I have a story to share, which I got from my
friend Gabi Clayton, in Washington
state. (Walt and I stayed with her and her husband Alec last year when
we went to Olympia to see Steve in concert.)
Gabi is one of the founders of a group of
Quakers called "Friends New Underground Railroad." It began in April
last year when several people heard from friends in Uganda -- both gay and
straight -- that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered folks were
encountering grave threats to their lives and safety and the situation was
getting worse because of the impact of the
soon-to-be-enacted-anti-homosexuality law. People were being kicked
out of homes, fired from employment, removed from colleges and universities,
denied medical care and hospitals, pursued by mobs, beaten, and sometimes
killed.
Gabi writes, "While they understood the risk
to their own lives and those of their families, our friends there were
prepared in the manner of the Underground Railroad which operated in the
United States prior to the Civil War, to conduct people to safety in more
welcoming countries."
Gabi and her friends took their concerns to a
Quaker meeting and the group adopted the effort to support the work of these
brave Ugandans as their own project. As of today, the group has funded
the passage of 715 people (including eight children, six straight allies,
and 33 people who identify as transgendered) to flee from Uganda. Many
of them are now in their final countries of destination -- Canada, Sweden,
Rwanda, South Africa, Norway, Denmark, South Africa, France, the
Netherlands, Germany and Ireland. Some of their stories can be read
here.
That so much pain can be inflicted in the
name of Christ is inconceivable and certainly must cause great pain to Jesus
himself.
Gabi says "we are still mourning the loss of
our conductor, Tony. Tony was pressed into service when his
predecessor, S, was beaten so badly he suffered intracranial hemorrhaging, a
broken skull and multiple rib contusions requiring a very difficult medical
evacuation. We understand that S is now in detention in Canada
awaiting a hearing on his request for permanent refugee/asylum status.
"Tony was a 35 year old pharmacist with no
experience in the matter of leading passengers to safety. But with his
daring, great resolve, and a huge heart for people, in three months, working
himself sick, he engineered the escape of almost 280 passengers, including
five children. Returning from his last mission Tony suffered a blood
clot in his lung, which was traveling to his heart. He was operated on
successfully, but when he returned to the ward, it was found that he had
been doing all of this work with the Friends while suffering from malaria,
typhoid, active tuberculosis, worms, bacterial dysentery and severe
malnutrition."
Gabi says their work is far from over and
that the Ugandan Parliament is very close to voting on a new
anti-homosexuality bill, even worse than the last. Among other
provisions, those who house, feed, transport, or assist gay people in any
way can be subject to up to 10 years in prison.
"Friends New Underground Railroad is operated
by Africans for Africans. Our role is to tell their stories and to
raise funds to support them in the brave and remarkable tasks they have
taken on for LGBT Ugandans."
Each escape costs between $55 and $185,
depending on the route, mode of transportation, and interim destination.
There have been some other expenses such as medical care and temporary
lodging while passengers wait to cross into other countries.
Gabi has asked that her friends share her
story and the desperate needs for funds to save as many of these LGBT
Ugandans as possible. So I am publishing the story here and hoping
that some will take the time to
visit their web site
and consider helping a bit. I know that we are all inundated by
requests for worthy causes, but this one is literally a matter of life and
death.
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