The Consequence and the Choice.

The case of establishing the extent of the AAEs influence towards the legislation of the 2014 AHL relates back to powers of action embedded within the first two arms of the AAEs’ framework of influence. The presentation of Homosexuality as a problem to the Ugandan society also meant that the Ugandan society was in danger. On the other hand, the presentation of the solution to the problem also meant that the Ugandan society could overcome the danger if it acted following the laydown solution. The findings showed that the AAEs anticipated for the Ugandan society, the consequences for either acting in line with the suggested solution or failing to act on the problem which maintains the status quo. In this case, maintaining the status quo with regard to the problem would cause eminent consequences for the Ugandan society. Among the consequences for not acting on the problem, the AAEs state the enduring pain associated with the practice of homosexuality, especially, as they argue, in the cases of pedophilia. Deducing from their argument, the endurance of homosexuality in the society also means the endurance of child sexual abuse, since many of the children homosexually abused would most likely turn into homosexuals themselves and child abusers at the same time.

The majority of people that I have seen as homosexual were sexually abused as children, either by an adult or by an older child. Ah, the one that I was describing this

morning the 19 years old abusing the 4year old, was himself molested as a child when he was 2 or 3 years when was a child. Now, this is like evil game of tag; I tag you, now you are in. I tag another there, you are in;… Once you have sexually abused the live hood of a child you are actually doing to someone else. (PRA 2009a).

This succeeds in suggesting “homosexuality as a psychological flaw caused by any of the childhood traumas or familial dysfunctions” (Fetner 2005:78). The AAEs frame concurs with Anne Paulk, an ex-lesbian’s story detailing how her childhood experiences conditioned her orientation to homosexuality.

I was four years old when a teenage boy molested me . . . By the time I hit my teens I was rough . . . my heart cold. I believe being “feminine” meant being weak and vulnerable…so looking and dressing hard felt right. I had so thoroughly rejected my own femininity that, even though I had a lot of male friends, I just wasn’t attracted to men sexually. I became drawn to other women who had what I felt was missing in me. But the pain inside kept yelling.” (Alliance for Traditional Marriage quoted in Jakobsen, and Pellegrini 2003:83).

Paulk’s experience suggests that her change towards homosexuality was due to forces outside of her that changed her worldview of sexual expression. She demonstrates a reaction against to an experience that she hated. She also suggests suffering a psychological dysfunction in which she felt incompleteness of her being.

Apart from the case of pain and sexual abuse, the AAEs cautioned the Ugandan society about the possibility of an increased militant homosexual society in the country. This, the AAEs claimed, would eventually institute gay homosexual lifestyles (PRA 2009a). Such lifestyles would have no regard to the current, popular heterosexual norms of society. For the AAEs, this would be a serious consequence, since it would lead to the extinction of the human society and this would be the “collapse of the society” (PRA 2009a). In fact, the AAEs insist that, when the problem is left to persist, the goal of the gay movement would eventually be realized. This goal according to the AAEs “is to defeat the marriage-based-society and replace it with a culture of sexual promiscuity where there no sexual conduct except the principle of mutual choice”(PRA 2009a).

Just as maintaining the status quo of ‘The Problem’, would yield negative consequences, acting along ‘The Solution’ would, according to the AAEs, gain positive consequences for the Ugandan society. Among the positive consequences that the Ugandan society stood to gain in following the AAEs set of ‘Solution’, would be a continued restoration of God’s order of

creation, especially as far as procreation and sexual intimacy among humans is concerned. For the AAEs, sexual expressions by homosexuals is a sin, a deviation from God’s commandments and a provocation of God’s anger, similar as it was in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible. Although, linking the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible to the case of homosexuality has been challenged by some biblical scholars, the AAEs however maintain that it was due to homosexuality (Punt 2006). AAEs state, “It is self-evident truth. Genesis 19, Sodom and Gomorrah is a form of homosexuality in the first major incident… The scripture says why Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed; this was because they were going after strange flesh. Right, was going after strange flesh” (PRA 2009a).

The AAEs further suggest through ‘The Solution’ frame that homosexuality can be treated, thus restoring the ‘victims’ to ‘normalcy’. This would mean that the society is concerned of its members who are homosexuals and it intends to do its part in helping them overcome the practice of homosexuality. Scott Lively contended

Everything that we have had in this conference has been healing, love and care to people, right. Everything that we have had is all about dealing with the topic logically reasonably, sensibly, and rationally. So we divide that between the person that we love and the movement that we hate and we keep that clear” (PRA 2009a).

It became it can be deduced that the AAEs suggestion of Therapy was, by them, a mechanism of helping homosexuals. This would be seen as an act of love that restores unity to a broken society. It would be a condition that would neutralize the suspected rivalry between the pro- homosexuals and pro-heterosexuals. The seemingly supposed increase of homosexual movements in Uganda would be reduced and eventually cease to exist.

The collapse of a homosexual movement in Uganda would be seen as the triumph of the natural family as described by the AAEs. In this case, children would be born and raised in heterosexual families. According to the AAEs, cases such as sexual child abuse would also be reduced given that a society of homosexuals would have ceased to exist. Therefore, given these consequences, the Ugandan society was left with a Choice to make. This choice is logically suggested by the AAEs having argued the phenomenon of homosexuality through the AAEs’ framework of influence. It would deductively flow from the Ugandan society’s understanding and analysis of The Problem, The Solution and The Consequences. In the part that follows, the discussion is further extended in an attempt to explore possible religious based advantages that the AAEs as foreign religious leaders would have in influencing policy making, on homosexuality in Uganda.

6.3.2. TOWARDS POSSIBLE RELIGIOUS BASED ADVANTAGES FOR AAEs AS