This is the clearest explanation of the full weight of the Ugandan anti-homosexuality bill that I’ve seen. To sum up: there are lots of ways this bill can kill you, even if you’re not gay. Watch:
Posted in GLBT, human rights, uganda | 1 Comment
The jackfruit is the largest tree-born fruit in the world.
The Other Eight
Uganda’s proposed anti-gay legislation has gotten a lot of press since its contents were made public in October. I think this is fantastic, especially as the coverage becomes increasingly focused on how this bill is partly a proxy for American culture wars, in terms of both American evangelical support for the bill and American LGBT activist opposition.
Amidst all the media hubbub, however, I’m concerned that there has been so little discussion of LGBT-related laws elsewhere in the world. Uganda is considering the death penalty for certain homosexual acts (including those committed by people with HIV and/or for “repeat offenders”), yes, but homosexuality itself carries a death sentence in eight other countries right now, none of which have been mentioned in any of the articles I’ve read on the subject in the last three months.
World Homosexuality Laws via Wikipedia
| No information | |
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Homosexuality legal Same-sex marriage Other type of partnership (or unregistered cohabitation) Foreign same-sex marriages recognized No recognition of same-sex couples
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Homosexuality illegal Minimal penalty Large penalty Life in prison Death penalty
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In case it’s hard to see: being gay is punishable by death in Iran, Mauritania, parts of Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, the UAE and Yemen.
It’s easy to sweep these countries under the rug as being full of crazy Muslims and ergo impossible to dissuade from executing gays. It shouldn’t be, though — especially as we continue to blame American Christians for promoting Uganda’s hate-filled bill.
I’m not saying the US should drop everything and focus its relationships with these countries on the way they treat their LGBT populations. The US obviously has bigger issues to tackle (as do bloggers and journalists who pay attention to these countries).
Still. Every time you read something new about the bill in Uganda, please try to remember the other eight.
P.S. A ton of other countries enforce punishments for homosexuality ranging from a few months in prison to a decade or more of hard labor. Check out the full list on Wikipedia.
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Celebrating the new year with GayUganda
How to celebrate the new year, from GayUganda:
I looked at the trans guy, and I decided that, even if dancing with him outs me fully, his feelings do matter.
He wants to dress, flamboyant, flashy in Uganda. That is an expression of what he is, of what he feels. He might not fully understand himself. He might know less about what he is than I do know. Life is a journey, and he is still discovering what it is. In a place and hostile to gender role crossing like Uganda, his is a difficult journey. A very lonely journey even when he seems to be so confident and bright, a kingfisher bird amongst weaver birds.
I didn’t take pity on him.
I understood what he felt. And, I understood what I felt. And, we danced. Right there on the floor, with other guys around us, looking on.
The music flowed, life pulsed, the lights throbbed. And, we were in heaven.
Read the full post here.
Posted in GLBT, uganda, ugandan blogosphere | 1 Comment
GV Uganda: President Says He Will Block Anti-Gay Bill
My next piece is up at Global Voices Online:
Uganda’s proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009 still awaits a final decision by the country’s Parliament, but the country’s Daily Monitor newspaper reported Wednesday that President Yoweri Museveni has “assured the US State Department of his willingness to block the Bill”:
President Museveni has reportedly assured American authorities that he will veto Ndorwa West MP David Bahati’s proposed anti-gay law, a position that breaks with his recent stance and the statements of officials in his government.
Gay Uganda and AfroGay, both of whom have been blogging tirelessly about the threat the Bahati Bill poses, are featured in the post.
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Uganda takes death penalty out of anti-gay bill
Bloomberg is reporting that the Ugandan anti-gay bill will no longer include the death penalty or life imprisonment. The revision is an attempt “to attract the support of religious leaders who are opposed to these penalties,” according to ethics and integrity minister James Nsaba Buturo.
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