KONY 2012 Director Detained, Org. Tied to Antigay Groups

It's been discovered that Jason Russell, the director of the viral video on Ugandan war lord Joseph Kony, may have connections to rightwing antigay organizations. But that's not his only problem — he was detained Thursday by San Diego police for masturbating in public.



Russell, 33, is the founder of Invisible Children, a nonprofit organization that produces films to educate people on global issues such as environmentalism and human rights. He was arrested Thursday after allegedly vandalizing several cars and masturbating in the streets while possibly being under the influence of alcohol or drugs, police told NBC San Diego.



Lt. Andra Brown said, "Due to the nature of the detention, he was not arrested. During the evaluation, we learned we probably needed to take him to a medical facility because of statements he was saying."



Russell's business partner, Invisible Children CEO Ben Keesey, said Russell has been under an immense amount of stress since the release ofKony 2012.



"Jason Russell was unfortunately hospitalized yesterday suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, and malnutrition," he said in a statement Thursday. "He is now receiving medical care and is focused on getting better. The past two weeks have taken a severe emotional toll on all of us, Jason especially, and that toll manifested itself in an unfortunate incident yesterday."



For & Against with Jim Morrison, a news magazine on Here TV (a network that's part of Here Media, which owns The Advocate), reviewed the documentary, pointing out Invisible Children's ties to antigay organizations, such as the National Christian Foundation. The NCF describes itself as "the largest Christian grant-making foundation in the world." Truth Wins Out reports that the organization has disbursed grants to some of the most antigay groups in the country, including Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council.



Ironically, NCF, which donated $135,000 in 2009 to Invisible Children, also helps fund the Fellowship Foundation, which works in conjunction with the fundamentalist shadow organization known as “The Family.” That outfit has largely pushed Christian Ugandan lawmakers to propose a "kill the gays" bill, which would make homosexuality punishable by death.



Invisible Children's tax records also show several churches, private religious schools, and religious organizations like Legacy of a Christian Vision, and the antigay, antiabortion Malachai Foundation. Other donors include several public schools, secular organizations, and liberal individual donors, as well as celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and NFL player Jamal Williams.



Russell was also an invited guest of Liberty University, a staunchly Christian college, where he told students about how to use "extremely low-key, or stealth evangelism," Alternet reports.



Morrison also points out that while the film does shed light to an issue that many people around the world are unaware of, the film is an incomplete look at the egregious human rights violations that have occurred in Uganda and across Africa. Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni, Morrison says, is equally to blame for the deaths of thousands, as well as forcing children to become soldiers.



Watch Morrison's special segment on the Kony 2012 documentary below: