to stand trial in Uganda on charges of homosexuality after his laptop was stolen, revealing a tape he made with his Ugandan partner, may be deported next week instead:

Gay British man may avert trial in Uganda after visa extension denied

A gay British man facing a charge of “trafficking obscene material” in Uganda may avert going to jail under the country’s oppressive anti-homosexual laws because the government won’t renew his visa...

Randall may not have to face the charge now as the Ugandan government plans to deport him on Dec. 6.

In order to stand trial, his visa would have to be extended. The Ugandan government has denied the extension, making him “an illegal alien.”

It's a remarkably similar move to the deportation of David Cecil, the British playwright who staged a theatre production addressing homosexuality. At least they've given Randall some notice of their intentions this time.

It remains to be seen what will happen to Randall's Ugandan housemate, Albert Cheptoyek.

Sack Teachers, Close Schools

We recently highlighted Ugandan politicians' new strategy of persecuting school children, closing entire schools because they claim the children are gay.

They've now decided to expand this policy to teachers and staff:

Teachers to lose jobs over concealing homosexuality

KAMPALA- School administrators who conceal information about immoral acts of homosexuality and lesbianism in schools risk losing their jobs, according to new guidelines.

This will be effected in a revised implementation of the government’s revised Teaching Service Regulations and Teachers’ Professional Code of Conduct.

According to the amended Code of Conduct, such immorality will be regarded as acts of misconduct which will earn a teacher dismissal or retirement in public interest.

It is quite clear that there is only one thing that Ugandan school children need protecting from, and that is their own government.

Zambia's First Lady Speaks Out

Zambia's First Lady, Dr Christine Kaseba-Sata

It isn't all doom and gloom, and Africa is a continent of many countries, not all of one mind when it comes to LGBT rights.

Miss Botswana was booed off the stage earlier this year for trying to use her beauty contest speech to denigrate gay people. Desmond Tutu and Bishop Senyonjo have both spoken out on gay rights as human rights. Now Zambia's First Lady has added her voice to the campaign for a happy and equal future:

Zambia’s first lady speaks against MSM discrimination

Zambia’s first lady Dr Christine Kaseba-Sata, speaking at a UNAIDS hosted reception last night said that “the silence around issues of Men who have Sex with Men should be stopped and no one should be discriminated on the basis of their sexual orientation, rather, we should address reproductive health issues around this issue.” She further went on to assure people working in the sexual and reproductive health sector of her and the president’s support. Zambia has in recent months seen harassment and arrest of same sex practicing adults and couples.

Well said, Dr. Kaseba-Sata!

Bobi Wine Leads Anti-Human Rights Charge

Back in July, Ugandan singer and general thug, Bobi Wine, ranted on about Obama being a 'fag' for promoting gay rights as human rights in Africa, and generally made an arse of himself.

Yesterday a disturbing article was released, claiming:

Ugandan Situation Worsens

The atmosphere in the country is already toxic. A prominent local recording artist recently went out of his way to condemn homosexuality during a fundraising concert.

"Bobi Wine also advocated keeping the Ugandan culture and encouraged all the ghetto youth to preserve culture. “Recently it was reported wrongly in the newspapers that I am violent. When I stand tall against all odds to support my culture, does not mean I am violent. I am Ugandan and my culture doesn’t support homosexuality, period! If they want us to respect homosexuals, let them also respect our culture, it all comes back to respect for one another’s culture,” he said prompting an applause from the crowd."

Actually, people generally think he's a a violent thug for reportedly beating up a fellow musician. As for the fact he's uneducated about a) culture and b) homosexuality, we could be here all day trying to address those issues.

The article highlights another article:

Ugandan Police Hunt Down Gay Activists

...Foreign Minister of Uganda Sam Kutesa arrived in Sri Lanka for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2013. Meanwhile a vicious crackdown got underway back home.

As Kutesa was settling into his Colombo hotel, Sam Ganafa, chair of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), was being arrested and detained by Ugandan police.

Other activists are being sought on charges of conducting an illegal gathering, not disclosing their HIV/AIDS status to their sexual partners, sodomy and being in possession of pornographic materials, according to a police source. The GEHO Facebook page advises:

"There is a new wave to crack down on the growing movement of the LGBTQ in Jinja, Kampala, Mbale, Gulu and Mbarara. The informer states that this is an order from above and the local police can do little to help. He said that the police are seeking alternative means and options to legally hunt us and the operation is running till the 31st of December/13In Jinja, Njeru Police station is handling the files."

It ends by calling on Australians, and presumably the global community, to pressure the Australian government on this issue. You can find contact information at the bottom of the article.

Lively Slanders Kato in Plea

In the ongoing trial of Scott Lively, which is in the opening phase of a process set to last well into 2015, Lively has submitted his response to the charge of persecuting gay people... by persecuting gay people. Namely murdered activist David Kato:

Scott Lively’s Pleading Spews Hateful lies about Murdered Gay Activist

Today [Wednesday 20th November 2013], Scott Lively, the fervently anti-gay Pastor being sued by Uganda human rights organization Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), under the Alien Torts Act, for persecuting gays in Uganda, filed his “Answers and Defenses to Plaintiff’s first Amended Complaint,”...

"In response to paragraph 10 of SMUG’s Complaint, Lively admits that David Kato is now dead because he was killed by a homosexual prostitute whom Kato hired for sexual favors and refused to pay."

This is hardly an admission but rather a submission as at no time did the Plaintiffs ever state that Kato was murdered in this fashion. In fact the convicted killer, in his confession, said Kato propositioned him and did not say he was hired for sex and unpaid.  The convicted killer’s account of events was discredited and not believed by the Judge. Many believe that Kato was set up and murdered at the hands of anti-gay forces in Uganda, all influenced by the actions of Scott Lively and the introduction of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, otherwise known as The Kill the Gays Bill. Lively’s defense shows how hard he has been trying to run from and cover up his involvement in the introduction of the Bill and the resulting climate of persecution against LGBTI people in Uganda.

Oh, it goes on. Follow the above link for Melanie Nathan's detailed report.

School Children Accused of Being Gay

Continuing its push to show the world why Uganda is number one in education, the government has decided to roll out its policy of terrorising young children by accusing them of being gay.

Government investigates four top schools over homosexuality

Government is investigating four prominent secondary schools in Kampala and Wakiso districts over allegations that their students are involved in homosexual activities.

Rev. Father Simon Peter Lokodo, the State Minister for Ethics and Integrity says the schools being investigated are Gayaza High School, Makerere Secondary School, Kibuli High and Nalya Secondary School.

The Minister told Uganda Radio Network that a recent impromptu visit discovered that more than 30 percent of students in these schools are involved in lesbianism and homosexuality. The visit was by a team from the Ministry’s directorate in the Department of Ethics and Education.

This is the same Simon Lokodo who thinks that raping children is acceptable, so long as it's a boy raping a girl.

Coca-Cola Refuse to Stand Up to LGBT Hate

Wildly conflicting viewpoints.

Backing up the evidence that gay bashing harms economies, it was suggested yesterday:

Corporate world getting ready to boycott gay hate countries: Leading professional services boss says his clients will soon refuse to operate in some markets when they abuse LGBTI rights

Companies may soon refuse to operate in countries with homophobic laws, a managing partner at leading global professional services firm EY has said.

And Deutsche Bank has revealed they already intervene on LGBTI issues by speaking to governments behind the scenes and telling them abusing gay and trans people damages business.

Meanwhile, today AllOut issued a statement that Coca-Cola (being demonstrated against last August in the video above) "refused to speak out against Russia's anti-gay laws."

Sochi Olympics: Responses from Corporate Sponsors have been posted online, including Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Samsung.

If you would like to get more involved, AllOut have put out a request:

If you have a creative talent – video production, photography, graphic design, illustration – and want to help create an incredible advert, poster, image or video, please click this link and fill in your information so we can contact you.

Let's get creative in campaigning.

"Gays Beating Up Gays" Says Lively

Scott Lively, America's most toxic human export, has been travelling the globe stirring up hatred towards homosexuals in Uganda and Russia. He's now claiming that violence against gay people in Russia is being caused by... gay people:

Scott Lively: 'Butch Homosexuals' Beating Femme Russian Gays

"The guys that are beating up gays in Russia — and it’s not any more prevalent than it ever has been, really, and it isn’t all that prevalent at all," qualified Lively, "but the ones that are doing it are butch homosexuals who are beating up effeminate homosexuals, the same thing that happened in Germany; this is gay-on-gay crime, at least that is what it appears to be."

The reference to Germany relates to the Holocaust, as Lively believes the Nazis were a group of angry gay people.

He's currently awaiting trial in the US for his part in the persecution of LGBT Ugandans, but this isn't due to start for over a year, meanwhile he continues to travel the world inflicting damage.

Mass Protest in London

After protesting against Britain's recent murder of Jackie Nanyonjo, a Ugandan lesbian, further protests occured yesterday outside Uganda House over the Kill the Gays Bill.

LGBT activsts protest against Uganda’s anti-gay laws outside London commission

A protest has taken place outside Uganda’s High Commission in central London opposite Trafalgar Square over the plight of gay men facing potential imprisonment for breaking the country’s anti-gay laws.

The protest was timed to coincide with two separate court cases in Uganda on Monday.

The court cases are those of British man Bernard Randall, which has been postponed until December 4th, and the Executive Director of Spectrum Uganda, Samuel Ganafa, who is being held under unlawful arrest.

There is a more in-depth article on Melanie Nathan's blog:

London protests Ugandan witch-hunts and show trials of LGBT people

Randall Case Postponed

The British man arrested with his Ugandan housemate last month has appeared in court today.

The BBC reports: Bernard Randall in Uganda court on gay sex video charge

The 65-year-old is charged alongside his friend Albert Cheptoyek, 30, a Ugandan national with whom he shares a house.

Mr Cheptoyek has denied a more serious charge of carrying out "acts of gross indecency", which could see him jailed for up to seven years if found guilty.

Mr Randall was arrested after thieves stole a laptop from his house. Stills from a video on it then appeared in a tabloid.

Mr. Randall claims that the photos were leaked to the tabloids after he refused to be blackmailed. The robber is claiming that Mr. Randall offered him the tapes to try to 'lure him into being his sexual partner.'

Of course, the other more likely scenario is that Red Pepper employed the men to break into his house and steal his laptop after discovering he was gay. Tabloids that incite people to murder by telling them to 'hang' gay people, and out LGBT people for sales, can hardly claim to be above such acts.

The trial has now been adjourned:

Uganda Trial on Published Gay Images Is Postponed

The trial in Uganda of a British man arrested after images of him having gay sex were published has been postponed until December.

...Randall's lawyer, Annette Bada, told a Ugandan court that she needed access to prosecution evidence in order to mount a defense. A judge granted the request and set a new court date of Dec. 4.

We will update you as news becomes available.

Commonwealth Cost to LGBT Rights

The meeting of Commonwealth leaders this week has shed stark light on the fact that 80% of member states criminalise homosexuality. Not to mention, yet again, that they promoted one of Uganda's leading anti-gay campaigners, Rebecca Kedaga, to Chair of Women Parliamentarians Committee earlier in the year.

This has led to assertions that:

Commonwealth Colludes With Anti-Gay Persecution

Commonwealth leaders from around the world meet in Sri Lanka on Friday. Yet again they plan to ignore the criminalisation of lesbian and gay people in 80% of Commonwealth member states. They are refusing to even discuss the current homophobic persecution in Ghana, Cameroon, Zambia, Uganda and Nigeria.

Gay campaigners and allies from many countries rallied outside the Commonwealth's London HQ on Wednesday, accusing the Commonwealth of "collusion with homophobia."

The theme of the protest was: "Commonwealth must speak out and act against the persecution of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people."

Coinciding with the protest, the Kaleidoscope Trust released a damning new report on the victimisation of LGBT people in Commonwealth countries.

Proving once again that by common wealth, we're very much talking about common financial profit rather than common human rights.

What do people matter when you could be making money?

The Sri Lankan LGBT community know the answer to that one:

Sri Lanka gays forced underground as world leaders gather for summit

The LGBTI campaigners say they have been forced underground, reflecting a wider crackdown on civil society ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)...

GSN has learned Sri Lankan activists have been warned to stop their activities ahead of CHOGM.

Some individuals have been threatened and told they may be in danger if they do not comply.

As a result, they have been forced to shelve the idea of holding an event alongside the summit, highlighting LGBTI rights concerns in Commonwealth nations.

This is not the first time we've highlighted the failure of the Commonwealth to address LGBT rights, and we're sure it won't be the last.

Spectrum Executive Director Arrested

Activist Samuel K. Ganafa

Hot on the heels of Uganda on Move activist Mleuben Maccarthy's arrest whilst returning for his mother's funeral, now the Executive Director of Spectrum Uganda has been arrested:

Gay Ugandan Activists Arrested, Detained Without Charge

A prominent LGBT advocate in Uganda has been arrested, jailed since Tuesday, and three times had his home raided — all without being informed of the charges against him. At least four other LGBT advocates have been arrested with him, according to reports from Ugandan activists. Police have refused to confirm under what, if any, crimes the activists are suspected of committing.

Samuel K. Ganafa is the executive director of Spectrum Uganda and the board chairman for Sexual Minorities Uganda, two of the most prominent LGBT rights organizations in the East African nation, where homosexuality is illegal.

More in PinkNews: Uganda: Police arrest leading LGBT rights activist Sam Ganafa

Meanwhile, Spectrum's Facebook forum reported the following this morning:

Wonder shall never end... As we woke up this morning Beautiful Sam Samuel Ganafa already in news papers...

Red Pepper once again leading the way in hatred and persecution.

The official press release from SMUG is as follows:

STATEMENT ON THE ARREST AND DETENTION OF MR. SAMUEL K. GANAFA AND FOUR OTHERS

For Immediate Release

Thursday 14.11.2013

Kampala, Uganda

Mr. Samuel K Ganafa, The Executive Director of Spectrum Uganda Initiatives and Board Chairperson of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), was arrested on Tuesday November 12, 2013. He had reported to Kasangati Police Station on the outskirts of Kampala pursuant to a phone call from the District Police Commander Chemonges Seiko asking him to report to the said station.

Upon reporting to the station he was immediately handcuffed by a police officer. Without show a warrant of arrest he was forced onto a police pickup truck and taken twice to his residence, which was searched. The search was conducted without a search warrant. During the unwarranted search three houseguests of Mr. Ganafa, namely Joseph Kayizi, Kasali Brian and Michael Katongole were also arrested and taken to the police for questioning as well. His nephew Brian Kasirye who had rushed to the police station to check on him was also detained.

Later the police subjected Mr. Ganafa to an HIV test without a court order or his consent.

Yesterday Wednesday 13th November, we received news that a one Disan Twesiga was the complainant. Disan alleges that Sam infected him with HIV and that there is more information in Mr. Ganafa’s reading room prompting another search of the residence. The police took him along for all the three times they searched.

As of today November 14th the complainant Disan Twesiga has held a press conference with all media houses at Kasangati Police Station. The police paraded Mr. Ganafa before the media during a press conference. This is despite the fact that he has not been found guilty by a court and is thus presumed innocent under the law. By close of business today, all the five suspects remain in custody without being officially charged and without being brought before court despite the expiry of the constitutionally warranted 48 hours.

Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), Spectrum Uganda, Civil society coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law are closely following the case, and have instructed lawyers to represent all the accused. An application for the release of the detainees has been filed and is pending hearing as there was no Magistrate to hear it today.

Sexual Minorities Uganda, Spectrum Uganda Initiatives and Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law strongly condemn the manner in which Mr. Ganafa was arrested and the manner in which the searches were conducted, his humiliating display before the press, as well as the violation of the 48 hour rule for producing a suspect before court.

We also call upon the Ugandan Police to release Mr. Ganafa and the four other arrested persons or immediately produce them before a court of law, and we urge them to respect the basic rights of the suspects.

It is worth noting that this is not an isolated case, but it is one of a series of documented arrests targeted against the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) persons in Uganda. We therefore call upon the police to STOP the continued intimidation of the entire LGBTI community and the legal representatives of the detained persons.

Contacts:

Pepe Julian Onziema
+256 772 370 674 onziema@gmail.com

Moses Kimbugwe +256 78 383 8259 / 031 251 3345 spectrum.uganda@gmail.com
Spectrum Uganda Initiatives

Francis Onyango +256 414 666 242/ 0712 394 721 onyango@onyangoadvocates.com
Onyango & Co. Advocates

Contact Persons at the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law

Geoffrey Ogwaro +256 782 176 069 Byarugaba Clare +256 774 068 663
Email: ahbcoalition.coordinator@gmail.com

Killing Gays a Distraction from Corruption

Corruption is a running background theme for many of the key characters in Uganda's Kill the Gays movement, from Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa to the never ending (scratch that - never starting) trial of Ethics Minister Simon Lokodo. It's also been postulated on several occasions that the Bahati Bill makes a useful distraction from Uganda's real problems.

When you look up Uganda on Transparency International, the first line of their report states:
 

Corruption in Uganda is widespread and seen as one of the greatest obstacles to the country’s economic development as well as to the provision of quality public services.

Which makes this recent article, a 60-page document released by Human Rights Watch, unsurprising yet no less chilling:

Uganda: 'Letting the Big Fish Swim' - Failures to Prosecute High-Level Corruption in Uganda

The news that US$12.7 million in donor funds had been embezzled from Uganda's Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) hit the headlines in many donor capitals in late 2012, prompting serious questions about Uganda's commitment to fight corruption. The stolen donor funds were earmarked as crucial support for rebuilding northern Uganda, ravaged by a 20-year war, and Karamoja, Uganda's poorest region. Approximately 30 percent of the national budget came from foreign aid in 2012. As a result of the OPM scandal and claims that the money was funneled into private accounts, the European Union, United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Ireland, and Norway suspended aid...

Corruption in Uganda is severe, well-known, cuts across many sectors, and is frequently debated and discussed in the media. Such corruption undermines human rights in multiple ways: a direct defiance of the rule of law and accountability, it indicates that the law and its institutions cannot be relied on to protect against violations of fundamental human rights or deliver justice.

The plight of Ugandan politicians to demonise gay people as a distraction from their own criminal activities has been likened to Hitler's persecution of the Jews to take people's minds off Germany's economic problems prior to the Second World War, and is indeed leading to speculation over impending violence on a national scale in Uganda.

Perhaps the reason so many other African countries are quick to follow suit is because corruption is a huge problem throughout the continent.

Randall Update

An update on Bernard Randall, the Brit who was arrested in Uganda with his partner:

Brit on trial for gay sex in Uganda: ‘I’m living in fear’

Randall has said he is now moving house every couple of days out of fear of attack. He cannot fly out of the country due to the Ugandan government holding his passport until his trial.
‘I never know if someone is going to recognise me, be anti-gay and attack me,’ Randall said, as reported by The Times.
- See more at: http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/brit-trial-gay-sex-uganda-im-living-fear111113#sthash.d6auZRW6.dpuf

Randall has said he is now moving house every couple of days out of fear of attack. He cannot fly out of the country due to the Ugandan government holding his passport until his trial.

‘I never know if someone is going to recognise me, be anti-gay and attack me,’ Randall said, as reported by The Times.

Meanwhile, one of Uganda's leading crackpot hate preachers, Solomon Male, is running around telling everyone: "[Homosexuals] control the police, they control the judiciary, they even hold the Government to ransom."

Sounds a lot like Scott Lively's 'the Nazis were a macho gay group' rhetoric, which in any healthy society should be receiving professional psychological treatment.

Who Matters?

An interesting article:

Are some gay people worth more than others in the activism game?: Omar Kuddus asks if LGBTI activism has become dominated by ‘fashions’ and whether a focus on Russia is distracting from the wider struggle for rights

Russia’s anti-gay legislation and homophobic and transphobic climate have drawn condemnation from around the world and many governments. And activists have been targeting Russia Sochi and the multinational companies supporting and endorsing the Winter Olympics to make a stand.

But the plight of fellow LGBTIs in the rest of the world seem to have been ignored.

The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), lists over 76 countries with criminal laws against sexual activity by LGBTIs including the infamous seven which carry the death penalty for these ‘offenses’: Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen – plus some parts of Nigeria and Somalia via Sharia law...

Activism for the LGBTI cause seems to be becoming segregated and diluted into country-specific causes and we are losing the global picture for equality for all – this must be addressed.

Reporter Randal Mason adds his concerns in an article for The Huffington Post:

Beyond Russia: LGBT Rights Are Human Rights Around the World

Homophobic and transphobic violence happen everywhere. The issue of anti-LGBT violence in Russia has become a cause célèbre over the last several months, in part due to the approaching Winter Olympics in Sochi. And while this coverage shines a much-needed spotlight on the worsening plight of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Russians, it often fails to acknowledge that homophobic and transphobic violence are problems in every region of the world, including in the United States...

Attention to international LGBT issues is, thankfully, more prominent than ever. But to focus on only one nation is myopic and ignores the struggle for human rights and dignity of a great many people around the world.

What do you think on this matter? Drop a comment to let us know.

EU Asylum Ruling

Landmark ruling by the EU:

EU rules that gay Africans are entitled to asylum

According to the European Court of Justice, a gay refugee from a country where people are jailed for being homosexual does qualify as a persecuted group eligible for asylum.

The court's ruling concerned three homosexual men from Sierra Leone, Uganda and Senegal who had sought asylum in Holland, but is binding for all EU countries, including Britain.

Top EU court ruling backs gay African asylum bids

The Netherlands had asked the court for advice about three gay citizens of those countries seeking asylum.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) says asylum can be granted in cases where people are actually jailed for homosexuality in their home country.

ECJ rulings apply to all EU members...

The ECJ, based in Luxembourg, says laws specifically targeting homosexuals do make them a separate group.

Glad we got that cleared up.

Schedule Set for SMUG v. Lively

Scott Lively, the American hate preacher who thinks Nazis were an aggressive gay movement, has been stirring up homophobia in Russia and Uganda for a long time.

Sexual Minorities Uganda, backed by the Center for Constitutional Rights, are suing him for Crimes Against Humanity.

After dismissing Lively's request to dismiss the lawsuit earlier this year, parties were back in court on 6th November 2013 to set the timescale for the trial.

Schedule Set for Historic Anti-gay Crimes Against Humanity Trial

Lively did not appear although he did have one supporter attend. In contrast, about 3 dozen supporters were there to support the Plaintiff, SMUG, from Stop The Hate And Homophobia Coalition, LGBT Asylum Support Task Force, Arise for Social Justice, Recovery Learning Center, and other interested individuals...

Lively himself has already issued a “hit-list” on his blog of those he feels are responsible for the case...

Another interesting statement made by Liberty Counsel during the proceedings was that Lively does not want CCR  to have subpoena power to obtain evidence against him, as he wildly claims that such could ‘harm foreign relations.’  An amused and frustrated CCR, responded that it was too soon to know if that course would be needed.

There is a lot that must happen before the actual trial can begin, including probably yet another attempt by Lively for an unlikely dismissal. The final hearing before the trial is currently scheduled for May 6, 2015!

You can find the schedule order at the bottom of that article.

Meanwhile, Lively has resorted to witchcraft to try to 'confuse' the prosecution.

Human Rights Campaign Foundation Grants

The Human Righs Campaign Foundation (TM) is offering funding for international LGBT Rights campaigns:

HRC Foundation launches program to fight homophobia and transphobia internationally

In keeping with HRC’s mission to end discrimination against LGBT people, the grants will help fund efforts to educate Americans on the human rights of LGBT people around the world; provide fellowships at HRC for foreign LGBT advocates; expose the work of prominent anti-gay American organizations that have pushed anti-gay laws and legislation overseas; and leverage its relationships with American policymakers, faith communities, corporations and other change agents to help protect the human rights of LGBT people abroad.

All good stuff, but the article doesn't mention anything about how much they're putting forward, who exactly can apply, or how.

Their website is even quieter on the subject, with nothing at all mentioned under their Coming Out section, although there is a shiny feel-good video of lots of Americans outing themselves on national television. 

Looking forward to bringing you more news on that, if there is any.