About 100 people gathered on a Ugandan beach last weekend to celebrate LGBT solidarity in an increasingly anti-gay country — and to have fun.
The event, called Kuchus’ Day Out, was organized by the anti-AIDS and pro-LGBT rights advocacy group Youth on Rock Foundation. The word “kuchu” — Ugandan slang for “gay” — is a term that LGBT people have reclaimed as their own.
The African Union’s human rights commission has adopted a resolution condemning violence against LGBTI people, marking the first time an African human rights body has held that LGBTI people are protected under human rights law. The move is a direct rebuke to member states Nigeria and Uganda, which both recently passed extreme anti-LGBTI measures.
“It is a big deal,” said Monica Tabengwa, a longtime lesbian activist from Botswana who now works for Human Rights Watch in Nairobi. The resolution lacks any enforcement mechanism, but in a context where many African leaders are sanctioning anti-LGBTI violence while arguing that LGBTI rights are an invention of the U.S. and Europe, it sends a critical message.
“There has never been anything like this before. It will be very symbolic,” Tabengwa said. “It’s a homegrown resolution saying [LGBTI people] are human beings … it’s about [protecting] people’s lives.”
May 17th is significant because it marks the anniversary of the World Health Organisation’s decision in 1990 to remove homosexuality from the list of mental disorders. To many of us, it will seem shocking that such a decision was made so recently but in many countries today, while homosexuality may not be classed as a mental disorder, it is very much considered to be a crime.
Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) has just published its report, “From Torment to Tyranny”, documenting 162 reported incidents of persecution between 20th December 2013 and 1st May this year. This represents a 750% and 1900% increase on previous years but, as SMUG warns, it is likely to only be the tip of the iceberg.
Chilling video. Are these Ugandan MPs just ignorant or immoral ? Kudos to those MPs who stood out against this attack against the constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms of Ugandan citizens. Uganda is a beautiful country and it is sad to think how already it must be suffering economic consequences.
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There is need to have varied dissenting voices. That way support will be garnered. Encourage other voices from within the LGBT IQQ Community and not one voice or person please. Let this be a universal cry of pain, freedom and dignity. Thanks
Sexual Minorities Uganda: Outrage at the Passing of the Anti Homosexuality Bill 2009
For Immediate Release
[Kampala, Uganda December 20, 2013]- Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) has learnt with deep regret that the ninth Parliament of Uganda has passed the Anti Homosexuality Bill 2009.
SMUG has learnt that the Bill as passed by Parliament maintains the prohibition of consensual same sex acts between adults and prescribes a penalty of life imprisonment for so-called repeat offenders. It also requires "persons in authority, including persons exercising religious or social authority to report offences under the Act within twenty four hours or else face imprisonment for three years or a fine.” Furthermore, the Bill maintains the offence of "Promotion of Homosexuality" against anyone who acts as an accomplice or in any way abets homosexuality and "related practices".
“I’m outraged and disappointed that the Uganda parliament has acted in a very ignorant and irrational way” said Frank Mugisha the Executive Director, SMUG. “We shall fight this legislation TO THE END.” he asserts.
While the Bill is yet to be signed into law by the President, SMUG condemns in the strongest terms the haphazard manner in which Members of Parliament passed it with little if any regard to procedure and to whether it complies with the 1995 Constitution as the Supreme law of Uganda. SMUG has received reliable information that the Bill was passed without the requisite quorum despite protests from some Members of Parliament. There is also no evidence that the Bill was subjected to the Human Rights Checklist which the Speaker of Parliament launched late this year.
“Today will go down in history as the worst day for LGBTI identifying persons and human rights in general. The passing of the bill has caused significant panic even before its assented” Mr. Mawadri, SMUG Legal/Human Rights Officer.
Should the President assent to the Bill, it would greatly undermine the fundamental Constitutional Rights of equality and non-discrimination of Ugandan citizens who identify as Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual (LGB). The Act would also have dire implications for the rights to privacy, assembly, association and speech in addition to other basics rights of members of the LGBTI community in Uganda. If assented to, the law would as well spell a major setback for the freedoms of association of human rights organisations engaged in the promotion of these rights. The law would also curtail Uganda's gains against HIV/AIDS as it may compromise doctor-patient confidentiality, which could push LGB affect persons further underground for fear of prosecution.
SMUG reiterates that the Anti Homosexuality Bill undermines rather than upholds the family as it seeks to create fear and suspicion within families and societies and entrenches state sponsored homophobia.
The Act also undermines Uganda's obligations under international and regional human rights instruments, which uphold the basic human rights principles of equality and non-discrimination.
SMUG calls upon; the President of the Republic of Uganda H.E Gen. Yoweri K. Museveni not to sign this bill into law so as to prevent its dire effects on human rights work and HIV/AIDS progress in Uganda.
We also call upon the entire international community to remind Uganda of its international treaty obligations and to join hands against the Anti Homosexuality Bill.
SMUG remains committed to pursue all possible lawful means to challenge the existence of such an intrusive law on Uganda's Statute books, and to defend the fundamental human rights of sexual and gender minorities in Uganda.
Press Contact
Frank Mugisha
Tel: +256 772 616 062
Email: frankmugisha@gmail.com
Pepe Julian Onziema
Tel: +256 772 370 674
Email: onziema@gmail.com
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| Image from Planetransgender |
Well the Ugandan lawmakers have done it. Overnight they passed some of the strictest laws in the world regarding the treatment of our brothers and sisters. Today will mark the beginning of an ongoing barrage of assaults on Ugandan web infrastructure from LGBT activists across the globe. Today, we are all Ugandan. Later today we will be releasing instructions on how YOU can participate. UGANDA GAY ON MOVE / Anonymous Uganda / Anonymous - Uganda
#AHBUganda.1 arrest has taken place this evening of a trans activitist Beyonce Amooti of TEU.Plz everyone be alert. @Far_Uganda
Happy Pride!!! As We celebrate the second Pride from near and far, I would like to share a couple of words. It has been a long journey for all of us. There have been so many struggles for all of us. There has been loss of lives, esteem, trust, love, well being, pride, dignity, etc for all of us at one point or another. Along the way we have been victors; saving lives, winning cases, creating safe social spaces, the 1st Pride in 2012, awards to our comrades and to the movement, stronger organizing, alliance building, unity, etc. We have all been a part of this. We all deserve to celebrate. We have all been there in different capacities. A movement is no movement without all of us. We have done a great job. A happy pride is in order.
Many mistakes/errors have been made. This is a time to a correct them. This is a time to make things even better. It is a time to reflect. A time to regroup and include all those that have something to offer. It is a time to celebrate our hi/herstory as that is where we come from. It is a time to express gratitude to all those that have supported us. A time to remind each other that this is our struggle. A time to re-energize. Hugely, a time to CELEBRATE US.
Thanks to us all. Thanks to all our allies and partners. Thanks to the all those who have worked hard to make this a reality. Thanks to the Pride Organizing Committee for your leadership on this. Above all, thanks to you and you and yes, you too!
Keep safe and blessed as we celebrate! HAPPY PRIDE!!
While I strongly believe in pre-colonial lesbian secret societies littered across the African continent, at the risk of falling into the trap of Eurocentric and Western (mis)understanding of African social institutions, it should be made clear that the institution in which women were allowed to marry women was not created to facilitate gay marriage...
In Igboland women who were considered exceptional in the eyes of society due to their wealth and/or social standing, and those who were past menopause could marry wives for themselves, for their husbands, for their sons, and/or for their siblings. These influential women were usually viewed as men, due to the fluidity of gender in the pre-colonial Igbo context...
If woman-to-woman marriage was an ingenious way through which women manipulated the existing system to achiever higher and economic status, as this page suggests, what is to say that only heterosexual women took advantage of this?
On Thursday, my students and I visited a high school here in Ghana. When the headmistress told us that her students were "losing their culture" and "becoming too Western," we asked for an example. "Homosexuality," she said. "To us, it is an abomination. It comes from elsewhere."
That morning, coincidentally, President Obama was addressing the same issue at a news conference in Senegal. Asked about the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decisions in support of gay marriage, Obama acknowledged that Africans have "different customs" and "different traditions" about homosexuality. But he went on to insist that gays should have equal rights under the law, no matter where they live.
Bloggers and news commentators across Africa reacted angrily to Obama's remarks, insisting that homosexuality and gay rights are Western imports. But they're wrong. And if you think otherwise, I've got two words for you: Nelson Mandela...
But nobody is "forcing" homosexuality on Africa, where it has existed for much longer than many Africans want to admit. Customs and traditions banning gay love are more recent. And as Mandela understood, they can be changed. Let's hope that other Africans find the courage to follow his example.
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| Image from Meaningful Mama |
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| Image from Red Room |
In December 2011, President Barack Obama signed a memorandum instructing federal agencies to promote the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people overseas. The memorandum coincided with a speech by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Human Rights Council in Geneva declaring that "gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights." Here are some developments concerning anti-gay legislation in Africa since the memorandum was issued.
UGANDA: A bill originally calling for the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality" was re-tabled in February 2012. "Aggravated homosexuality" includes engaging in gay sex three times or while HIV-positive. The bill would also punish Ugandans who fail to turn in homosexuals to the authorities. President Obama called the bill "odious" in 2010. Its author has since said the death penalty provision has been removed.
They were demonstrating over the exclusion of gay people as a high-priority group in the fight against AIDS. Although gay men in Uganda have a high HIV prevalence of 26%, they are not given the same level of support or inclusion as other groups such as soldiers, prostitutes and transient workers.
"…we need a formal apology from Dr. Sibide [Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS] and his group for their continued support towards immoral activities. Uganda is a holy nation and it must be preserved…” – reported by Johnson M. Kyeswa, healthdev.net, 06/14/2008.
Despite the High Court judgement against the Rolling Stone newspaper in January 2011, tabloids like Red Pepper routinely flout the fundamental right to privacy of the LGBTI community in Uganda. On February 24 2013, the Red Pepper published an article entitled “Top Uganda Gay Recruiters Busted”, in which it printed names and photographs of people it claimed were gay...
On this 2013 International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, the LGBTI community Calls on Journalists, Editors and Owners of Media Organizations in Uganda to:
1. 1. Respect the spirit and express terms of the judgement against Rolling Stone newspaper, and refrain from publishing articles, which serve only to undermine the deeply held values of tolerance and respect for diversity upon which Ugandan society is founded.
2. 2. Exercise respect for the fundamental right to privacy, as enshrined in the Constitution of Uganda, of the LGBTI community in Uganda.
Calls on the Government of Uganda to:
Reject the Anti-Homosexuality Bill that is still pending in Parliament, that incites unnecessary prejudice, hatred and violence in the communities where we live and makes us daily targets for hate crimes, making it impossible for us to live freely.
Punish any violence targeted towards LGBTI Ugandans for their sexual orientation and identities, as human rights are inherent regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
On this day 23 years ago, the General Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) removed homosexuality from their list of mental disorders. This action served to end more than a century of medical homophobia.
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said ending homophobia is ‘critical’ to the UN’s work and called for an end to anti-gay laws and better education.
His comments were delivered today (17 May) at an event in The Hague, The Netherlands, to mark International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO)...
"The Universal Declaration of Human Rights promises a world that is free and equal, and we will only honor that promise if everyone – without exception – enjoys the protection they deserve."
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| Murdered South African Campaigner, Noxolo Nogwasa |
Exactly two years ago, on 24th-04-2011, Noxolo Nogwasa, a South African lesbian and LGBTI activist was brutally raped, stabbed and beaten to death and her body dumped in a drainage ditch as she went home from a party, in the Kwathane townships, in the outskirts of Johannesburg...
Two years later, the murders have since not been arrested and no progress has been made towards a comprehensive investigation into the murder and the perpetrators,; alleged to be eight of them still remain at large.
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We, the participants at the NGO Forum preceding the 53rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and the 27th African Human Rights Book Fair held from 6th-8th April 2013 in Banjul, The Gambia
Call on the African Commission to:
1. Condemn the increased incidence of discrimination and violence targeting individuals on the basis of their real or imputed sexual orientation and gender identity across Africa;
2. Call on State Parties to respect and fulfil their treaty obligations, including under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to protect all individuals from discrimination and violence irrespective of their sexual orientation and gender identity;
3. Call on State Parties to investigate and diligently prosecute cases of violence and other abuses against individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity; and
4. Condemn reprisals against human rights defenders, NGOs and CSOs working on issues of sexual orientation and gender identity.
A Ugandan gay rights group [SMUG] filed suit against an American evangelist, Scott Lively, in federal court in Massachusetts on Wednesday, accusing him of violating international law by inciting the persecution of gay men and lesbians in Uganda.
But why did the Ugandan government decide that this was the time to solidify anti-gay hatred in the law? Why not earlier? Few realize the influence that the U.S fundamentalist right has on many Ugandan political and religious leaders. David Bahati, the bill’s main backer, is not only a member of Uganda parliament but was also part of “The Family”, a secretive American Evangelical political organization founded in 1935. Bahati was invited to the organization’s “National Prayer Breakfast” in 2008, where he first introduced the idea of executing homosexuals.
Homophobic persecution and discrimination is rife in large parts of the world, and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are still not recognised or protected by international law. Nonetheless, progress towards equality is being made thanks to the defiance and bravery of activists...
Of the 193 member states of the UN, only a handful have repealed nearly all major legal inequalities against LGBT people: the Netherlands, South Africa, Belgium, Spain, France, Brazil, Germany, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Portugal, Canada, New Zealand and, more recently, the UK.
Britain’s record was not always so positive. Until 1999, when legislative reform began, the UK had the largest number of homophobic laws of any country on earth – some of them dating back centuries. Thanks to an astute 20-year twin-track campaign of direct action protest and parliamentary lobbying, today the UK is one of the world’s most progressive countries on LGBT rights.
In almost every country on earth, there are LGBT freedom movements – some open, others clandestine. For the first time ever, countries like the Philippines, Estonia, Columbia, Russia, Sri Lanka and China are hosting LGBT conferences and Gay Pride celebrations. Via the Internet and pop culture, LGBT people in small towns in Ghana, Peru, Uzbekistan, Kuwait, Vietnam, St Lucia, Palestine, Fiji and Kenya are connecting with the worldwide LGBT community. The struggle for LGBT liberation has gone global. We’ve begun to roll back the homophobia of centuries. Bravo!
I talked to UKLGIG about this situation and they said we had to be careful not to give the appearance of intervening, because this might even galvanise David Bahati and the anti-gays still further.
Diplomacy is a loaded game, and one nation cannot (should not) impose its worldview upon another. We can't sit aside while genocides happen either, though, so it takes a complex approach to try to address the latter without committing the former. And unfortunately, there are self-interested parties -- including other Western ones -- that will exploit any attempt at assistance as evidence of meddling, in order to deflect from or even fuel their own political games. And given that HIV assistance is a primary objective of many relief efforts, there can certainly be a potential financial benefit for exploitative parties to do so.
What needs to be done is complex, but includes networking with and empowering women and LGBT people in those nations, so that they can lead their own activism within the cultural context that westerners often clumsily don't understand enough. The reason that the accusations of colonialism and attempting to dictate resonates with the African peoples is that in the past, that is very much what governments have attempted to do. It's best countered by supporting and empowering communities to lead for themselves.
