New Anti-Gay Legislation Drafted In Uganda
And it’s even more draconian than the Anti-Homosexuality Act, struck down earlier this year.
A committee, comprising leading members of Uganda’s ruling party, has prepared a new draft of legislation targeting LGBT people, according to Nicholas Opiyo, a human rights lawyer who obtained a leaked copy of the proposal.
The legislation will replace the Anti-Homosexuality Act, which was struck down on technical grounds in August following a global outcry.
Opiyo, who is one of the lawyers for the legal team that successfully challenged the Anti-Homosexuality Act, said his sources “in cabinet and on the committee [working on the bill] have confirmed that this is the real draft bill” and that it has been sent to the office of President Yoweri Museveni and newly named Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda.
The new bill, dated Oct. 29, is called the Prohibition of Promotion of Unnatural Sexual Practices Bill of 2014. Opiyo said, “It appears even worse, even more draconian than the law. It is intended to replace by going into much greater detail about what activities are criminalized.”
The Anti-Homosexuality Act, which Museveni enacted last February, imposed up to life in prison for homosexuality and made it a crime to ‘abet’ homosexuality. The new proposal goes even further in prohibiting efforts to promote LGBT rights, and also includes a new section that make it a crime to provide “funding for purposes of promoting unnatural sexual practices,” which might be aimed at cutting off funding for human rights organizations promoting LGBT rights. It also makes it a crime to “make a representation … by whatever means of a person engaged in real or fictitious unnatural sexual practices.”
President Museveni had been making public efforts to try to quash calls from lawmakers to revive the legislation, including publishing a lengthy article in one of Uganda’s leading magazines that argued that restoring the bill would damage Uganda’s international trade with countries that support LGBT rights. Many view the committee that produced this draft, which Museveni’s party organized shortly after the Constitutional Court struck down the Anti-Homosexuality Act, as being designed to bury the bill and avoid another confrontation over LGBT rights.
It’s not clear how fast — or whether — this draft will be brought before parliament, though more than 100 lawmakers signed a petition in August calling for immediate action to restore the law.
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19 Comments
kendigin
November 09, 03:41sometimes i hate being african
Nigerias case is worse. Our cowardly court employed technicality to dodge what was logically unavoidable.
Andrevn
November 09, 04:49such! Such!!? Well the peeps in Uganda will definitely get around just as we’ve done here!………(please mummy i just saw an opening in one the university in Oceania and the fees are quite considerable,i want to pursue it wat do yu say ma’am?#puppyface)
simba
November 09, 05:57Andrevn,dont think twice, go and study and develop ur self further. Tho the question aint meant for me, but couldn’t resist to offer. Well African leaders tend to be homophobics, cus an average street person cares nuffing abt it. Most of my friends/ colleagues knows abt me, others speculate and it doesn’t bother them.. anyways I keep real friends educated and exposed.. life too short trying to convince somebody to accept ur sexual orientation.
Kryss S
November 09, 06:34I am just short of words but I have dis to say………….. God is not fair for making ppl gay and allowing them to suffer! Some idiotic nd shallow minded ppl would say its a choice but…… Hellooooooooooooo! I’ve always liked boys without sex attached! God biko change me asap nd save me from dis suffering nd struggle!
Brian Collins
November 09, 10:45Would you like someone else to say God is not fair for letting my father die while other peoples’ fathers are still alive? Let’s be watchful what we say. Jews suffered persecution from Nazis, Christians in many Muslim nations suffer too, heck blacks suffered front the white race all over the world. Kryss where does that put you?
Oga no dey talk Lubbish.
chestnut
November 09, 06:40In this context, what exactly do they think it means to “abet homosexuality”? Does it mean wen a salesperson in a shop sells condoms to two ppl of d same gender who walk into his store? Does it mean allowing two guys to have sex in your bedroom? Does it mean introducing two men to each other?…I still can’t wrap my head around what they mean when they threaten to jail ppl who “abet homosexuality”; in Nigeria here, where I think d stupid law states something to that effect, I found out that a doctor acquaintance of mine RECENTLY got a job with an organisation that caters SOLELY to d health of LGBT individuals,in KADUNA. When I say recently, I mean,they advertised for d position and recruited him not up to 3 months ago…so I guess that doesn’t qualify as “abetting homosexuality” because d organisation seems to operate without fear or secrecy…and apparently,nobody has plans of touching them.
pinkpanthertb
November 09, 06:48That is very admirable.
Aproko Pikin
November 10, 21:12Chestnut pls what’s the name of the organization. Someone really needs to speak a doc who’s likeminded and real. I’d appreciate this gesture…
Dennis Macauley
November 09, 06:53These are the reasons why we remain mostly a third world continent! Because the people mostly do not use their brains!
Of all the issues facing Uganda, it’s this law that is their problem abi? It’s laughable. They should go ahead with it and kiss the AID dollars good bye!
Meanwhile y’all should look for “god loves uganda” on youtube. Its a documentary on the gay rights movement there and how American evangelicals are ruining the country!
pinkpanthertb
November 09, 06:56You know, it is the fierceness and dedication of these legislators to thwart the survival of the Ugandan LGBT that amazes me. So ok, the court tossed out the first one. Oya go home and rest nau. No. Instead they went down into their inner chambers and began drafting out another bill. As though snuffing out the pesky gays is something that is a matter of national security.
Nawa oo!
king
November 09, 06:58DM,it’s so sad. Instead of the citizens to make their leaders accountable,they rejoice over passage of laws that do fuck all for them
king
November 09, 06:56African leaders toe popular line to hide the fact that they are not improving the lives of their citizens. And the citizens are too dumb to see this. How does one’s sexuality affect you in any way?
pinkpanthertb
November 09, 06:57How indeed?
gad
November 09, 09:14“Prohibition Of Promotion Of Unnatural Sexual Practices Act 2014”. My thoughts are that this bill even if passed will not go beyond a mere academic exercise. All one needs to prove in court in my opinion is that homosexuality is natural. My word for our Ugandan brothers is to start putting materials together for this purpose. Legalkoboko et al pls a legal view on this will be appreciated
Mr Kassy
November 09, 09:49…And the gay lawmakers will also regrettedly assent to the bill for the fear of being outed.hmmmmm*which way africa?*ma sad face draws my baby’s attention*
Max
November 09, 11:22Why do they keep doing this?? This law doesn’t help anyone…
Most ppl here have written what I had in mind…
This is so sad… Sometimes I wish a natural disaster will befall Africa(Nigeria)… That’s the only thing that’ll force them to value life..
victor
November 09, 13:05This is as a result of african mentality,everyone discriminates against ppo who aren’t like them,no respect for those who are different like the treatment I receive whenever I eat with my left hand which is my preffered hand or when I forget and offer someone sometin using my lefthand,they say its an abomination but they dnt know that my left hand is my preffered hand naturally,Ignorance is a disease
pinkpanthertb
November 09, 19:48That whole lefthand nonsense really gets my goat.
king
November 09, 20:59Me2….i dont and will never understand why pipo are soooo backward and all traditional shi when it comes to left hand! Abeg my new luv Victor go on soun jo….luv pipo who are originals of themselves!!!