Julius Kaggwa2013-05-25T00:35:06-04:00Julius Kaggwahttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/index.php?author=julius-kaggwaCopyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Julius KaggwaGood old fashioned elbow grease.Life's No Play, But Certain Characters' Voices Are Heard Loud and Clear in Ugandatag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.18217402012-08-24T13:51:00-04:002012-10-24T05:12:11-04:00Julius Kaggwahttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/julius-kaggwa/play exploring homosexuality in Uganda, in the hopes that the work can "normalize the gay character" in our country. A positive societal response to the play is much-needed, so let's hope the authorities don't view the performance as a promotion of homosexuality and decide to "stage" a show of their own, one in which a police squadron shows up to disperse, detain, or even assault people publicly advocating for equality. We face enough problems with the coming and going of the infamous Anti-Homosexuality Bill; we need positive vibes for gay Ugandans and their supporters.
During Hillary Clinton's recent trip to Kampala, I had the opportunity to meet her when she presented the U.S. State Department's 2011 Human Rights Defenders Award to me and my colleagues. I was previously recognized by Human Rights First, and my good friends Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera and Frank Mugisha recently received the Martin Ennals and the RFK Human Rights Awards, respectively. This recognition by the U.S. Department of State and other international organizations brings much-needed visibility to the fundamental rights issues we are seeking to advance.
Secretary Clinton's message to us was as follows:
I've said before it is critical for all Ugandans -- the government and citizens alike -- to speak out against discrimination, harassment and intimidation of anyone. That's true no matter where they come from, what they believe or whom they love. And no one has been a stronger champion than all of you. You've been organized, disciplined, and savvy. You have marshaled the evidence and made the arguments using the rights enshrined in Uganda's constitution and in international law. And by doing so, you are a model for others and an inspiration to the world.
She spoke of the need to combat intolerance in her meetings with President Museveni and other Ugandan officials who have fallen far short in their duty to protect all Ugandans -- including LGBTI Ugandans -- from violence and severe discrimination.
Why is it necessary for Secretary Clinton to raise this?
This year Ugandan authorities have intensified their crackdown on LGBTI organizations and civil society groups. One minister announced that he would seek to ban at least 38 nongovernmental organizations he claims are promoting gay rights. Our country's first-ever Pride festival, which took place the day after our meeting with Secretary Clinton, was stormed by police, who tried to arrest everyone and briefly detained several activists. For the past few years the legislature has been considering a bill that would severely increase the punishments for consensual same-sex relations. The Anti-Homosexuality Bill is now famous and has been an urgent and ongoing concern for many Ugandans, while drawing significant government resources and attention away from pertinent economic, environmental, and human rights challenges facing our country.
We are trying to influence our own government, but we need all the help we can get. In recent years I've met with senior American policymakers -- including President Obama, Secretary Clinton, and various congressional leaders -- who recognized the precarious position of LGBTI individuals and LGBTI rights activists in Uganda and elsewhere in Africa, and who continue to speak out on our behalf. Increasingly, new, vital voices are joining this international campaign. Last week, a group of 46 American Christian leaders issued an open letter expressing solidarity with LGBTI Ugandans in the face of "increased bigotry and hatred." Signers included former U.S. Ambassador to Uganda and the Vatican Thomas P. Melady, President of the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good Rich Cizik, and Sojourners President Jim Wallis.
The letter noted, "Regardless of the diverse theological views of our religious traditions regarding the morality of homosexuality, the criminalization of homosexuality, along with the violence and discrimination against LGBT people that inevitably follows, is incompatible with the teachings of our faith."
My own civic and Christian faith remains strong and unyielding despite the rhetorical assault coming from our own political and faith leaders who seek to undermine our human rights. Although changes in these attitudes must ultimately come from Ugandans, the support we receive from American political and faith leaders is important. It gives us strength and hope.
]]>Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill Doubly Endangers LGBT Community and Human Rights Activiststag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.4638102010-02-16T11:13:57-05:002011-05-25T15:30:22-04:00Julius Kaggwahttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/julius-kaggwa/LGBT rights, or provide social and medical services to LGBT individuals, and turn Ugandan citizens into anti-homosexual informers. This week I am traveling to Washington, DC to speak at the Washington Human Rights Summit, where I will address the bill's costs to human rights and democracy in Uganda.
The Ugandan penal code already violates international human rights norms by criminalizing homosexuality, and the larger societal effects are seen. LGBT Ugandans endure verbal insults, physical and sexual harassment, arbitrary arrests and torture, and humiliating publicity. They are victims of correctional rape and other sexual abuse, blackmail, and arbitrary detention, and are denied health care, housing, education and other social services on account of their sexual orientation. Since the introduction of this bill in October, 2009, there have been reports of death threats against LGBT individuals and police have raided the offices of some human rights activists.
Most Christians in Uganda support this bill because homosexuality is seen as "a spiritual and moral cancer" and painted as harmful to society, showing a misunderstanding about sexual minorities that solidifies intolerance and engenders violence. In an attempt to determine the cause of my sexual variance, a dentist once asked me if there were witches in my family. In addition to my dentist's unwelcome inquiries, I've had my house set on fire, had several demands for invasive body searches as a prerequisite for job interviews and church membership, and lost a job due to slanderous media coverage about my sexuality. My personal experiences speak to the harassment that affects LGBT Ugandans every day, and the passage of this bill will weaken Ugandan democracy and ruin the lives of countless individuals who are already suffering under oppressive anti-homosexual legislation.
If passed, this bill will heighten legislative and social persecution of sexual minorities in Uganda, increasing hate crimes and their consequent risk of torture, blackmail, and murder of homosexuals by both state and non-state actors. Religious leaders are already threatening to hunt homosexuals if the government does not pass the bill quickly. As a human rights defender and sexual minority, I fear for my life. As a Christian, I know that this bill is devoid of the principles of love, tolerance, compassion, and mercy that Christianity embodies.
My organization, SIPD, promotes support and human rights for people with atypical sex development, and is part of the Civil Society Coalition -- a larger alliance with members of Uganda's civil society -- that is campaigning against the monstrous implications of this bill. We believe that the character of our country and the rights of its citizens are at stake, and we will continue to insist that the parliament and government of Uganda withdraw the bill in its entirety. The Bill is unconstitutional and it would show our country to be among the most repressive and dangerous for sexual minorities.
Julius Kaggwa is director of the Support Initiative for people with atypical sex Development.]]>