Johannesburg - While South Africans are celebrating their human rights this week, the LGBTQIA+ community in Uganda is being persecuted in an attempt to control an entire nation’s sexuality.
On Tuesday, the Ugandan parliament passed a bill recommending tough new penalties for same-sex relations and people identifying as gay, in a country where homosexuality is already illegal.
According to MenEngage Africa, a social change network, the LGBTQIA+ community in Uganda has been under sustained and increasing attack in recent months from politicians, religious leaders and other public figures.
“This has manifested itself in the form of a perilous and false portrayal of LGBTI+ people as a threat to children and traditional norms. This deliberate framing has created an environment in which anti-LGBTI+ sentiment is normalised, both in the public and private institutions,” the global alliance of organisations said.
MenEngage Africa said it was deeply concerned and disheartened that lawmakers chose to violate the rights of others in the name of religious or traditional beliefs.
“This is one of the harshest such laws in Africa, and if passed into law, it presents a dangerous precedent for other conservative African countries, many of which already criminalise same-sex relationships. The bill’s passage comes at a time when conspiracy theories abound on social media, accusing unknown international forces of encouraging homosexuality in Uganda," the network said.
According to the bill, anyone who engages in same-sex activity or publicly identifies as LGBTQIA+ could face up to 10 years in prison under the proposed law.
"LGBTQ people have the same human rights as everyone else, including the right to live free of discrimination and to personal freedom and safety. This includes the right to marry, work, receive education and health care, and live in a safe environment free of violence and harassment. However, with the passage of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill, LGBTQ people face legal and social discrimination," MenEngage Africa said.
Uganda is a member of the African Union Commission and has ratified African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Resolution 275, titled "Resolution on Protection against Violence and Other Human Rights Violations Against Persons on the Basis of Their Real or Imputed Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity," which establishes governments’ obligations to prevent violence and other human rights violations against individuals on the basis of their sexual or gender identity.
MenEngage Africa said the bill would not only violate but also pervert that obligation by facilitating violence and violations of human rights. Therefore, the network calls on them to intervene in this matter.
Festus Kisa, activist and Q-Initiative director, said: "This bill seeks to harm not only LGBTIQ+ persons but their families and loved ones as well. It is dangerous, hateful, and the start of what can only be described as the erasure of queer people in Uganda. I stand in solidarity with the queer community, their families, allies, and other human rights activists who have been fighting and resisting homophobia and retrogressive laws. We are with you."
The Star