Southridge High School Students Protest Uganda's Anti-Gay Bill

by Rhonda J Mangus | January 23, 2010 at 03:21 am

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Southridge High School students will protest Uganda's anti-gay legislation Saturday, January 23, 2010, by holding a Respect Humanity: Uganda March and Rally in Beaverton, Oregon. Students feel a connection to Uganda because Southridge has a long-standing sister-school relationship with St. Andrew's Matale Senior Secondary School located in Rakai District, Southern Uganda.

"They've only been exposed to reading about Africa through textbooks," said Sean Mailey, a history teacher. "This gives them a chance to study about Africa in a real way."

Students got more exposure last year when four Ugandan students spent nearly three weeks at Southridge. In 2008, a group of Southridge students and staff visited St. Andrew's to help build a science lab for the private school, where about half the students are orphans of a parent who died of HIV or AIDS.

Senior Evy Lopez, who grew up in Lesotho, South Africa, said she is worried about all of the children who would be affected by the bill, including her Ugandan friends who have parents living with AIDS.

"It feels like another Holocaust to me," said Lopez, who is helping plan the rally. "It feels like we are cleansing out the people who are different from us."

The rally's theme is "Respect Humanity," a concept that learning specialist Rich Matkins emphasized when he coordinated a schoolwide survey in 2007 polling students on safety and tolerance of everything from race to gender. One of his findings: 83 percent of students never stood up for their peers who were being bullied.

"We all need to step up to the plate and develop sensitivity and compassion for people who are different than us," said Matkins, Gay-Straight Alliance adviser.

Students in the alliance, Uganda Club and leadership class are planning the event. Momentum has grown as students sent invitations, submitted permits to the city and began fielding media requests. A Facebook event page shows 350 people saying they will attend.

More information on Southridge High School's Respect Humanity: Uganda March and Rally, here. Or, contact: respect.uganda@gmail.com.

Take Action: Tell Uganda To Respect Human Rights And Dismiss the Anti-Homosexuality Bill

No one in the western world gave hoot about Uganda until they put forth a politically incorrect piece of legislation. Leave them alone, let them run their own country. Perhaps they do NOT want the perversion of the US forced upon them.

Just an FYI - We (Southridge) have been involved in Uganda for ten years and if it weren't for us, then 200 students would not be going to school and if this bill passes then at least 4 of those students will go to prison for life. Just because you don't give a hoot, doesn't mean that everyone else doesn't. So keep your closed minded views to yourself!

SrHS, I will apologize to you for my comment. It should have been worded better. I should have said, "very few", instead of no one.

I understand how you can take care of sending kids to school there. My family and i do the same. In fact, my oldest daughter sponsors a child in Haiti. She used words almost identical to what i said about Uganda with regards to the aid going to Haiti on account of the earthquake there.

For what it is worth, i sponsored a child in Uganda for almost 10 years. I also have friends in Africa that take in babies infected with AIDS who have been abandoned by parents, or when the mother has died due to AIDS. It is an extremely heartbreaking task.

Thank you for posting this story about what the students did in Beaverton, Oregon. It is so refreshing to see teenagers doing something so caring and compassionate like this, for people they don't even know. To respond to the person who said the US is pushing their "perversion" (more openmindedness towards gay people?) on Uganda, what the US actually did was push the idea for this legislation on Uganda, taking advantage of their desire to eliminate the AIDS epidemic that is rampant in the country. By hanging gay people with AIDS or who have HIV, they were told they could get rid of AIDS in their country. By putting gay people without AIDS or HIV in prison for life, they were told they could keep AIDS from spreading. By making people turn in a family member who is gay, they were told they could stop AIDS in Uganda. We know this is not the truth, but Ugandans are so desperate that they believed this from those ultra-conservative Congressmen who told them these things. Do not think that Uganda is acting on their own - they are acting BECAUSE OF what the US has pushed on them. I think the tables turn when you know this information. If you don't believe that, read about "The Family" and Scott Lively and about all the lies they put on Uganda in the first place, like the US will cut off funding if Uganda doesn't comply with this action. Hats off to the students who are spiritually supporting their sister school in Uganda when they do this kind of awareness-raising. God bless the students in Oregon for their kind hearts. God bless the Ugandans, all of them, including the gay ones and the ones with AIDS or HIV. They need our love and support, not our hate. I pray for everyone, including Hugh Askew, who has so much hate and fear in his heart.

You are very welcome, What would Jesus do? (not verified). Thank you for reading and commenting. Your thoughts are well-taken.

SrHS Student (not verified)

Just an FYI - We (Southridge) have been involved in Uganda for ten years and...

First Flagged at 4:21 AM, Jan 23, 2010 by Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

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Southridge High School Students Protest Uganda's Anti-Gay Bill

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