February 2010

by Lisa Miller

This month we are launching a new newsletter feature fondly named C-Cubed: our Community Corner Conversations.

Each month I will pose a question or a poll or something along those lines and ask you to send in your contributions to the discussion in the following weeks. I will then compile your responses and post them in the next newsletter. I think it will be very interesting to hear from and share with each other. Imagine the surprises and the fun that awaits our little humanist community!

There are so many things I'd like to ask you, but let me lead with this: do you have a human rights issue that you just can't stop thinking about? Something that you want to shout to the world? (Or just generally let out a good yell?)

For some reason I just can't stop thinking about the law they're trying to push through in Uganda engaging draconian attacks against homosexuality. The proposed law (which was reported at one time to have had a 99% chance of passing, before the international community got involved) calls for lifetime imprisonment for anyone committed of a homosexual act. Death is the sentence for "aggravated" homosexual acts, which includes anyone found to have the HIV virus. As extreme as this is, the law also includes a 7-year prison term for anyone who "helps" with homosexuality: counselors, activists. AND a 3-year prison term for anyone who doesn't report within 24 hours any known instance of homosexual activity. My mind reels. It seems some of America's religious leaders are complicit in this bill. They were leading seminars in Uganda about homosexuality (we can just imagine), but disavow any links to a call for death…

So what human rights issue is on your mind community? The newly enacted 25,000 euro fine in Ireland for any instance of blasphemy? The brutal silencing of election protestors in Iran?

You can send your thoughts to "Lisa at HumanistsofUtah dot org." I will also be sending out a group email a little later for easy response (and a reminder.) The deadline is February 26. Keeping in mind that we need to compile this for the newsletter, I will definitely enjoy reading your paragraphs but will probably condense them down to a sentence or two. I'm also thinking that we will not identify the specific members with the responses, so you will have some anonymity if that helps. I can't wait to hear from you!

--Lisa Miller