UK Scouts Condemn Uganda’s Anti-Gay Bill

Jim Burroway

March 1st, 2010

Uganda's top scout: MP David Bahati is honored during an East African scouting conference in Kampala. (Click to enlarge)

Uganda's top scout: MP David Bahati is honored during an East African scouting conference in Kampala. (Click to enlarge)

On first blush, that’s doesn’t look like a headline that would strike fear in the hearts of those who support Uganda’s proposed “kill the gays” bill, but there is an important angle to it. Ugandan Member of Parliament David Bahati, sponsor of the notorious Anti-Homosexuality Bill, also happens to be chairman of Uganda’s Scouts Board.

According to a press release from UK LGBT advocate Peter Tatchell, the Chief Executive of the Scout Association UK, Derek Twine, has condemned the proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill as “discriminatory and contrary to the sanctity of life, [and] completely incompatible with our interpretation of the values of our worldwide Scouting Movement.” Twine continues:

We have already drawn our grave concerns on this to the attention of the Secretary General of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM), and we are subsequently aware that the issues are now subject both to WOSM\’s direct engagement with the Chief Scout of Uganda (Mrs Maggie Kigozi) and to ongoing global consideration by members of the World Scout Committee.”

Tatchell adds:

“Scouting is very big in Uganda and Mr Bahati derives great prestige from his position as Chairman of the Scout Association of Uganda. If we can get him removed from office it will be a significant personal blow to him. He’ll be weakened and his credibility undermined.

“OutRage! is urging the disaffiliation of the Ugandan scout organisation from the world scouting movement, as a way of adding further pressure on the Ugandan government to drop the Bill. Our request for disaffiliation was immediately forwarded by the Scout Association UK to the World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM) in Geneva.

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

Jean-Paul Bentham

March 1st, 2010

I agree with Peter Tatchell 100%.

Lynn David

March 1st, 2010

I think Peter Tatchell goes too far when he says, “If we can get him removed from office.” I don’t think there is any possibility whatsoever. Most all Boy Scout politics is local. He might as well complain about the hijacking of the Boy Scouts by the Mormons here in America.

Rob

March 1st, 2010

I don’t think there is any possibility whatsoever.

There is if the UK started to adopt France’s habit of muscling those former African colonies. I would hope so too because it seems they can’t get their sh!t together.

James

March 2nd, 2010

So, who are the UK scouts? What do they have to do with our Internal national issues. Does any one have problems when we restore sanity in our nation?

Homosexuality has never been accepted in Africa in any way. Uk, you introduced colonialism, slave trade, scramble and partition of africa. We can’t entartain this at all.

Condemn, but we’ll go ahead.

James.

werdna

March 2nd, 2010

“Homosexuality has never been accepted in Africa in any way”

Might want to have a look at South Africa’s constitution for a start.

Also, since you’re all irate about things that Europeans brought to Africa, you might consider that the laws against homosexuality are by and large from the colonial era. Your homophobia is not African at all.

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