Britain on Gay Relationships

Britain says new Bill that imposes life sentences for some gay sex acts is "deeply saddening and disappointing".

Uganda’s president approved a new law that imposes life sentences for homosexuality in defiance of opposition from donors including Britain, saying that they were engaged in “social imperialism” over gay rights.

Yoweri Museveni, the country’s 69-year-old leader, agreed to the new legislation because “homosexuals had lost the argument in Uganda” that being gay was not a “lifestyle choice”.

There was “no doubt” that the law would “increase persecution and discrimination of Ugandans”, William Hague said in a statement, but he did not say whether the GBP107 million that Britain spends on aid in the east Africa country would be affected by the decision.

^{British Foreign Secretary William Hague (EPA)}

“I am deeply saddened and disappointed that the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda is to be signed into law,” Mr Hague said.

“The UK strongly opposes all discrimination on any grounds. We question the Bill’s compatibility with Uganda’s constitution and international treaty obligations.

“There can be no doubt that this Bill will increase persecution and discrimination of Ugandans, as well as damage Uganda’s reputation internationally.”

The new law punishes anyone convicted of having gay sex with jail terms up to life, according to a draft of the legislation, and makes it a crime to fail to report someone for breaking the new law.

Officials broke into loud applause as President Museveni signed the bill into law in a ceremony in front of foreign journalists at his State House in the lakeside town of Entebbe outside the capital.

“There's now an attempt at social imperialism, to impose social values. We're sorry to see that you (the West) live the way you live but we keep quiet about it,” he said.

Gay and lesbian organisations in Africa fear the ripple effect from the anti-gay bill could spread beyond Uganda to other parts of a continent where conservative societies tend to view homosexuality as unnatural.

^{Masked Kenyan LGBT supporters protest against Uganda's anti-gay bill in Nairobi (EPA)}

"It's a gloomy day not just for the gay community in Uganda but for all Ugandans who care about human rights because this law will affect everybody," said Julian Peppe Onziema, a gay rights campaigner in Uganda.

Gemma Houldey, Amnesty International’s Uganda Researcher said: “This deeply offensive piece of legislation is an affront to the human rights of all Ugandans.

“This legislation will institutionalise hatred and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people in Uganda. Its passage into law signals a very grave episode in the nation’s history.”

Mr Museveni, a devout evangelical Christian, said he had sought advice from scientists before signing off on the law.

"No study has shown you can be homosexual by nature," he said. "That man can choose to love a man... is a matter of choice. After listening to the scientists, I got the facts. Can somebody be homosexual simply by nature? The answer is no."

The president said he had a particular problem with oral sex.

"One of the cultures that we detest is oral sex. The mouth is for picking food, not for sex. We know the address for sex. That address (the mouth) is not for sex," he said
www.telegraph.co.uk › ... › Africa and Indian Ocean › Uganda

Igredients for Successful Gay Relationships

Ingredients for Successful Gay Relationships

Introduction

As gay men, you’ve struggled through and endured all the challenges inherent in finding true love with another man in this homophobic society, but you did it! You found your Mr. Right! So now what?!
Not only did we as gay men not receive any education or guidance in how to date another man, but we certainly didn’t get the training manual on how to sustain a healthy, intimate partnership
with him once we found our ideal guy and decided to form a commitment with him. Gay partnerships can be very rewarding and fulfilling, but they require conscious effort and attentiveness to foster their successful growth and intimacy. What follows is a short tips list that gay couples can use as a quick-reference guide for keeping their relationships on track. Keep these bullet points in mind and you’ll have a solid foundation in place to make your relationship solid gold!

Relationship Success Tips

1. Avoid placing all your emotional needs on your partner.
Develop your own individual identity and through those experiences, your relationship will be enriched as you keep breathing new life into it.
2. Even if you’ve been together a long time, never expect your partner to know what your needs are. Mind-reading and making assumptions only leads to misunderstandings and potential conflicts. Learn to be assertive and ask directly for what you want.
3. Periodically have a “check-in” with your partner to reexamine how the relationship is going and how satisfied you and your partner are. This keeps the channels of communication open and can help renew the relationship, reinforcing the positives and uncovering areas in need of attention before things get too misguided.
4. Characteristic of relationship development, most couples have a diminishment of that honeymoon phase “high” that’s experienced in the beginning of a relationship when they first started dating. This is normal and not a reason to be concerned that there is something necessarily wrong. When this occurs, strive to bring more creativity and vitality into your relationship and sex life to spice things up. Surprise your partner. Be spontaneous and playful. Make him see how special and important he is to you.
5. Examine your satisfaction with the roles you play in your relationship. A real advantage of gay relationships is the ability to be flexible with life roles and not to have to ascribe to traditional sex role stereotypes commonly held in heterosexual relationships. Negotiate such roles and tasks openly and freely with your partner, acknowledging areas of strength and talent in this decision-making.
6. Avoid letting disagreements turn into ugly verbal battles where things could be said that are later regretted. Learn basic anger management principles and know when to call a “Time-Out” to defuse unproductive anger. Also learn how to re-engage following the cool-down period so issues can be resolved peacefully.
7. Protect your relationship legally by seeking assistance from an attorney to obtain the necessary legal documents befitting your particular relationship situation, including such things as power of attorney, wills, beneficiary designations, etc. Planning ahead with such things can insure that you’re each taken care of in the event that something was to jeopardize your union.
8. Don’t let the busyness of life take away from your relationship. Find a balance between work, alone time, friends, family, and time spent as a couple. Make “Date Night” a regular part of your lifestyle where you avoid discussing your problems or issues and just enjoy spending that quality time together. Never take each other for granted and remember that you’re a team.

GAY RELATIONSHIPS