UGANDANS PROPOSE NEW TOUGHER LAWS AGAINST GAY ACTIVISTS

By Frank Mugisha (BTM Correspondent)

UGANDA – 17 April 2009: The Parliament of Uganda strongly condemned homosexuality during its session on Wednesday 15 April where Ethics and Integrity Minister James Nsaba Buturo presented a hard-hitting statement that the country should not compromise on the values it stands for.

Following Buturo’s statement, several MPs also condemned homosexuality and called for stern action.

They further criticized the Government for not stopping the press conference held by the Ugandan gays on 31 March in Kampala where they informed Ugandans that they do not recruit people into homosexuality, as it had been alleged by the anti – gay groups in Uganda.

In his statement Buturo blamed international and local human rights organizations such as Unicef, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, just to mention a few, for promoting homosexuality in Uganda also adding that said both promoters and apologists of homosexuality are using all tricks to have homosexuality legalised in Uganda. 

He revealed that Government would enact a more comprehensive law that will treat as illegal, the promotion of homosexuality and membership to homosexual groups.

However, gay groups in Uganda say this proposed law is not necessary and that it would only legalise discrimination.

“We appeal to all our partners, human rights organizations and defenders, all friends and institutions local, regional and international to come up strongly and urge the Government of Uganda to execute its duty of protecting innocent minorities and to curb down this hate campaign before it is too late. Your support will save many lives and livelihoods of homosexuals in Uganda”, Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG said in a Statement.

This reaction from government comes as a result of the anti-gay seminar held in Uganda on March 5-7 this year, organized by the Family Life Network (FLN) and supported by anti gay U.S. religious right.

US anti gay activists who facilitated the workshop were Scott Lively, co-founder of Watchmen on the walls and author of The Pink Swastika, Caleb Lee Brundidge, a “sexual reorientation” coach for the International Healing Foundation and Don Schmierer, board member of Exodus International.

Following the seminar FLN initiated the Anti gay task force mainly comprised of religious anti gay groups, parents and people who claim to be ex homosexuals such as Oundo George and Kagaba Paul.

In their anti gay campaign, FLN and its followers outed members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) community, naming organizations and names of LGBTI leaders and individuals in the media.

They further accused the Ugandan gay movement of recruiting school children into homosexuality.

FLN threatened to petition the government of Uganda, to enact tougher laws on homosexuality and has since been collecting signatures from the public for a petition to be presented to parliament today Friday 17 April requesting for a tougher law against homosexuality and LGBTI rights activism in Uganda.

Homosexuals in Uganda are living in fear and tension, two arrests pending trial have been registered, and hostility and homophobia from the Ugandan society towards homosexuals is on the increase.