All over the small beach town of Buchanan, Liberia, there are signs that say “Stop Costal Erosion!”

I saw houses on the brink of being washed away, and others where one big wave had made neighbors into housemates – sharing the cramped housing that remained.

It was entirely unclear to me what was causing the erosion – pollution? climate change? Everyone I talked to agreed that it was a serious issue that needed be addressed by both government and NGOs, but no one could really articulate what needed to be done.

Amadou and Miriam – Masiteladi.

HT to Loomie.

Though we are entering the fourth month of 2010, I have yet to be in Monrovia, my current home,  for more than three consecutive weeks. I’ve been to Uganda, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast recently, all amazing places, but somehow, the more I leave, the more I realize how the particular brand of crazy that is Liberia is something I want to hold on to.

Lately, I’ve been more and more interested in portraiture. But, I can never seem to get one photo that I feel captures something about who the subject is. Maybe that’s because I’m not a good enough portrait photographer yet, or maybe it’s because there’s no one person who can be explained in one image.

I know that I’m mixing the French term for “Cameroon” with the English term for “caterer,” but I kind of feel like a mash up is the best way to describe this pleasant country, which I’ve alternatively heard described as either the best of or the worst of a combination of Nigeria and Congo. Either way, these caterers’ ties were definitely one of the best parts of an event I attended the other day.

Pepe’s partner at their home in Kampala

A couple of days ago, Chris Blattman linked to my recent reporting on the gay community and asked, Is Uganda a good place to be gay?

Homophobia is real and widespread. Yet Uganda boasts a vibrant gay rights movement, and nowhere else in Africa have I seen a more open and public debate. Gay men and women tell their stories in the newspapers; protests and legal battles get fair and often favorable coverage in the press. Every single editorial board of every major newspaper is solidly behind the gay rights movement.

The anti-homosexuality bill, simply put, is a backlash. A backlash from a group that, in the long run, is losing the battle of ideas.

Blattman is right that western newspapers are behind the gay rights movement, but doesn’t mention that Ugandan newspapers regularly publish stories calling for “forensic anal probes” to determine whether or not someone has participated in “sodomy.”

The virulent hatred I heard during a taping of Agenda Uganda on the bill made it clear that while things are being discussed, the discussion is neither balanced nor courteous.

Many of the people I talked to think things have gotten worse recently because of the bill. In a way, friends told me, it allows people who were mildly homophobic or not public about their homophobia to not just express themselves but also to act on their hatred and fears. It’s impossible to say how many violent attacks or instances of discrimination have taken place recently or in the past simply because the police are some of the most homophobic people in this equation.

There are whispered stories of violent offenses too grave to write without confirmation, and too dangerous to confirm.

But, in one respect, Chris is right: Uganda has a chance to be a leader in sub-Saharan Africa and set a precedent for protecting gay rights. That is, if the bill doesn’t pass. When I was asking to speak to people last month, many said no and cited the bill as the reason. I thought to myself, “there’s no way that bill will pass, ever,” but my conviction is nothing compared to the consequences they will face if I am wrong.

Here’s what Andrew Mwenda has to say:

Multitudes of Ugandans are homophobic and would not hesitate to sanction genocide against gays. To secure attitudinal change through force would require unprecedented violence. Our challenge is how to foster openness and tolerance. This can only be achieved through open debate.

This is why although Bahati is subjectively homophobic, he is objectively an ally of gays. By introducing his bill with provisions to kill gays, he has inadvertently opened debate on a subject that has been taboo in Uganda. In the process, he has given gays and progressive intellectuals an opportunity and a platform to enlighten Ugandans about sexual diversity and expose the fallacies that inform homophobia.

He’s right that a conversation has started, and things might change quickly. But, for now, Uganda is not a good place to be gay . That’s like saying the American South in the 1960s was a good place to be black.

We’ll just have to wait and see where the conversation goes.

I ask a lot of people. I ask for their stories, their past and present, their secrets, their fears. Most people give generously of themselves. They offer me a seat or invite me into their homes.

I’m always amazed by how much people share with me when all I’ve done is ask. But when I went to Uganda a month ago, I was especially astounded. At a time when an anti-homosexuality bill threatens to criminalize loving and living, several gay friends nonetheless invited me to their homes and allowed me to take their photos, to write down their names, to risk further exposure. They could have just said no. Many people I asked did. But a few didn’t. And I’m glad for it, and glad to share their stories here.

Read my article in Time, see a story a colleague wrote that uses one of my photos, and see more images on glennagordon.com.

I’m not taking a boat, but I kinda think I’d get there just as quickly if I did: today I fly from Monrovia to Yaounde, Cameroon, via Nairobi of course, on a red eye that ends up at NBO at 5 am, but feels like 3 am to me because of the time change.  This will be the third time I’ve taken this flight in the past five months. I walk up that weird ramp/staircase into the terminal, bleary eyed and exhausted, and buy juice at Java’s and try not to fall asleep in my chair.

(In case you’re wondering, the distance as-the-bird-not-the-plane-flies between Monrovia and Yaounde is 1,545 miles. The distance from Monrovia to Nairobi to Yaounde is 5,111 miles.)

I haven’t had as much time to blog lately as I would have liked, but I hope I’ll still get a few chances in Cameroon. And, hopefully I’ll also post soon about the work I did on a recent trip to Uganda that of involved, among other things, that same bleary eyed walk up those not stairs at NBO.