How Many Words Have You Read Decrying the Ugandan Gay Hating Law

How many of those suggested something that could be done about that?  While the blogging class babbled, other people were doing something.

"Susan" was seeking political asylum from Uganda, running for her life because she is a lesbian. After surviving house arrest, corrective gang rape ordered by her father, and domestic slavery, she spent every dollar she had to escape to Boston, with no choice but to leave behind her young son, who was fathered by one of her rapists. "Paul" was a millionaire in Uganda, and was also active in the fight against HIV in children. After being discovered with his partner, he was imprisoned, tortured, and was going to be killed after the prison determined its corrective strategies were not working. One night, while emptying the bucket that served as his toilet, Paul ran from the armed guards, hiding in dark fields until he was able to obtain his visa and flee to America.  

The common thread between these two asylum seekers is Hadwen Park Congregational Church United Church of Christ and its LGBT Asylum Support Task Force, a program that both Susan and Paul credit with saving their lives. Run by the Rev. Judy Hanlon, pastor of the Worcester, Mass., church, the LGBT Asylum Support Task Force has provided a safe refuge for more than 80 LGBT asylum seekers like Susan and Paul from 15 countries around the world since 2008. As countries like Uganda pass extreme anti-gay legislation like the Anti-Homosexuality Act, which Ugandans celebrated with a thanksgiving service on Monday, March 31, Hanlon only expects her work to increase as more members of the LGBT community seek help, safety and freedom.

"There has definitely been an uptick in the amount of emails, and it's definitely related to the cruelty there," Hanlon said of Ugandan asylum seekers. "My life has been changed. My little crap that I worry about – are you kidding? These people are so strong."

The LGBT Asylum Support Task Force is a group of volunteers in Central Massachusetts who provide support to people seeking political asylum in the U.S. based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. While UCC congregations and members are the program's primary supporters, the task force also receives funding from other faith groups, colleges, foundations, and the general community. To support the program's current level of asylum seekers, Hanlon "pounds the pavement" for $5,000 each month to support its goal of $50,000 per year. But with the increased anti-gay measures in Uganda and other countries, Hanlon is hoping to double this year's donations.