Uganda’s Press Erroneous Report: “Cabinet Drops Bahati’s Gay Bill”

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Uganda’s Press Erroneous Report: “Cabinet Drops Bahati’s Gay Bill” . August 22nd, 2011

Melanie Nathan, Publisher of Gay U.S.A. Blog: “Do not be fooled by procedural ploys or Ugandan reports. Activists are urged to sign petition and organize protests.”

The Uganda Daily Monitor has written a report stating that the Anti-Homosexuality Bill has been dropped. However this is not correct. Warren Throckmorten has reported that Bahati has no intention of dropping th bill, citing that it is now the property (so to speak) of the Parliament and must be voted upon accordingly.

It is imperative that activists turn up the heat at this time, so that Uganda can see what the world thinks of this impending law.

This is the Ugandan Report:

Cabinet has finally thrown out the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2009 on the advice of Mr Adolf Mwesige, the ruling party lawyer. However, Ndorwa West MP David Bahati, the architect of the Bill, insists the proposed legislation is now property of Parliament and that the Executive should stop “playing hide- and- seek games” on the matter.

The decision to throw out the Anti-Homosexuality Bill was made at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday where Mr Mwesige, according to sources, told ministers that the Bill was unnecessary since government has a number of laws in place criminalising homosexual activities.

“We agreed that government should search the law archives and get some of the laws, enforce them rather than having another new piece of legislation,” a source said. “He [Mwesige] said the Bill is overtaken by events and that donors and other sections of the public were not comfortable.”

The Bill seeks to criminalise all same-sex relations in the country and proposes the death penalty for sodomy. Mr Bahati and his group maintain that the country should have stronger laws against homosexuality in order to protect the moral fabric that holds society intact.

“The future of this country’s children will be determined by the peoples’ representatives in Parliament,” Mr Bahati said during a phone interview on Saturday.

Throckmorton says:-

“It is not clear whether or not this action will effectively kill the bill. In 2010, a Cabinet committee led by Adolf Mwesige recommended that the bill be dropped for essentially the same reasons. However, it was not dropped at that time, even though Mwesige was confident that it would be shelved. Even though the bill might be slowed by the Cabinet’s reluctance to push ahead, Mwesige also called for enforcement of existing law (prohibition of unnatural carnal knowledge). If so, Uganda’s GLBT community could still face a worsening situation going forward.”

Read the Article by Throckmorten stating that Uganda’s Cabinet and Parliament are at odds over the Bill. wthrockmorton.com/2011/08/22/ugandas-cabinet-and-parliament-at-odds-over-anti-gay-bill/

It is for this reason that the Gay communities around the world must make a noise now and have their voices heard. Sexual orientation is a human right – and any government who wishes to participate fully in the world, notwithstanding sovereignty to legislate, must consider their international citizenship and the consequences of laws which will serve to isolate it. The Article illustrates that the Bill could feasibly pass. With the help of the international LGBT community, enough noise could be made to tip the scale in favor of a no vote on the Bill or a formal withdrawal if such is possible.

Please sign Petition here www.change.org/petitions/uganda-is-set-to-pass-the-kill-the-gays-bill-within-two-weeks

by Melanie Nathan
Publisher Gay U.S.A. Blog
melanie@gayusathemovie.com