Few well organised and skilled personalities can achieve what non-organised masses can fail. That is exactly what the global gay-community is doing in regard to Ndorwa West MP David Bahati’s proposed Anti-gay Bill in Parliament.
The inclusion of death penalty for homosexual and non-homosexual offences, totally adulterated the Bill. Organised advocacy can work better for politicians than encouraging the masses to hold street demos which expose them to the risk of being brutalised by armed forces. That is exactly, how the pro-gay community, have managed to cuff the Uganda government to nearly backing off the controversial Anti-gay Bill. There is even now a video on the internet that details how dangerous the anti-gay bill is to everybody, regardless of their sexual orientation.
“I am very grateful to Rob Tisinai for making a master class YouTube video that explains the full horrors of the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill,” says human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell of OutRage when referring to a short video by Rob which explains the full and deadly clauses in the Bill.
The bill currently before the Ugandan Parliament was sponsored by MP Bahati from the ruling party National Resistance Movement (NRM). The bill also has some clauses calling for a death penalty for anybody guilty of homosexual acts.
Ever since the bill was introduced last year, it has attracted worldwide condemnation. Early last month, the US President Barack Obama and his Secretary of State, Ms Hillary Rodham Clinton castigated the bill. Canadian and British prime ministers have also expressed concern.
The bill extends the existing penalty of life imprisonment for anal intercourse to all other same-sex behaviour, including the mere touching of another person with the intent to have homosexual relations and imposes a life imprisonment sentence for contracting a same-sex marriage.
Although, Uganda’s Ethics and Integrity Minister James Nsaba Buturo supports the bill, in an exclusive communiqué to this reporter about the Anti-gay Bill in Uganda’s parliament, the UK Minister of State for Africa, Baroness Kinnock, indicated that the British government is so disturbed by the bill that it has let the Ugandan government know about its objection: “We are very concerned about the bill and have made this clear in numerous representations to the Uganda government. Most recently, the Prime Minister raised the issue with Ugandan President Museveni at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Trinidad,” said Ms Kinnock.
President Museveni himself appreciates the power of the West as reflected in his speech last month to members of his party conference about his experience during CHOGM in Trinidad & Tobago: “The Prime Minister of Canada came to see me and what was he talking about? Gays. Prime Minister Gordon Brown came to see me and what was he talking about? Gays. Mrs Clinton [US Secretary of State] rang me. What was she talking about? Gays. There was a rally in New York of 300,000 homosexuals. Now, I would want to challenge you members of Parliament, how many of you, other than me, have had a rally of 300,000 people?
The UK Minister of State for Africa, Ms Kinnock, added: “Likewise, I raised the issue with Uganda’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sam Kutesa, also at CHOGM. The UK High Commissioner in Kampala takes every appropriate opportunity to engage Ugandan Ministers on the issue.
“We have also lobbied through the EU, Sweden, who held the EU Presidency in Uganda, led EU demarche to Ugandan Foreign Ministry in December. The European Parliament has also called on the Uganda authorities not to approve the bill in a resolution passed on 17 December,” last year.
Kinnock expressed fears about the Bill saying it’s detrimental to those who offer services for the fight against HIV/AIDS in Uganda. “Our concerns include the negative impact the bill would have on the rights of homosexual and heterosexual Ugandans through the criminalisation of any action that could be construed as support for homosexuality,” reads part of the letter.
It adds: “This could be extremely detrimental to the fight against HIV/AIDS in Uganda as, in theory, most donor agencies and international non-governmental organisations could be encompassed under this law. The UK is also in close touch with and is supporting Ugandan civil society organisations campaigning against the bill. We will continue to follow the passage of the bill and to lobby against its introduction,”
Under the current provisions of the bill being a member to organisations advocating and funding gay human rights and providing condoms or safer sex advice to gay people can be construed as supporting or promoting homosexuality and would therefore attract a sentence of between five and seven years in jail.
“It shows that this Bill is far more lethal and wide-reaching than most people realise. Ugandans don’t have to be gay or to have gay sex to be sentenced to death,” said Tatchell.
Under the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, the crime of “serial offender” is punishable by execution. A serial offender is a person who has “previous convictions” for “homosexuality or related offences.”
In other words, if a Ugandan has previous convictions for offences in the Bill and then has a subsequent conviction he or she will be classified as a serial offender and face execution.
“Related offences” in the Bill that can result in a death sentence for serial offenders include non-sexual acts such as: aiding and abetting homosexuality, advocating same-sex relationships or LGBT rights, having a same-sex marriage, publicising or funding pro-LGBT organisations, using the internet or a mobile phone for the purpose of homosexuality or its promotion, being a person in authority who fails to report an offender to the police within 24 hours.
These related offences are crimes that could be also committed by a heterosexual person. It is not just LGBT Ugandans who are threatened by this legislation, potential foreign visitors too are threatened by the bill. Under the bill, all convicted serial offenders are liable to execution, regardless of their sexuality. So who is safe? There might be nobody.
The writer is a Ugandan living in the United Kingdom
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To see the video on the Uganda bill
written by Rob Tisinai, March 10, 2010
Thanks for mentioning the video. Anyone who is curious can see it here:
http://wakingupnow.com/blog/uganda-kill-everyone-video
-1 Mangoes and tomatoes
written by Jespa, March 10, 2010
The writer of this article is mistaken . One should never compare mangoes with tomatoes . The gay movement that is making all this noise and producing videos is operating from outside of Uganda . They are organised as a special interest group . The opposition is based in Uganda where it deals with things that are not easy to judge . There are times when it can be said that the opposition has been smarter than Musevenis government .But that is a small part of a long story Its equally naive for one to declare that the gay community has won this war . It quite unlikely that Uganda will ever embrace homosexuality .
Homosexuals and their supporters are in for a shock if they think that this is over .
+2 Mangoes and tomatoes
written by Jespa, March 10, 2010
The writer of this article is mistaken . One should never compare mangoes with tomatoes . The gay movement that is making all this noise and producing videos is operating from outside of Uganda . They are organised as a special interest group . The opposition is based in Uganda where it deals with things that are not easy to judge . There are times when it can be said that the opposition has been smarter than Musevenis government .But that is a small part of a long story Its equally naive for one to declare that the gay community has won this war . It quite unlikely that Uganda will ever embrace homosexuality .
Homosexuals and their supporters are in for a shock if they think that this is over .
+1 jespa
written by solo, March 10, 2010
Jespa you must be mistaken if you for one moment think that we
Ugandan homosexuals think this war is over. It has just began and
we know we are in it for the the long haul.
-1 Solo
written by Jespa, March 10, 2010
Miwambo`s article gives a wrong impression . That is what my comment is about . If you are a homosexual , you should have read that many homosexuals think that they are so " powerful " they have stopped Uganda government to make very strong ant-gay laws . My opinion is that Miwambo and many homosexuals have failed to realize that the only part of Bahati`bill that some Ugandan organisations are opposed to is capital punishment. You may want to know that these same Human rights blocs are already against the death penalty anyway - regardless of the crime committed. This means that when or if the death penalty is ammended out of Bahatis bill , the homosexuals will have it tough and rough ´not only in Uganda , but allover Africa.
Just watch !.
+1 Jespa
written by gayuganda, March 10, 2010
Maybe what you havent realised, Jespa, is that that terrible bill, and the fact that some Ugandans, our fellow Ugandans think that it is good in the name of god to kill us and that that has galvanised us.
Of course we are a minority. But, we also have lots of stuff on our side. think of us as David against your Goliath. And, with that you might understand what we mean.
to say that most of the larger organisations are against the bill because of the death penalty is to be simplistic. Read the Catholic letter. Read the letter from the UJCC. that video is about only the death penalty. But....
anyway, just know it that also Ugandan, and African homosexuals have had a wake up call.
we are few. I still bet on us winning.
gug
+0 ...
written by Major Adam Kifaliso, March 10, 2010
m7 is a coward afraid of well organised groups , he preffers mengo , seya's DP to his raw brute and premitive insticts ,
+0 Minority
written by Jespa, March 10, 2010
There are many sexual minorities in Uganda and elsewhere, gayman .There is nothing simplist here.. I have read what all these groups ,have written. I n a nutshell they think that you homosexuals are sick or invalids that need treatment or prayer and not prison of death . I am sure that these groups would say the same if Uganda was about to pass a law that may send rapists and other people who practice un-natural sex to the gas chamber. The writer of this article and you gay people should not confuse " sympathy " with " rights " or "power"
+0 Minority
written by Jespa, March 10, 2010
There are many sexual minorities in Uganda and elsewhere, gayman .There is nothing simplist here.. I have read what all these groups ,have written. I n a nutshell they think that you homosexuals are sick or invalids that need treatment or prayer and not prison of death . I am sure that these groups would say the same if Uganda was about to pass a law that may send rapists and other people who practice un-natural sex to the gas chamber. The writer of this article and you gay people should not confuse " sympathy " with " rights " or "power"
+0 Minority
written by Jespa, March 10, 2010
There are many sexual minorities in Uganda and elsewhere, gayman .There is nothing simplist here.. I have read what all these groups ,have written. I n a nutshell they think that you homosexuals are sick or invalids that need treatment or prayer and not prison of death . I am sure that these groups would say the same if Uganda was about to pass a law that may send rapists and other people who practice un-natural sex to the gas chamber. The writer of this article and you gay people should not confuse " sympathy " with " rights " or "power"
+0 jasper
written by solo, March 11, 2010
In my humble opinion those who think that by remov ing the death penalty from this bill
will make a big diffrence are gravely mistaken.
Those opposed to the bill may have used it as a ralling point but I think they are being dishonest at best.
Most of the proponents of this bill genuienly beileve that they are right just like the withe minority in south Africa believed in apartied how ever they were wrong and so are bahati and co.
Shouldn this bill pass we will not only challenge it in court but also lobby the international community to impose sanctions on uganda similar to those given to south africa and Zimbabwe.
Given that there are numerous elected openly gay important figures in the west we are hopeful
+0
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