Anti-Gay Uganda Law Sparks D.C., NYC Protests
A proposed law in Uganda that would persecute gays and lesbians has sparked global protests. A Washington, D.C. protest is slated to take place on Nov. 19, from 2:00-3:00 p.m., in front of the Ugandan Embassy at 5911 16th Street N.W.
The protests against the Anti-Homosexual Bill of 2009 come in answer to Sexual Minorities Uganda, a GLBT equality group, seeking support against the bill. The protests will take place in cities around the world between now and Human Rights Day, on Dec. 10. 2009.
The Washington, D.C. protest has been organized by a coalition of groups, including Amnesty International, Advocates for Youth, the AIDS Institute, the Human Rights Watch, Metropolitan Community Churches, and other GLBT and human rights organizations.
The same date will see a protest in New York City, at Uganda's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York City the same afternoon.
"A broad coalition of civil society groups in Uganda have united against the legislation, warning that it will severely undermine human rights and the work of human rights defenders in the country," reads a press release on the protests. "Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Ugandans are already persecuted under Penal Code Article 145a, which prohibits 'carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature.' The proposed bill specifically criminalizes homosexuality, and punishes anything from sexual stimulation to 'touch[ing] another person with the intention of committing the act of homosexuality' with life imprisonment [as the prescribed penalty]. Worse, 'aggravated homosexuality'--including activity by 'serial offenders' or those who are HIV positive--would merit the death penalty."
The bill has alarmed a number of Ugandan professional and civic groups, the release says, "who warn that it also undermines civil society, the rule of law, and public health outreach in the country.
"The bill not only criminalizes the 'promotion of homosexuality,' but states that any person in authority who fails to report known violations of the law within 24 hours will also be subject to a significant fine and imprisonment. It would have negative repercussions for HIV prevention activities in Uganda, which rely on an ability to talk frankly about sexuality and provide condoms and other safer-sex materials, will be seriously compromised.
"Moreover, it sets a dangerous precedent by revoking the basic human rights of a marginalized group in the name of tradition, with potentially serious repercussions for women, sex workers, and people living with HIV/AIDS."
The bill, if passed, would enshrine a law that directly violates not only the Ugandan Constitution, but a number of international legal documents, including the African Charter on Human and People's Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
"By withdrawing from agreements which acknowledge sexual orientation and gender identity, the bill sets a dangerous precedent, undermines Uganda's commitment to the international human rights regime, and threatens the basic human rights of all Ugandans," the release says. "More shocking, the bill claims jurisdiction over Ugandans who violate its provisions while outside of the country, provoking condemnation from the international community and the governments of the United States and France."