Author Archives: Gabi Clayton

23 Jul

Appeal: A Ugandan Railroad Conductor Needs Urgent Medical Care

As of today we have supported the Ugandan citizen conductors to help 231 LGBTQ individuals escape from Uganda.

That is the good news.

The bad news is that in addition to the ongoing crisis we have an urgent medical situation we are asking for your help with.

One of the Ugandan ‘conductors’ was caught, held hostage, assaulted and was assisted by another conductor to escape. This is the second person we have been working with who has been bashed by haters while doing this critical work. When we say these people are putting their lives on the line to save others we are not exaggerating.

This is the report from the assisting conductor – redacted to protect identities and other sensitive information that would put them and those they are assisting out of the country at risk:

“… while trying to help [the passengers to] escape. The driver made several mistakes and they were kidnapped … some money was paid as a ransom, we try to manage the situation to avoid exposure and attention as, if the routes … get attention and exposure it makes crossing for future passengers totally impossible. [conductor’s name] was mis treated so that we pay some money, a stick pushed in his eye, which he has now lost, his side ear cut, somehow we got him out, following a game plan I played with the police … [conductor’s name] finally got to Kenya, first admitted a hospital but was expensive so he was moved to — by our sponsor and team in —, he has so far received so treatment including a surgery on his eye. We need some support towards his 2 operations.

“… we have to get [conductor’s name] operated on the spinal cord as there is also a clot, there is a quote of $1.407 and another of $523 So any contribution will be much appreciated.”

So we are putting out this appeal – a call for donations to raise $1,930.00 to pay for medical care for this conductor who was assaulted while doing the work to save fellow Ugandan people who happen to be LGBTQ. 

This is in addition to the ongoing call for donations to pay for the cost of getting more Ugandan passengers out.

Please make a donation!

To make a donation with PayPal, click here:

PayPal-Donate2FriendsNewUndergroundRailroad

Or send a check – see our donation page for how to do that.

Note:  Contributions to Friends New Underground Railroad/Safe Passage Fund through Olympia Friends Meeting are tax-deductible.

Please share this appeal with others to help us reach as many people, organizations, etc. as possible.

Thank you,
Gabi Clayton
Olympia, Washington

Co-Clerk, Peace and Social Justice Committee
Olympia Monthly Meeting
http://olympiafriends.org/
Friends New Underground Railroad (FNUR): http://friendsnewundergroundrailroad.org/
FNUR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FriendsNewUndergroundRailroad
FNUR on Twitter: http://twitter.com/FrNewUndergrRR

22 Jul

Update from a Conductor – and an Appeal

Message from one of the Friends New Underground Railroad conductors:

“Dear —-, hope you are fine. I always take a break from the quaker operations to look after [my family] but the demands and ever non stop requests from verified queers who wana leave Uganda can’t allow me to rest well enough. This afternoon I went to meet —- and I suggested to him that at least he also considers to take some more 10 queers mainly youths chased from families, students denied by their families and institutions, young working youths chased from work places and job, once some body is outted he or she is a target. Am not telling u to influence —- to also take mine clients but rather if resources permit, please help. Every time I loose a client to this gruesome attacks I feel though am not doing my self appointed job. Its not that I assume u have a lot of money to make it possible every day but rather a humble request.”

This conductor has 27 clients waiting to escape Uganda. It will cost $55 each = $1,485.00 plus the wire transfer fee. And the other conductors also have people waiting to escape.
Please donate! And please share this appeal with others! Thank you.

22 Jul

Uganda Gay On Move’s Leaders, Living in The Netherlands, Tell Their Stories

Friends New Underground Railroad is hoping to soon able to share the stories of some of the people the conductors we support have assisted out of Uganda.

In the meantime, to help you understand what some LGBTQ people have been dealing with, we found this – the leaders of  “Uganda Gay On Move (UGOM)” who are now living in The Netherlands, tell their stories including, “What is it like to live as an LGBT in Uganda?” and more. Read their stories:

Moses Walusimbi, Founder & Chairman
Julius Matovu, Founder & Vice Chairman
Rhoma Bugembe, Secretary
Robert Katende, Spokesperson / Media Coordinator
Jude Kasangaki
Isabella Atwine, Treasurer

See:
http://ugandagayonmove.nl/about-us/

17 Jul

Listen to the KUOW/NPR podcast of an interview with FNUR co-manager Talcott Broadhead

Homosexual Persecution

Flee Or Die: Olympia Quakers Support Uganda’s Underground Railroad

An interview with FNUR co-manager Talcott Broadhead.

By Ross Reynolds & Matthew Streib
Aired at 10:51 am Thursday, July 17, 2014 on 94.9 FM – KUOW/NPR – Seattle, WA

Read the article and listen to the KUOW/NPR podcast at:
http://kuow.org/post/flee-or-die-olympia-quakers-support-ugandas-underground-railroad

17 Jul

Friends New Underground Railroad co-manager Talcott Broadhead interviewed on KUOW, 94.9 FM today!

Talcott Broadhead

Talcott Broadhead, Friends New Underground Railroad co-manager (social worker, author, illustrator, publisher, parent, professor and activist) is interviewed by Ross Reynolds on KUOW, 94.9 FM – Seattle News & Information – NPR Radio – airing today, Thursday, July 17, 2014  from noon – 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time

Ross Reynolds and Marcie Sillman on The Record, 7/17:
Major David Tucker on returning from the warzone, and Olympia Quakers organize an “underground railroad” for gay people in Uganda.

Talcott Broadhead says: “Only lgbtq Ugandans know what lgbtq Ugandans need. We are honored to support their needs through this crisis.”

Listen live: http://kuow.org/programs/record

Most show segments are available online and as podcasts by 5 p.m. the day that they air.

Talcott Broadhead:
email: talcottbroadhead@friendsnewundergroundrailroad.org
website: http://www.talcottbroadheadmsw.com

17 Jul

Article: ‘Underground Railroad’ Ferries Gays Out Of Uganda

By Christian Walters – Towleroad –  07/15/2014

“The plight of gay Ugandans is well-known here, but it hasn’t gone unnoticed by the rest of the world. A group of Quakers calling themselves Friends New Underground Railroad (FNUR) formed to take action and help gays and lesbians in Uganda escape persecution.”

Read the whole article and please read the comments too:
http://www.towleroad.com/2014/07/quakers-form-underground-railroad-to-ferry-gays-out-of-uganda.html

15 Jul

July 15, 2014 Emergency Appeal! We are raising funds NOW to support the escape of 25 LGBT Ugandan individuals at great risk!

We are now raising funds for the planned escape of 25 LGBT individuals who were thrown out of two Ugandan “safe” houses by their landlords.

We want to do that immediately, as they are currently harbored close to a location where a large anti-gay rally – led by evangelical preachers – is being held in the next several days.

Our conductor fears that any revelation will result in a large mob action and/or attack.

It will cost us $55 per individual (plus a little bit for fund transfer fees) to get them to a safe place in another country, where they will be provided with food, housing, medical, psychosocial, legal, and visa support services.

So we need to raise the $1375.00 USD + to assist these people. Please donate!

UPDATE Wednesday 07/16/14: We are close! We need about $600 more today, and if we get it, the 25 will be able to leave. Please help if you can. And please share this. Thanks, Gabi Clayton

To make a donation with PayPal, click here:

PayPal-Donate2FriendsNewUndergroundRailroad

Or send a check. See how to do that on this page.

Contributions to Friends New Underground Railroad/Safe Passage Fund through Olympia Friends Meeting are tax-deductible.

Please share this appeal with your friends, colleagues, and any people or groups you know of who can help with donations. If people want more information, please direct them to the FAQs page on our website: http://friendsnewundergroundrailroad.org/faqs/ and let us know if you need other information.

Thank you,
Gabi Clayton
Friends New Underground Railroad Co-Manager
and Co-Clerk of Olympia Monthly Meeting‘s Peace and Social Justice Committee

15 Jul

News clip: With the situation for LGBT people in Uganda worsening…

[Friends New Underground Railroad] “…  is work we would prefer not to do. We are doing it because we were asked to by people who had direct threats on their lives,” says one organizer, who took the pseudonym Levi Coffin II in honor of a Quaker associated with the original Underground Railroad. “Names were read out over radio stations, with broadcasts calling for their arrests, imprisonment, castration, and sterilization. They have been many incitements to mob violence. People have been burned out of their homes (and burned themselves), thrown out of their jobs, expelled from schools. Hospitals are refusing to treat LGBTQ individuals.”

While he’s grateful they’ve been able to help individuals, Coffin doesn’t call the project a success. “It is not a win. It is not an answer. It is what we can do.”

Read it at:
http://www.newnownext.com/today-in-gay-15/07/2014/

14 Jul

An outside confirmation of the work we support in Uganda

One of the Ugandan conductors we work with assisted 22 seminary students to get out of  Uganda, which we mentioned in “Overview and Update – June 7, 2014” on our blog .

That work was confirmed by an outside (press) source in a June 26, 2014 Dutch article, “RK-Bisschop Oeganda geeft namen homoseksuelen aan politie”
which is posted online here: http://kerknieuws.nl/mobiel/artikel.php?i=27374

Thanks to a Google Translation, the sentence that confirms our work is:
“These students are, according to sources in Uganda now fled to Kenya where they are still hiding.”

And the last we heard from one of the people we work with is that eighteen of the seminarians are now in Europe.