Today Uganda's parliament adjourned its legislative season without considering the horrific bill legalizing the death penalty for people accused of homosexuality.
Lawmakers had been due to debate the legislation calling for capital punishment notably for consensual gay sex where one partner has the HIV virus. The United States, a major aid donor to Uganda, said Thursday that nothing could justify passing the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Parliament speaker Edward Ssekandi said he was "adjourning this house," effectively killing off the debate over the controversial legislation for this parliament. David Bahati, the lawmaker behind the anti-gay bill, said that no bills could be passed as the cabinet was dissolved following the inauguration of President Yoweri Museveni on Thursday following a landslide election victory in February. But he said that even if the bill was not passed this session it had achieved the goal of sparking a debate that would continue when the new parliament convenes. "We have made important steps in raising the issue and that will continue," he said.
Activists warn that the bill could return in the next parliament. Earlier this week Rep. Barney Frank and the U.S. State Department denounced the bill with warnings to cut off financial aid to Uganda should it pass.
Uganda's "kill the gays" bill is apparently being fast-tracked for a parliamentary vote within the next few days.
If enacted, the Bill would greatly broaden the criminalisation of homosexuality by introducing the death penalty for people who have previous convictions, are HIV-positive, or engage in same sex acts with people under 18 years of age.The bill also includes provisions for Ugandans who engage in same-sex sexual relations outside of Uganda, asserting that they may be extradited for punishment back to Uganda, and includes penalties for individuals, companies, media organisations, or non-governmental organisations that support LGBT rights.
There is hope that international pressure, particularly from the United States, may derail the bill yet again.
The US government has moved increasingly to tie aid to human rights, including LGBT human rights. The US Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geitner, last month indicated that the US will use its influence in world bodies which provide Uganda with a big chunk of its budget. Already Germany has stopped aid to Malawi following anti-gay moves, including criminalising lesbians, in that country and funding for a huge infrastructure project only went ahead after reassurances on human rights from Malawi's government.
All Out has launched a petition campaign to Uganda's president. Sign it here.
Box Turtle Bulletinalerts us that despite recent media reports that Uganda's "kill gays" bill had been shelved, in fact it will be debated in the national parliament next week. The bill came into being after American evangelicals visited Uganda with claims that foreign homosexuals wanted to pay Uganda's children to become gay.
The controversial Anti Homosexuality bill is one of several bills that Members of Parliament on the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee are set to debate when the House resumes business next week. Speaking to the media at Parliament today, the committee chairman, Stephen Tashobya said though the bill has created both local and international concern, it is up to Parliament to pass the bill. Tashobya says the committee will hold public hearings where stakeholders’ views will be heard and a report made to the House for debate and possible passing before Parliament closes the 8th Parliament.
RELATED: Earlier this week the U.S. House Financial Services Committee approved a bill that would discourage the granting of American foreign aid to nations that "physically persecute" their LGBT citizens. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Barney Frank, faces an uncertain future with the full House.
The International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission has issued a statement on yesterday's story about the possible execution by stoning of two young men in Iran for having gay sex. At IGLHRC's request, I pulled my first post on the story while they investigated. Via email:
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) has received reports of the imminent execution of two men in Piranshahr, Iran. By some media accounts, Ayub and Mosleh have been sentenced to death for raping a young man, filming their actions, and inserting images of President Ahmadinejad into the film. There have been reports that the men are scheduled to be killed by stoning on January 21. IGLHRC has been unable to confirm the allegations in this case.
This case is evidence, however, of much bigger problems in Iran: widespread abuse in the justice system and censorship of information. People, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender may be arbitrarily arrested, tortured, and convicted on baseless charges. It can be difficult, if not impossible, to know the facts that lie behind convictions.
IGLHRC condemns the use of capital punishment in all instances, including this one, regardless of the alleged acts with which the individuals have been accused or convicted. Likewise, IGLHRC condemns all forms of sexual violence and rape. We call on the Government of Iran to immediately annul any execution order related to this case, to end the practice of death by stoning, and to repeal the criminalization of same-sex activity.
"Iran has an impenetrable and opaque criminal justice system that makes knowing what is really happening inside the country impossible," said Hossein Alizadeh, Regional Coordinator for IGLHRC's Middle East and North Africa Program. "What we do know is that killing is wrong in all its forms, even when committed by the State."
I will update you at once when further information is available.
Many of you have noted that I have removed yesterday's post regarding the pending executions of two young gay men in Iran. Shortly after that post went up, both Andy Towle and I were contacted by Jessica Stern at the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission, who was very concerned that fragile communications being made on the men's behalf could be damaged by excessive publicity in the blogosphere.
This morning Stern sends us this update: "IGLHRC is deeply concerned about the alleged charges facing two men from Piranshahr, Iran, and we are urgently investigating them. We are also concerned that some stories circulating about these men may contain factual inaccuracies and be based on hearsay. Until more is understood, we urge journalists and advocates to act with extreme caution. The death penalty is always wrong, however the specifics of each case matter immensely. Nothing less than the lives of two young men is at stake."
I will update you on any further developments today.
Uganda's notorious Pastor Martin Ssempa, who infamously tells national audiences that the preferred sexual practice of gay men is eating human feces, has been charged with attempting to blackmail another pastor. Ssempa is accused of offering to pay another man to say that he had "been sodomized" by Pastor Robert Kayanja. A total of eight anti-gay Christian activists have been charged in the case.
Pastor Sempa is accused of hiring Robson Matovu to blackmail Pastor Kayanja. Court heard that Pastor Male reportedly gave Mr Matovu a signed and stamped affidavit implicating Pastor Kayanja while Samson Mukisa was reportedly promised necessities on condition that he would speak publicly on how Pastor Kayanja had sodomised him. A police report indicates that complaints of sodomy against Pastor Kayanja did not reveal any evidence the offences. “In retracting their statements, the complainants said they had been mobilised to make false accusations against Pastor Kayanja in order to tarnish his name,” reads a report.
Box Turtle Bulletin'sJim Burroway notes: "Public charges of sodomy are a common way to settle political and other scores in Uganda. Should the proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill become law with its death penalty and other heightened penalties for advocacy on behalf of LGBT people or failure to report gay people to police, such conspiracies will increase and carry far greater dangers. The bill will mean that no one will be safe, including straight people."
Last month a coalition of Arabic and African nations succeeded in removing a reference to sexual orientation in a United Nations resolution condemning the unjustified executions of minority groups. Today at the urging of the United States, that reference was restored by a vote of 93-55, with 27 abstentions.
Boris Dittrich, director of the gay rights program at Human Rights Watch, said he was "relieved" by the vote. "The resolution does justice to gays, lesbians and transgender people in countries where they are targeted for assaults and killings," Dittrich said. "Hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity must be countered just like hate crimes on the basis of race or religion." Mark Bromley, of the Washington-based Council for Global Equality, called the vote "an important victory." Rights groups worked ahead of the vote to lobby countries that had abstained earlier in hopes of getting them to approve a U.S.-sponsored amendment to restore the words "sexual orientation." Colombia and South Africa were among the countries they persuaded to approve the amendment.
I find it curious that South Africa, a country with legalized same-sex marriage, was one of the holdouts in the first vote.
Last month a coalition of African and Arabic nations forced the deletion of "sexual orientation" from a United Nations resolution condemning the "extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions" of certain classes of people. Next week the United States will attempt to have that phrase restored.
Speaking at a panel on Human Rights Day, US ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said she was “incensed” at the vote. “We are going to fight to restore the reference to sexual orientation,” she said. “We’re going to stand firm on this basic principle. And we intend to win.” The vote on this resolution is expected to come up in the General Assembly on 20 December 2010. The resolution, which the UN votes on every two years, has contained a reference to lesbian and gay people since 1999. It condemns extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions and other killings. It still includes references to a variety of other groups, such as human rights defenders, religious and ethnic minorities and street children.
Last night Rachel Maddow concluded her interview with Uganda's David "Kill The Gays" Behati. Maddow also interviews the author of a book about the GOP's secretive Christianist group, The Family.
Tonight the author of Uganda's "Kill The Gays" bill, David Behati, appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show where Maddow repeatedly called Behati out on his ridiculous claims about wealthy American homosexuals "paying Ugandan schoolchildren to become gay." Behati's bill came about after The Family, a powerful GOP-based lobby of anti-gay Christianists, visited Uganda to preach against homosexuality. Watch this.
According to a BBC investigative report to be aired tonight, children at Britain's Islamic schools are being taught that homosexuals must be put to death. The forty schools are operated under banner of the Saudi Students Clubs of the UK. Via Pink News:
Gay sex is punished by execution, the schools allegedly teach. However, children are told that clerics are said to differ in whether the guilty person should be stoned, thrown off a cliff or burnt. Other textbooks are said to ask students to list the “reprehensible” qualities of Jews and claim that Jews are transformed into pigs and monkeys. Michael Gove, the education secretary, told Panorama: “Saudi Arabia is a sovereign country. I have no desire or wish to intervene in the decisions that the Saudi government makes in its own education system. But I’m clear that we cannot have antisemitic material of any kind being used in English schools.” The Saudi ambassador to the UK said it had nothing to do with the schools and condemned the “dangerously deceptive and misleading” use of historical texts on Jews.
A coalition of Arab and African nations have succeeded in deleting a reference to sexual orientation in a United Nations resolution condemning "extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions." An amendment calling for the deletion was introduced by Morocco and Mali and passed narrowly by a vote of 79-70.
The U.S. delegation voted against the deletion but abstained from the vote on the final resolution. Diplomats said the U.S. delegation also voiced disappointment at the decision to remove the reference to sexual orientation. The resolution, which is expected to be formally adopted by the General Assembly in December, specifies many other types of violence, including killings for racial, national, ethnic, religious or linguistic reasons and killings of refugees, indigenous people and other groups. "It's a step backwards and it's extremely disappointing that some countries felt the need to remove the reference to sexual orientation, when sexual orientation is the very reason why so many people around the world have been subjected to violence," said Philippe Bolopion of Human Rights Watch.
The resolution, which is presented every two years in the General Assembly, passed with 165-0, with ten abstentions, including the United States.
A Minnesota-based Christian rock band whose lead singer calls for the execution of homosexuals will appear at this year's state GOP convention and has ties to the reelection campaign of Rep. Michele "Crazy Eyes" Bachmann. Via Change.org:
The Minnesota Independent notes that a Christian rock band in Minnesota, which has called for LGBT people to be killed and targeted for violence, has built an incestuous relationship with the state's GOP, including intimate ties with the campaigns of Rep. Michele Bachmann, and gubernatiorial candidate Tom Emmer. Moreover, the band -- known as You Can Run But You Cannot Hide -- also received a GOP-sponsored booth at this year's state Republican Convention. Just what does You Can Run But You Cannot Hide have to say about the subject of homosexuality? Well, according to their front man, Bradlee Dean, they believe that gay people should be murdered, much like they are in conservative Muslim countries. "Muslims are calling for the executions of homosexuals in America," Dean said. "This just shows you they themselves are upholding the laws that are even in the Bible of the Judeo-Christian God, but they seem to be more moral than even the American Christians do, because these people are livid about enforcing their laws. They know homosexuality is an abomination."
Bachmann has praised the band, saying, "It a tough job that you do, but someone has to do it. I thank God that he has given you the strength and the resolve to fight for our timeless values." Andy Birkman at the Minnesota Independent has been following the connection between the band and the state GOP since last October. Read his many stories here. Here's a couple of ugly of clips from the band's lead singer, Bradlee Dean, in which he praises countries that execute gays. Listen to Bachmann's hero. At the bottom is a clip advertising a November fundraiser featuring Bachmann and the band.
The following statement was just sent to the Washington Post by the Family Research Council.
Inaccurate internet reports have been circulating indicating that the Family Research Council lobbied "against" a congressional resolution condemning a bill proposed in Uganda. The Uganda bill would have provided for the death penalty for something called "aggravated homosexuality." Unfortunately, those spreading these false rumors deliberately failed to obtain the facts first.
FRC did not lobby against or oppose passage of the congressional resolution. FRC's efforts, at the request of Congressional offices, were limited to seeking changes in the language of proposed drafts of the resolution, in order to make it more factually accurate regarding the content of the Uganda bill, and to remove sweeping and inaccurate assertions that homosexual conduct is internationally recognized as a fundamental human right.
FRC does not support the Uganda bill, and does not support the death penalty for homosexuality -- nor any other penalty which would have the effect of inhibiting compassionate pastoral, psychological and medical care and treatment for those who experience same-sex attractions or who engage in homosexual conduct.
Ah, but being gay IS, largely, "internationally recognized as a fundamental human right." And what the FRC was doing, by own their words, was attempting to rewrite the congressional resolution to erase the TRUTH that the Uganda bill does INDEED call for executing homosexuals, something the Christian right has been denying for months. (It also calls for Ugandan citizens to report the names of every gay person they know, or else they go to jail themselves.) But hey, at least we've got the FRC on the record saying their don't want us killed, whether we buy that or not.
The Washington Post's David Weigelhas picked up my post about the Family Research Council lobbying against a congressional condemnation of Uganda's "kill gays" bill.
Gay City News and blogger Joe My God dug into the lobbying records of the Family Research Council and found that among the "Civil Rights/Civil Liberties" issues that the FRC's Tom McCluskey and David Christensen lobbied on was HR 1064, a resolution condemning Uganda's proposed anti-homosexuality bill. That's the bill that would assign a seven-year sentence for "homosexuality" and a possible death sentence for "aggravated homosexuality."
Should this come as a surprise? Well, it's the only issue under the "Civil Rights/Civil Liberties" heading that doesn't actually touch on a change to American laws. The resolution, proposed by Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Ca.), spends most of its length arguing that Uganda's efforts to fight AIDS would be impeded by the law and proclaims that "all people possess an intrinsic human dignity, regardless of sexual orientation, and share fundamental human rights." In the FRC's report, this resolution is short-handed as "pro-homosexual promotion."
Weigel has posted the FRC's lobbying report in full, as well as the wording of the House resolution. He is waiting for the Family Research Council to respond.
The Unregistered Baptist Fellowship has issued a press release opposing the repeal of DADT because the Bible calls for the death penalty for homosexuality. A snippet via Christian Newswire:
Therefore, because God's word condemns same sex physical relationships (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13; Romans 1:24-32), calling them abomination, and considering them a capitol crime against society and nature worthy of the death penalty.
Be it resolved, That we insist upon enforcement of the law (Section 654, Title 10) by eliminating the Clinton Administration's policy known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which is inconsistent with the 1993 law (Section 654, Title 10). That the question about homosexuality that used to be on induction forms prior to January 1993 be restored. That we oppose any legislative attempt to repeal the 1993 homosexual conduct law in Congress.
The UBF describes itself as a "fellowship of Baptist pastors, evangelists, missionaries and laymen." They say they will not obey any law "opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Today Uganda's parliament adjourned its legislative season without considering the horrific bill legalizing the death penalty for people accused of homosexuality. 
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