Pray For Those Who Persecute You

This worthwhile post discusses some interesting developments in Nigerian politics. It seems that there's currently a bill before the Nigerian Senate which would criminalize homosexual organizations of any kind, as well as any public displays that signify same sex "amorous relationships."

Why, how regressive and apluralistic, right? I mean, we're not just talking about sexual activity here, but we're talking about the Nigerian equivalent of the Mattachine Society. Too, a provision of the law penalizes the promulgation of images of those same sex amorous relations.

What small-minded thirdworlders would be behind such a law?

Why, Anglican Archbishop Peter Akinola, for one. The spiritual leader of several million Nigerian Anglicans and of a few thousand formerly Episcopalian Americans thinks this legislation is just swell. The Americans who are clutching at Archbishop Akinola's ever-lovin' bossom to preserve them from the horror and hellfire of Host-consecratin' homos are tripping all over themselves trying to explain this to their more pluralist Episcopalian confrères. After all, it's one thing to want to separate yourself from a presiding archbishop who's an icky girl and a homo-lovin' one at that, but gosh, does that mean you have to associate yourself with a nightmare in a purple dress who wants to send Nigerian pooftahs to prison for five years for getting together for a coffee clatch?

Thus, the American Akinola apologists argue that their new bishop and confessor is promoting this law to prevent imposition of a harsher alternative: the imposition of Sharia law in Nigeria, which calls for the stoning to death of homosexuals. (Islam is a religion of Peace!)

But apparently, that isn't quite the concern in Nigeria. And the Moslem President of the Nigerian Senate is against the bill, arguing that it's unnecessary as they already have legislation defining marriage as between a man and a woman so let's all move on and see if we can't come up with some issues to work on that people besides our homophobic Archbishop actually care about.

As you can probably tell by the liberties I'm taking with alliteration and colorful language, this burns me up.

The pricks.

If'n you like Nigerian Anglicanism so much, why don't you pack up and go live in Nigeria? Hmmmm?

But here's the thing: they're the losers and we're the winners. In ten years, we'll see same sex couples marching down the aisles in Episcopal churches across the country, even more gay and lesbian (and maybe transgendered?) Episcopal clergy. Several more states will offer legal recognition to our relationships. Our fundamentalist non-denominational Christian brothers and sisters will realize that if'n they keep comin' at the gays, we'll keep comin' at them, boycotting their businesses and makin' a big ol' fuss when their leaders indulge themselves in the tina fueled buggery-filled soirées. And they'll just decide to devote their attention to taking on less vicious adversaries like the NEA and the teachers' unions so they can home school their kids and not have to pay school taxes. Cannier politicians will decide that the issue doesn't have legs.

And we'll all just move on.

And perhaps, gay and lesbian Americans, rather than resting on their laurels, will turn their attention to the world beyond our borders, joining their brothers and sisters in the UK and South Africa and put our time, energy, and resources towards the international struggle for gay and lesbian liberation.

If'n I was in NYC, I'd be thinking about calling up some of my old activist buddies and seeing if we could make some signs and do a demonstration outside of the Nigerian Consulate.