Author: Warren Throckmorton

Uganda now says it doesn’t discriminate against gays; AP says the bill has been shelved

Which part of this post’s headline do you believe?

Here is the link to the AP article in the Washington Post.

Simon Lokodo appears to be in a bit of trouble now that he has broken up a couple of legal meetings of LGBT people. It appears that Lokodo had the green light to harass gays but now he is on his own.

I am aware that Stephen Tashobya, the committee chair of the committee where the bill sits thinks there are better things to do than mess with the anti-gay bill. However, it is just wrong, as the AP article says, to say that the bill has been shelved. Why do so many reporters rush to do something with the bill that the Parliament has not done?

In short, I don’t believe either part of my headline.

Here is a link to the Government statement.

 

Nobel Peace Laureates issue statement on behalf of LGBT people

Government oppression of freedom of conscience and expression is unconscionable. View this statement from four Nobel Peace Laureates expressing support for such freedom with special application to LGBT people. Uganda’s Frank Mugisha is quoted in the statement as well.

The statement begins:

(Washington – June 21, 2012) In an unprecedented statement, four esteemed Nobel Laureates, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Muhammad Yunus, have expressed solidarity with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) people worldwide. Together, they call on the global community to recognize that traditional cultural values compel them to respect the inherent dignity and human rights of all individuals.

Go read the rest here.

The Jefferson Lies in Williamsburg, VA

While visiting Colonial Williamsburg yesterday, I ran into a surprising display. See below:

The Jefferson Lies was on a prominent display along side other legitimate books of scholarship in the Williamsburg Visitor’s Center bookstore. When I talked to the manager about the book, he was sympathetic but said there was nothing he could do, saying such books are included as a business decision.

Idealist that I am, I was disappointed to see it there. Gentle readers, weigh in. Should I be surprised? Am I expecting too much of a place which strives for historical integrity to have those values spill over into decisions about which books to carry in the book store? I was at Monticello yesterday also and the bookstore there did not carry the book; why should Williamsburg?

Uganda to ban NGOs over gay rights

The crackdown continues:

KAMPALA (Reuters) – Uganda said on Wednesday it was banning 38 non-governmental organisations it accuses of promoting homosexuality and recruiting children.

Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda, along with more than 30 other countries in Africa, and activists say few Africans are openly gay, fearing imprisonment, violence and losing their jobs.

Ethics Minister Simon Lokodo told Reuters the organisations being targeted were receiving support from abroad for Uganda’s homosexuals and accused gays and lesbians of “recruiting” young children in the country into homosexuality.

More coverage of police crackdown on gay rights meeting; anti-gay bill may be considered this session

Freedom of association, freedom of speech; these are precious freedoms that Ugandan gays do not have. And if David Bahati gets his way, very soon, Ugandan LGBT people may not have freedom to live.

Note Bahati at the end of the video. He says Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee Chair Stephen Tashobya has assured him that the bill will be acted on in the next session.

Folks, it looks like it is time to wake up again.