The Ugandan Parliament has before it a draft bill on homosexuality. If passed, this bill will bring the country into a direct collision with established international human rights standards aimed at preventing discrimination.
I welcome the recent statements by the President and other senior members of the Government suggesting that the Government might intervene to stop the private member's bill from becoming law.
The so-called "Anti-Homosexuality Bill," tabled by one member of Parliament but believed to be supported by a number of others, prohibits any form of sexual relations between people of the same sex, as well as the promotion or recognition of homosexual relations as a healthy or acceptable lifestyle in public institutions.
The bill proposes draconian punishments for people alleged to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered - namely life imprisonment or, in some cases, the death penalty.
It is extraordinary to find legislation like this being proposed more than 60 years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - as well as many subsequent international laws and standards - made it clear this type of discrimination is unacceptable.
The draft bill also includes a provision that could lead to a prison sentence of up to three years for anyone who fails to report within 24 hours the identities of any lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered individual they know - including members of their own family - or who overtly supports the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered people.
This bill is blatantly discriminatory and clearly breaches international human rights standards. If passed, it will have a tremendously negative impact on the enjoyment of a range of fundamental human rights by homosexuals, lesbians and transgendered individuals, as well as on parents, teachers, landlords, human rights defenders, medical professionals and HIV workers.
I would like to remind the Ugandan Government of the country's obligations under international human rights law. Uganda is a party to the core human rights treaties and has generally had a good track record of cooperation with the various international human rights mechanisms. This bill threatens to seriously damage the country's reputation in the international arena. The African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights also contains strong language against discrimination.
I am encouraged by the fact that a number of Ugandan civil society organizations are actively opposing the bill, and by the recent statement by President Museveni, reported in the Ugandan press, which appeared to suggest the Government would intervene to prevent the draft bill from becoming law.
This is the only responsible course of action for a government to take in such circumstances and I urge the Government, once it has dealt with the current bill, to begin the process of repealing existing Ugandan laws that criminalize homosexuality, albeit with less severe punishments.
To criminalize people on the basis of colour or gender is now unthinkable in most countries. The same should apply to an individual's sexual orientation.
Yet today in Malawi for instance, a gay couple engaged to be married are being prosecuted and have been denied bail by the court.
International human rights standards strongly suggest that the State should not dictate the nature of private consensual relations between adults.
Rev. Dr. Cindi Love: Compassion, No Strings Attached
Some high-profile pastors and religious leaders in the United States used their influence to pressure Ugandan religious and political leaders to criminalize homosexual behavior and make an example of the Malawian gay couple.
I am not cynical but I know that the international governments will do no more than just shake their fingers and say that this bill is wrong. Nothing more. They might then start deploring the murders of gay men and women as they did for Sudan for their genocide. Talk of sanctions may come up but someone will say that they will not vote for sanctions. And so the circle continues until one leader aggresively campaigns against these crimes backed by the human rights and charity organizations around the world.
The US and UN should help Uganda to "throw off" Christianity and re-embrace their true religion.
The UN HRC is discredited beyond redemption.
So, better simply to agree with a media pundit, Rachel Maddow, that this is a repulsive and odious proposition, than to follow the UN HRC.
It is wrong because it is wrong. Good and sober people must object. They should also object to the nakedly political and demonstrably irresponsible biases of the UN HRC.
The irony here is delicious. For 50 years liberals railed against America's inerference with and dissmissive attitude towards the cultures of Africa. Now, when they decide something on their own without American interference, it must be stopped.
I don't agree with what they want to do, it is repulsive and abhorrent... but IT IS THEIR COUNTRY
You defend this because you agree with it. If they made a law demanding white people be executed on sight would you agree with it on the premise of sovereignty? Killing people over race is the same as killing over sexual preference. It's your hate that gives you away you know.
It's like the United States criticizing another country for torturing prisoners; Kettle, may I introduce Pan.
They also state that torture is illegal but that didn't stop us.
I would be remiss however if I did not point out the unfortunate choice of words in "shelving" the bill. This needs to be soundly defeated and denounced. "Shelving" insinuates that the bill will be awaiting approval at some future time.
The Ugandan law is the IDEAL run for the theocrats in America
If they had their way, this kind of law would be adopted in the United States
But since it can't, they'll settle for its adoption elsewhere.