NSW GLRL – crisis in Uganda

Uganda is making imminent moves to further criminalise consensual same-sex relationships. Introduced at the end of 2009, the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, internationally dubbed the ‘Kill the gays’ bill, was tabled in Ugandan Parliament.

The bill strengthened existing criminal penalties while increasing the sentences for certain kinds of consensual sexual ‘offences’ between people of the same sex.

Unfortunately, ‘sodomy’ offences or ‘acts against the order of nature’, as they are commonly referred to, were introduced through colonialism as a way of policing all non-heterosexual or non-reproductive relationships.

Despite strong indications that the bill would be shelved, recent political unrest in Uganda has seen its resurgence.

While according to Mr Bahati the death penalty will be removed from the legislation, significant penalties remain. ‘Aggravated homosexuality’, or same-sex relationships involving a HIV-positive person/s, is punishable by life imprisonment.

Laws that criminalise consensual same-sex sexual activity undermine the sexual health of disparate populations by coercing them into silence or invisibility to avoid the threat of state-sanctioned violence and harassment.

Moreover, the bill does not just subject those engaged in those same-sex relationships to punitive treatment. The laws extend criminality to those seen to ‘promote’ or fail to report such conduct to the police.

While not excusing the Ugandan Government for its punitive policy initiatives towards LGBTI people, it is important to understand the complex development of homophobia in Uganda. The impetus behind the proposed anti-homosexuality legislation was facilitated by evangelical Christian leaders in the US, such as Rick Warren and Scott Lively, who bolster the claim that ‘homosexuality’ is a threat to the ‘cohesion’ of African families.

With the lives of so many sexual and gender minorities at stake, we must continue to promote dialogues that seek to eradicate all manifestations of homophobia. For Uganda, this must begin with decriminalising homosexuality.

The NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby urges immediate action to stop the passage of such heinous legislation. Sign the petition at http://www.allout.org/en/petition/uganda and demand an end to the proposed human rights violations that will occur if the bill is passed.

By SENTHORUN RAJ, NSW GLRL