Box Turtle Bulletin

The Daily Agenda for Wednesday, May 11

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni

TODAY’S AGENDA:
Uganda Parliament Considers Anti-Homosexuality Bill: With the nation racked with a month of riots and demonstrations, opposition leaders being physically assaulted and arrested, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni now proposes major changes to the Uganda constitution to “deny bail for murder, rape, treason, defilement and riot suspects as well as economic saboteurs until they serve a mandatory 180 days on remand.” That, in effect, would mandate six month’s imprisonment just on an arrest and charge, whether the charge is trumped up or not. The “economic sabateurs” provision is particularly ominous. Daily Monitor, Uganda’s largest independent newspaper, sees that clause as a direct attack on press freedoms and dissent. Anything Museveni doesn’t like can be portrayed as “economic sabotage” if he declares that it makes Uganda look bad to the world. Museveni’s ruling party controls two-thirds of Parliament. If Museveni wants a change to the constitution, he can get a change to the constitution.

And so against that broader backdrop, today is the day of reckoning. Uganda’s Parliament has decided, at the very possible last minute, to suddenly fast-track the draconian Anti-Homosexuality Bill to a vote. This is significant, because as longtime observers of Uganda know, this is highly unusual. Nothing happens quickly in Uganda. If the bill comes up for a vote in Parliament today as scheduled, it will certainly pass. Just so we are clear about what the bill does, let’s review. In its current form it would:

• Expand the definitions for homosexual acts, making conviction easier. Current law requires evidence of penetration. The new law would expand the definition of homosexual activity to”touch(ing) another person with the intention of committing the act of homosexuality.” Touching itself is defined as “touching—(a) with any part of the body; (b) with anything else; (c) through anything; and in particular includes touching amounting to penetration of any sexual organ. anus or mouth.”
• Affirm Uganda’s lifetime imprisonment for those convicted of homosexuality.
• Define a new crime of “aggravated homosexuality” for those who engage in sex with someone under the age of 18, who are HIV-positive, who is a “repeat offender” (so broadly defined as to include anyone who has had a relationship with more than one person, or who had sex with the same person more than once), or who had sex with a disabled person (consensual or not). The penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” is death by hanging.
• Require anyone arrested on suspicion of homosexuality to undergo HIV testing to determine the individual’s qualification for prosecution of “aggravated homosexuality.”
• Criminalize “attempted homosexuality” with imprisonment for seven years.
• Criminalize “promoting” homosexuality with fines and imprisonment for between five and seven years. This overly-broad provision would criminalize all speech and peaceful assembly for those who advocate on behalf of LGBT citizens in Uganda . It would also criminalize any attempt to repeal or modify the law in the future, as those moves could also be seen as “promoting” homosexuality.
• Criminalize “aiding and abetting homosexuality” with seven years imprisonment. This provision could be used against anyone extending counseling, medical care, or otherwise providing aide gay people.
• Criminalize the act of obtaining a same-sex marriage abroad with lifetime imprisonment.
• Add a clause which forces friends or family members to report LGBT persons to police within 24-hours of learning about that individual’s homosexuality or face fines or imprisonment for up to three years.
• Penalize people who run “brothels” with five to seven years imprisonment for renting to LGBT people. However, it defines a brothel as “a house, room, set of rooms or place of any kind for the purposes of homosexuality” instead of the more normal definition of a place where commercial sex work takes place. Anyone’s bedroom would be a “brothel” under this definition, placing landlords and hotel owners in jeopardy for renting to LGBT people.
• Add an extra-territorial and extradition provisions, allowing Uganda to prosecute LGBT Ugandans living abroad.
• Void all international treaties, agreements and human rights obligations which conflict with this bill.

There is talk that if the bill comes up for a vote, there will be proposals to remove the death penalty and the clause criminalizing “attempted homosexuality.” The maximum lifetime penalty may be reduced, but it is unknown what the new penalty would be. But as you can see, what remains is incredibly far-reaching, with at least six clauses directly violating Uganda’s constitution — for what that’s worth. The U.S. State Department and the U.K Foreign Office have denounced the bill, and Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) warns that Uganda risks losing U.S. foreign aid. When it comes to human rights, LGBT people are once again assuming the too-familiar role of canaries in the coalmine.

DADT Repeal Repeal Attempt: Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) is expected to introduce an amendment aimed at derailing the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” today to the 2012 Defense Authorization Bill during a meeting of the House Armed Services Committee. Hunter’s amendment would expand the certification requirements to include all four military service chiefs. The current repeal law only requires certification from the President, the Defense Secretary and the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that the military is fully prepared for the law’s repeal. It is feared this amendment would give Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos, who has opposed DADT repeal in the passed, virtual veto power for the entire repeal — an unprecedented abrogation of political power to a military leader. Hunter’s amendment could be only one of several amendments that could be introduced to derail DADT’s repeal. Others may rescind the repeal altogether.

See Newt Run: Former House speaker Newt Gingrich is expected to announce his candidacy for the Republican nomination for President today. Gingrich has been laying the groundwork by avidly courting the religious right over the past few years. Last year he spoke at the Family “Research” Council’s Voter Values Summit. At about that same time, he funneled $150,000 to the campaign to remove three sitting Iowa Supreme Court justices over their ruling in favor of marriage equality. More recently, he said that President Barack Obama should be impeached over his refusal to defend DOMA except under heightened scrutiny, and he promised to “slow down” gay rights progress during an appearance on Bryan Fischer’s radio program. A spokesman said Gingrich will make his announcement by Facebook and Twitter, and he will be interviewed on Fox News later tonight. Gingrich is set to speak at the Georgia Republican Party Convention on Friday.

“Mayday for Marriage” RV Tour: The Family Research Foundation’s RV is touring the state with their message against marriage equality. Today, your grumpy uncle’s RV makes two appearances today:

• 12:00 p.m., in Halfmoon, NY, just north of Albany, at state Sen. Roy McDonald’s Satellite Office (2 Halfmoon Town Plaza, Halfmoon)
• 3:30 p.m. in Utica, NY, at State Sen. Joe Griffo’s District Office (207 Genesee St., Room 408, Utica)

FRF says they “urge concerned citizens to attend these events and remind their elected officials that base voters care deeply about this issue.” If you’re a concerned citizen, consider yourself invited.

Panel Discussion on Bullying: Kentucky state Rep. Mary Lou Marzian (D-Louisville), sponsor of a House bill to expand school anti-bullying protections to include gender identity and sexual orientation, joins a panel discussion on bullying with Louisville youth advocates this evening. The panel takes place tonight beginning at 7:00 p.m. at Carmichael’s Bookstore, 2020 Frankfort Ave. The event is free, but get there early because seating is limited. A portion of local sales of Dan Savage and Terry Miller’s book, It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living will go to the Fairness Campaign (Savage and Miller are donating all other proceeds from their book to LGBT youth charities).

AIDS Walks This Weekend: Minneapolis, MN; New York, NY; and Stockton, CA.

Pride Celebrations This Weekend: Brussels, Belgium; Charleston, SC; Houston TX (Black Pride); Maspalomas, Canary Islands; and Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS:
Billy Bean: 1964. The former outfielder and left-handed hitter for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres made headlines in 1999 when he became only the second baseball player to publicly come out, three years after his retirement from baseball. It was a long struggle to get there. As a closeted pro athlete, he struggled to juggle his secret and his career. He divorced his wife in 1993 and secretly moved in with his first lover. When his lover died of AIDS, Bean didn’t attend the funeral because he was too frightened that his secret would be revealed. “Why was it so impossible to think that a baseball player could grieve for a man?” he later reflected. “That was a terrible, terrible decision I made.” His 2003 book, Going the Other Way: Lessons from a Life In and Out of Major League Baseball, chronicles the ups and downs of his life as a gay man and baseball player. He is currently a real estate agent in Miami.

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