“Despite our concerted efforts to stop the passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, the President has today legalized state-sponsored homophobia and transphobia by signing this bill into law. It will erode the inherent rights of LGBTIQ individuals and put innocent Ugandans at cross hairs of grave violations from State and non-state actors. We now look forward to the legal challenge in court, and the law being repealed,” said Frank Mugisha of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG).
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17th May, 2023 is commemorated across the world as the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), we are joining in solidarity with the Ugandan LGBTQ+ community to speak out against the draconian Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2023. The Bill was passed by Uganda’s Parliament and awaits action from President Museveni. If signed into law, it […]
The oxymoron that comes with #TDOV 2023 is transgender people in Uganda have never been more afraid to be visible than they are right now. Matter of fact for our trans siblings, the best gift to share this day of visibility is the gift of invisibility! When 98% of the legislative house votes to criminalize your mere identity, you have no option but to shove your head back into the sand. As a nation we have told transgender people to undo whatever progress to the journey of freedom from their bodies and held them captive. Th life imprisonment sentence does not start the day the bill is enacted and unfortunately arrested; the life sentence begun the day a bill forbidding people from being who they are was passed.
Legislators do not only have a duty to legislate Law but impliedly, to pass good Law not influenced by biased public opinion but informed by International and Regional standards, most of which Uganda has signed and ratified. The Bill is a direct attack on sexual and gender identity. Article 21 of the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda as amended guarantees equality and freedom for all from discrimination on the ground of sex, race, colour, ethnic origin, tribe, birth, creed or religion, or social or economic standing, political opinion or disability. ‘Discrimination on the ground of sex’ appends respect for a private life, respect for family and a home.
A 2020 report by Bantwana Initiative of World Education carried out in Uganda on defilement and sexual harassment shows that, “19% of children reported that they had ‘played sex’ with an adult in the past six months. Of the 47% of children that reported receiving a ‘bad touch’ in the past six months, 50% identified a caregiver as the perpetrator, 33% identified a teacher and 17% identified a friend, stranger, or another family member as the perpetrator. Of the 32% of teachers that reported knowing a child that received a bad touch in the past six months, 56% (majority) identified a fellow student as the perpetrator. Where children knew a child that received a bad touch, 34% of children talked with a teacher and 25% talked to a friend.”
Kuchu Times Media Group as the community media platform whose goal is to demystify the myths around the sexual and gender diverse community will be running a campaign telling the lived realities of LGBTIQ+ persons. We shall be featuring stories that ago as far as the first issue of Bombastic magazine. The aim is this campaign is to introduce you to the sexual and gender diverse community of Uganda away from the current smear campaign.
. As we join the rest of Ugandans in the confusion of the priorities of our legislators and their obsession with policing people’s bodies; Kuchu Times Media Group will be resuming her SRHR campaign. The purpose of this campaign will be to shed light on the diversities of sexual reproductive health and rights needs especially within womn and gender non conforming persons from minority groups.
As Ugandan citizens of conscience, we reject discrimination and stigmatisation of the LGBTQ persons. We condemn in the strongest terms sexual violence against all persons including children and we firmly believe that the existing legislation comprehensively protects them, if enforced. The proposed bill is unconstitutional and regressive in nature and if passed it will curtail public health services, access to justice, housing, association, and conscience among others.
We urge the Parliament of Uganda to uphold the principles of non-discrimination and desist from legislating hatred towards any group based on propaganda, myths and personal baises.
Human Rights Promotion and Awareness Forum (HRAPF) drafted a legal and human rights analysis of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023. This follows the publishing of the Bill in the Uganda Gazette on 3rd March, 2023. Follow the link below to read the whole article. https://www.kuchutimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/23-03-08-HRAPF-Analysis-of-the-Anti-Homosexuality-Bill-2023-1.pdf
A working effective parliament doesn’t look the other way when things are going tough, even for the minority, an effective parliament seeks for ways of dismantling discrimination and tries to forge ways of creating a more inclusive and accepting society for all individuals regardless of their political, social-economic and sexual orientations. That is how societies world over move forward, discrimination only lags us behind.