Box Turtle Bulletin
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyJuly 31st, 2014
The highly unusual speed with which Uganda’s Constitutional Court is responding to the petition filed by several human rights activists is being seen by many as a good omen for a possible declaration striking down the draconian Anti-Homosexuality Act which was signed into law last February. Human rights activists filed their challenge in March, but seeing cases dragging on with almost no action for more than a year is the norm in Uganda’s judicial system. Ugandan’s often talk of things happening in “African Time.” So the Constitutional Court’ts snap call for parties to be ready to present their cases on Wednesday caught a lot of people off guard, including State Attorney Patricia Mutesi who complained that she wasn’t prepared to proceed with her arguments and asked for a delay. That request was rejected. That leaves a lot of folks wondering why the Court is in such an uncharacteristic rush:
Rumors are flying around Kampala in an effort to make sense of the court’s sudden haste in this case. There is speculation that it was ordered to strike down the law by President Yoweri Museveni in order to please the World Bank — which is holding up a $90 million loan over the bill — or to satisfy the United States in advance of next week’s Summit of African Leaders in Washington. Others suggest the court is trying to bolster Prime Minister Mbabazi by validating his call for a quorum; Museveni moved aggressively shortly after the vote to isolate Mbabazi to prevent him from mounting a leadership challenge.
LGBT acticist Frank Mugisha is optimistic, while Pentecostal pastor Martin Ssempa is glum:
“I think that we could have a very good judgment tomorrow, and if we get that judgment then it’s over – and we just have to celebrate,” said Mugisha, who heads the Sexual Minorities Uganda group.
Anti-gay preacher Martin Ssempa, who was also in court, said he feared the “judicial abortion of our bill” due to international pressure.
“This case is moving at lightning speed,” he said, claiming the petition was being pushed to polish Uganda’s international reputation before Museveni travels to Washington next week to meet President Barack Obama at a landmark US-Africa summit.
The Constitutional Court focused its attention this week on the question of whether Parliament acted with the constitutionally-required quorum when it passed the Anti-Homosexuality Act in December. The expected ruling tomorrow will be on that question. If the court rules agaisnt the petitioners on the quorum issue, then proceedings will continue on whether the AHA’s provisions violate Uganda’s constitutional guarantees to a number of rights, including the right to privacy, freedom from discrimination, and freedoms of assembly and speech.
Latest Posts
Featured Reports
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.
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.
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.
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"
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.
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.
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.
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.
The 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.
“Google” is a trademark of Google Inc.
© Box Turtle Bulletin. All Rights Reserved.
Posts 
Posts via daily email:
Steve
July 31st, 2014
Not going to happen. The judges would be murdered if they did.
Johan Lundgren
August 1st, 2014
Nice to be proven wrong this time, ey?
Steve
August 1st, 2014
It’s purely on a technicality. They’ll just pass it properly and unanimously. This is meaningless in the long run.
Jaime
August 1st, 2014
Dr. Frank Mugisha tweeted
Breaking news , I am officially legal . The constitutional court in Uganda has declared anti homosexuality law 2014 null and void
12:20am – 1 Aug 14
Nathaniel
August 1st, 2014
Steve, ruling on a technicality should keep them safe. If the laws of the land were violated in how the law was passed, then everybody should support a ruling against the law, even if they supported the law itself. Though, you are probably right that it will come back to haunt us again.
Priya Lynn
August 1st, 2014
“It’s purely on a technicality. They’ll just pass it properly and unanimously. This is meaningless in the long run.”
And you’re as certain about that as you were that the judges wouldn’t strike the law down.
sadz
August 1st, 2014
what u should know z that the memberz ov parliament who passed that law are still present.so however much the court cancels the law,the parliamenjt will pass it again n again.so i pitty thoz indispicable idiots who are now jubilating,
no homosexuals in the pearl ov africa
its ok if its legal in your countries,its understandable that ur *****less
yours lovely
sadz uganda
thanx
Priya Lynn
August 1st, 2014
Sadz, new gays are born every day in Africa. There will always be gays in Africa regardless of how many you persecute and execute.
sadz
August 1st, 2014
Priya,this law was brought to prevent other people from becoming gays and by the way ,there z nothing like being born an homosexual,
if a goat,pig,fly n hen can see wats right why nt a human being
there z a reason why God created a penis and a vagina
Ben in Oakland
August 1st, 2014
Pearl of Africa?
Do you ever read the news reports about your part of the world? Sounds more like the pyrite than the pearl.
Or the asshole– not to malign a perfectly useful orifice.
Timothy Kincaid
August 1st, 2014
sadz,
Passing laws cannot prevent anyone from becoming gay. One’s internal attractions are innate and from infancy (at latest) and are as much a part of God’s design as the shape of one’s eyes or the height to which one grows.
You could pass all the laws you like about height and it would serve no purpose other than to punish persons for no logical reason. The same is true for sexual orientation.
And as for the goat, pig, and hen, I tend not to measure myself by barnyard animals. But if you think that goats, pigs and hens do not engage in same-sex sexual activity, then you know very little about them.
Priya Lynn
August 1st, 2014
Sadz, there’s a reason why a penis fits in an anus so nicely – god wanted it that way.
sadz
August 1st, 2014
Ben,
unfortunately i dont have enough time to explain y uganda z a pearl but to answer your qn,i am ugandan n i live in uganda so i know wats happening more than u who just gets it on the internet
forexample;
There are some reports saying that gay people are killed in uganda, n people go on to upload video saying that it gay who are mistreated bt when in actual sense they are mare thieves n rapist who are in those videos
What am saying z that in uganda the pearl ov africa,we dont hate gayz n lesbians but instead hate the “act” homosexuality
sadz
August 1st, 2014
Ben,
unfortunately i dont have enough time to explain y uganda z a pearl but to answer your qn,i am ugandan n i live in uganda so i know wats happening more than u who just gets it on the internet
forexample;
There are some reports saying that gay people are killed in uganda, n people go on to upload video saying that it gay who are mistreated bt when in actual sense they are mare thieves n rapist who are in those videos being beaten by the crowd(forexample the infamous david who had stolen a motorcycle
What am saying z that in uganda the pearl ov africa,we dont hate gayz n lesbians but instead hate the “act” homosexuality
Priya Lynn
August 1st, 2014
Sadz you may be in Uganda but you are obviously ignorant about about gays and lesbians. Who we are attracted to is a core part of who we are, there is no such thing as hating gayness but not hating gays. You hate gayness it necessarily follows that you hate gays.
Uganda does not imprison homosexuality for same sex sex, it imprisons the gay person for same sex sex. Uganda abuses innocent gay people, that is all there is to it. It is quite simply a pathetic excuse that theives and rapists are the ones attacking gays in Uganda – it is people like you, who are ignorant about gays and who hate gays, that are attacking gays in Uganda.
People like you spread lies about gays to encourage ordinary Ugandans to attack innocent gay people. You have blood on your hands.
Ben in Oakland
August 1st, 2014
The real sadz in this is that you actually believe what you say, without a hint of remorse at what this does to the lives of people you don’t know, know nothing about, and who have done you no harm.
So here’s a suggestion for you. Walk down the street in Kampala with a sign saying “I’m gay”. Now we both know you are not and have never had gay sex. See what happens to you.
I have a feeling that your going to find out exactly how much you are hated for being queer, not how much you’re hated for having gay sex when you haven’t.
Leave A Comment