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| Homophobia in Uganda: Hatred is Not a Cultural Value |
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by Brian Ackerman, Program Manager, International Policy Late last week, legislation was introduced in the Uganda parliament that expands criminal penalties for being gay. The Anti-Homosexuality Law, Bill Number 18, in the Ugandan national parliament, has all the trappings of yet another gross violation of human rights structured on the premise that gays constitute some sort of threat to the general social welfare. Send a letter to President Obama urging him to condemn the proposed legislation!
Furthermore, Bill No. 18 specifically states that this bill was introduced in an attempt “to protect the cherished culture of the people of Uganda” including the “legal, religious, and traditional family values of the people . . . [and] to protect the children and youths of Uganda from uncensored information technologies, parentless child developmental settings and increasing attempts by homosexuals to raise children in homosexual relationships through adoption foster care or otherwise.” So family values rears its ugly head once again. Why is it that people who hate always lean on family values to justify their hatred? I strongly believe that Uganda should examine its policies regarding sex and sexuality to produce laws that reflect the needs of its people—all of its people—just as all countries should. However, hatred is not a family value. Plain and simple. Regardless of the society or culture in which it occurs—and yes, that includes my country, the United States (though convincing my own politicians of this has proved to be a difficult task at times)—hatred is the opposite of a value. Laws that single out sexual minorities for punishment within a society should never be tolerated. President Museveni must step forward and proclaim Bill No. 18 for what it is: legislation that codifies hatred and intolerance. His leadership is needed now, not later. He has the ability to call on Parliament to reject this legislation. And he must veto such a bill, if it were to pass. While governance is never easy, every leader must ultimately take a stand for what is best for ALL the people in a country. Trampling on the rights of homosexuals is the easy way out of dealing with complex political challenges. What would really be bold of President Museveni would be to issue a statement embracing the diversity of Uganda calling for a national dialogue on the rights of all minorities, including sexual minorities in the country, and proclaiming Bill No. 18 dead on arrival. As for the United States, Uganda is a major recipient of U.S. foreign assistance and our current executive, President Barack Obama just spoke at the largest gay rights organization’s national gala to say that the population can count on him for his political support. Let’s translate that into some action, Mr. President. How about a call to President Museveni—leader of one country to the leader of another—urging him to embrace the real values of diversity, which I suspect are really at the heart of the Ugandan family. Advocates for Youth has signed on to two letters to President Museveni encouraging him to veto Bill No. 18, if it is passed and a letter to President Obama calling on him to put his weight behind pushing for Uganda to reject this legislation of hate. We hope that you will join us in this fight by sending a letter to President Obama calling on him to condemn the egregious violation of human rights that Bill No. 18 represents and urging him to call on President Museveni to veto the bill should it pass through the Ugandan parliament. |
