I wonder why “gays are few” in Uganda. Come on, are they truly few or are they keeping quiet for their safety?

1. How to catch Osama Bin Laden
2. How to stop the rising hatred between the races
3. How to play catchup to Iran in the Middle East
4. How to remain the world’s sole superpower beyond a few years

I could go on and on.

In Uganda we worship the same God who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Just because you have placed a man on the moon does not mean He changed. Given a choice to follow the West to God knows where, and to follow our culture and religion, we will die for our values.

Please also understand some elements of the proposed law is only merely leveling ground between heterosexuals and homosexuals ! Aggravated defilement of a minor is a already a hanging offense. The law was originally targeting heterosexual because those were virtually the only known cases. Now a few cases of defilement by gay teachers of their charges have shown a glaring gap in the law. Other than the archaic colonial ” sex against the order of nature”, there is hardly any equivalent law for gay rape or defilement of minors.

Gays in Uganda are so few that its very rare to come across anyone who has ever heard of one other than reading about them in the press. I’am not saying their rights do not matter.They have traditionally been harassed but within limits and have won important human rights cases in courts of law in Uganda.They did not do so with support of gay organisations from abroad.They were making steady progress and some were beginning to come out into the open.The current homophobia frenzy has been kick started by US pastors whose rhetoric has only been amplified by our own christian leaders here in Uganda.

Now legislators and foreign governments are pitching in and very loudly too into the fracas instead of using quiet diplomacy, as indicated by this appeal. This seems to authenticate claims of child recruitment by gay organisations. In a country that is strongly and mainly Christian, the resulting backlash from the community can only be imagined. The worst thing you can possibly have: threat against children: the rest is history.An impending law, targeting to stop onslaught against the children.Not to be outdone Moslems have pitched in and threatened to establish youth squads to track and hunt down gays. This is a rare case of unity between Islam and Christianity-but not surprising given the same Ugandan backdrop African culture and values.

Its a pity that US and other countries have gone public in a fight for human rights values in this case ! The resulting pressure might make the ugandan legislature and executive shy away from making the Anti-homosexual Bill into law but the community backlash will be such that for many years to come, Uganda will remain one of the most dangerous places to be , if you are a homosexual. (In a country where repeat petty thieves are often lynched)

Some elements of the proposed law need to be rescinded. Basic human rights need to be protected however intentional AIDS spreaders need to have the law books thrown at them be they gay or heterosexual. This is becoming all too common here in Uganda. Gays who intentionally spread AIDS should not cry foul expecting an exception.The proposed law however should not simply target gays- that makes it seriously defective.It should target whoever irrespective of gender! granted that merits and demerits of this issue in the fight against AIDS. there is need for more debate and discussion on this area. The Bills should be deferred until when some these issues and possible injustices are worked out and ironed out by sane non homophobic-ally biased minds. this is possibly not possible in the current climate.Its notable that Canada has put on death row, a Ugandan man who intentionally and criminally spread AIDS. Nobody made noise about Canada.What if Uganda does it to Ugandans who do the same here in Uganda? A precedent has already been set for goodness !. A similar case has also occurred to another Ugandan in Australia.Should other countries protect themselves and not Uganda? These are common wealth countries! Ugandans also read new.

However all these issues should really not result in a witch hunt of gays but neither should gays escape from some law issues just because they are gay either-where the laws already apply to heterosexuals.

LESSONS:

1. Western speakers should weigh their words when addressing ‘sensitive’ society issues to African audiences lest they become “mis-understood” or “mis-quoted”

2.Quiet diplomacy would achieve more by all concerned in this area.Politicians should desist from making loud public statements which only make the situation worse here in Uganda-though they of course appease the home electorate and constituents.All organisations should endeavor to take this route

3.All Human rights Organisations ‘do gooders’ from the west are making community backlash worse by giving credibility to claims that the west is planning to export homosexuality practices to Africa

4.Countries need to set up relevant laws making it a criminal offense for their citizens from giving “inflammatory ,racist ,homophobia or other spiteful speeches that may give rise to breakdown of social order-( of course the respondents will always deny or claim they were mis-understood, but I hope point is taken)

Concerned Ugandan.