Uganda Cabinet Member Says Anti-Gay Bill May Be Withdrawn

Jim Burroway

January 7th, 2010

Uganda’s largest independent newspaper The Monitor is reporting that governmental officials are looking for a way out on the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. According to The Monitor:

The State Minister for Investments, Mr Aston Kajara, yesterday said the government was looking at the Bill with the possibility of withdrawing it. “The government\’s official position is that we have enough laws to cover homosexuality acts,” Mr Kajara said. “Government did not sponsor this Bill. It is a private member\’s Bill. The government is studying it and we may talk to the honourable Member of Parliament (David Bahati) to consider withdrawing it.”

On December 11, a senior adviser to President Yoweri Museveni published an 0p-ed in the state-owned New Vision calling on Parliament to drop the bill.  At the time, we considered that a very encouraging sign, since nothing gets printed in New Vision unless it has some backing from within the government. That followed an op-ed posted just a few days earlier on the Uganda Media Centre web site, which normally operates as an official governmental clearing house for press statements. That op-ed said that the Anti-Homosexuality Bill was not needed and that Parliament had other more important things to worry about.

Since then, there have been reports in outside media that others within the government were considering dropping the death penalty, but keeping other aspects of the wide-ranging and draconian bill intact. Some of those same reports were reported in Uganda’s independent press, but suggestions that the bill would be dropped have not been made publicly by members of Uganda’s government to Ugandan press. Until now, which is why this may well be a very significant development.

This doesn’t mean the bill is dead. Ardent supporters of the Bill vow a nationwide rally on January 19.  It has not been withdrawn, but it is encouraging that a member of Moseveni’s cabinet has given the government’s “official position” that the bill is not needed.

Update: Geoff Magga at Afrik.com also reports on Kajara’s statement. He also has this from Kajara, indicating that Uganda’s reputation is suffering among foreign investors:

“We are not happy with what is being said about Uganda because of the anti gay bill. Ever since the anti-gay bill was tabled, there has been outcries not only here but from allover the world against it. This is likely to affect the flow of foreign investors into the country,” Aston Kajara said.

The BBC has also picked up on the story, citing AFP as a source. But of course that is not the full story. Ethics and Integrity Minister James Nsabe Buturo, who is also a member of the secretive American evangelical group known as The Family, insists that the bill will be ready for Parliamentary debate within the next three weeks.

Update: As I said, the bill is not dead. MP David Bahati, who introduced the legislation as a private member’s bill, refuses to budge.

Click here to see BTB\’s complete coverage of recent anti-gay developments in Uganda.

Leonardo Ricardo

January 7th, 2010

Oh now I think I´ve got it…by George I´ve got it…they are going to let it die, save everyones face and Archbishop Orombi is going to remain focused on different issues than blasting LGBT Anglicans (at home in Uganda and worldwide)…there is a huge cloud of forgetfulness setting in on Kampala and beyond…playing Pretend ought be quite a interesting thing to watch…Orombi, no doubt, will preach more about relevant topics for the well being of Anglicans in Uganda…frankly, it´s time for him to repent, but I won´t hold my breath (he´d like that).

GreenEyedLilo

January 7th, 2010

@ Leonardo: I’ll take it, and so, I bet, would Ugandan sexual minorities.

R Holmes

January 8th, 2010

Good news. Let’s hope it keeps coming.

Steve

January 8th, 2010

If I may entertain the absurd … Uganda considers a bill to execute, imprison, and otherwise punish gay people. Most thinking people of compassion go into an outrage at the news. So, Uganda thinks they are making it more palatable by dropping the execution/imprison/otherwise punish part and change it to requiring gay people to engage in therapy. Here’s a slice of the recent history of how gay people are marginalized into silence & invisibility. First, it’s a crime to be punished and next it’s a sickness to be treated. But they forget that reparative & conversion therapies are considered unethical because they violate the weightiest ethic of any helping profession! They violate the ethic to do no harm because they do harm & cause considerable, unnecessary suffering! It is a veiled punishment for being LGBT. Here’s their logic: we’ve decided not to kill you; we’re only going to hurt you. And they expect us to gladly accept their compromise??? My grandma used to call it “ignorance gone to seed”!

Leave A Comment

All comments reflect the opinions of commenters only. They are not necessarily those of anyone associated with Box Turtle Bulletin. Comments are subject to our Comments Policy.

(Required)
(Required, never shared)

PLEASE NOTE: All comments are subject to our Comments Policy.

 

Latest Posts

The Things You Learn from the Internet

"The Intel On This Wasn't 100 Percent"

From Fake News To Real Bullets: This Is The New Normal

NC Gov McCrory Throws In The Towel

Colorado Store Manager Verbally Attacks "Faggot That Voted For Hillary" In Front of 4-Year-Old Son

Associated Press Updates "Alt-Right" Usage Guide

A Challenge for Blue Bubble Democrats

Baptist Churches in Dallas, Austin Expelled Over LGBT-Affirming Stance

Featured Reports

What Are Little Boys Made Of?

In this original BTB Investigation, we unveil the tragic story of Kirk Murphy, a four-year-old boy who was treated for “cross-gender disturbance” in 1970 by a young grad student by the name of George Rekers. This story is a stark reminder that there are severe and damaging consequences when therapists try to ensure that boys will be boys.

Slouching Towards Kampala: Uganda’s Deadly Embrace of Hate

When we first reported on three American anti-gay activists traveling to Kampala for a three-day conference, we had no idea that it would be the first report of a long string of events leading to a proposal to institute the death penalty for LGBT people. But that is exactly what happened. In this report, we review our collection of more than 500 posts to tell the story of one nation’s embrace of hatred toward gay people. This report will be updated continuously as events continue to unfold. Check here for the latest updates.

Paul Cameron’s World

In 2005, the Southern Poverty Law Center wrote that “[Paul] Cameron’s ‘science’ echoes Nazi Germany.” What the SPLC didn”t know was Cameron doesn’t just “echo” Nazi Germany. He quoted extensively from one of the Final Solution’s architects. This puts his fascination with quarantines, mandatory tattoos, and extermination being a “plausible idea” in a whole new and deeply disturbing light.

From the Inside: Focus on the Family’s “Love Won Out”

On February 10, I attended an all-day “Love Won Out” ex-gay conference in Phoenix, put on by Focus on the Family and Exodus International. In this series of reports, I talk about what I learned there: the people who go to these conferences, the things that they hear, and what this all means for them, their families and for the rest of us.

Prologue: Why I Went To “Love Won Out”
Part 1: What’s Love Got To Do With It?
Part 2: Parents Struggle With “No Exceptions”
Part 3: A Whole New Dialect
Part 4: It Depends On How The Meaning of the Word "Change" Changes
Part 5: A Candid Explanation For "Change"

The Heterosexual Agenda: Exposing The Myths

At last, the truth can now be told.

Using the same research methods employed by most anti-gay political pressure groups, we examine the statistics and the case studies that dispel many of the myths about heterosexuality. Download your copy today!

And don‘t miss our companion report, How To Write An Anti-Gay Tract In Fifteen Easy Steps.

Testing The Premise: Are Gays A Threat To Our Children?

Anti-gay activists often charge that gay men and women pose a threat to children. In this report, we explore the supposed connection between homosexuality and child sexual abuse, the conclusions reached by the most knowledgeable professionals in the field, and how anti-gay activists continue to ignore their findings. This has tremendous consequences, not just for gay men and women, but more importantly for the safety of all our children.

Straight From The Source: What the “Dutch Study” Really Says About Gay Couples

Anti-gay activists often cite the “Dutch Study” to claim that gay unions last only about 1½ years and that the these men have an average of eight additional partners per year outside of their steady relationship. In this report, we will take you step by step into the study to see whether the claims are true.

The FRC’s Briefs Are Showing

Tony Perkins’ Family Research Council submitted an Amicus Brief to the Maryland Court of Appeals as that court prepared to consider the issue of gay marriage. We examine just one small section of that brief to reveal the junk science and fraudulent claims of the Family “Research” Council.

Daniel Fetty Doesn’t Count

Daniel FettyThe FBI’s annual Hate Crime Statistics aren’t as complete as they ought to be, and their report for 2004 was no exception. In fact, their most recent report has quite a few glaring holes. Holes big enough for Daniel Fetty to fall through.