MARCH 2010
Late in 2009, much of the Western world was shocked as a bill was introduced to Ugandan parliament, which prescribed harsh penalties, including the death penalty in some cases, for sexual acts between same-sex people.
According to CNN1, the provisions initially included:
- Homosexuals convicted of having gay sex being sentenced to life in prison as a minimum
- People who test positive for HIV being executed
- Homosexuals who have sex with a minor, or engage in homosexual sex more than once, also receiving the death penalty
- Anyone not reporting homosexual activity that they know took place, risking up to three years in prison
Across the world, objections were raised by various human rights organisations, leaders of other countries and even a representative of the Roman Catholic Holy See. Ugandan political response to the international outcry was mixed, with the Minister for Ethics and Integrity at one point commenting that Uganda would not be directed by foreign advice, although the president stated that foreign policy interests would be considered2. Since the initial draft, news reports have stated that the penalties have been softened, with the death penalty having been removed altogether, but with prison terms remaining.
Even before the bill was introduced, homosexuality was illegal in Uganda, as it is in a number of African countries. However in recent years Ugandan conservatives have increasingly lamented that homosexuals appear to be increasing in number - a perceived change that challenges their traditional values and has heightened agitation. One Ugandan Muslim leader has gone so far as to make public statements offering suggestions on how all living homosexuals in Uganda could be eradicated. Strong homophobic sentiments are in fact be held by more than just a minority in this country of over 30 million people, and tend to be reinforced by the Ugandan media3. CNN has reported that a poll held in mid 2008 found that 95% of the population opposed legalising homosexuality4.
The nation's discomfort with homosexuality is often rooted in local culture, but has been bolstered by Christian missionary endeavours, often by Americans, who have brought with them quasi-scientific anti-gay ideologies, sometimes even in book form. Americans convened a well attended conference in Uganda last year, that preached that homosexuality is curable. Such theories have been firmly embraced by relevant Ugandan politicians. The minister who introduced the anti-gay bill, David Bahati, illustrated the foundations for his anti-gay outlook, when he made the remarkable statement; "It's not an inborn orientation, it's a behaviour learnt - and it can be unlearnt. That's why we are encouraging churches and mosques to continue rehabilitating and counselling these people."5
Lack of news on the bill in the last few months suggests that the Ugandan government has not yet come to a decision on implementing it, despite earlier reports that it was hoped the debate would take place late in March.
So what position do university students in Uganda take? Are they homophobic? Are they open minded? Do they realise that homosexual orientation is innate and usually not learnt? We decided to ask them. A Google search quickly finds a list on Wikipedia of 28 Ugandan universities. We tried to contact each one of these by email. The websites for three of the universities were down or non-existent, and one didnt appear to have an email option, leaving us unable to quickly find a way to reach them. The other 24 were all sent the following email -
Hi there,
I apologise for writing in English, but English is the only language I know.
Im a student at Macquarie University in Australia. Im doing research for a student magazine, about the proposed law changes in Uganda, in regards to homosexuality. Could those at [your] University please comment for me on whether students at the university generally support homosexuality being illegal. Also, if the university, has an organised GLBTIQ/homosexual group, could that group please let me know their feelings regarding the proposed law changes.
Thank you so much,
[my name]
Australia
The Emails to 4 of the universities bounced back (didnt reach them). And nineteen of the universities simply didnt reply. So that leaves us with one which did reply. Yes, one. They wrote;
We do not have time to dicuss petty issues like homosexuality.
Thank you
Our emails were generally sent to an admin or Vice Chancellor's address. So it's probably unlikely that students actually saw them. But it's disappointing that university staff did not reply in most cases. Did they struggle to understand English? Unlikely as it's an official language, and their websites are in English. Were they too busy? Maybe. However the lack of response lines up with the general belief of Ugandans that homosexuals are undeserving.
There are also a number of Africans attending our Uni, so I posted a message on the Facebook page for the international students group, hoping to obtain the perspective of any Ugandans who are studying over here. But again, no response.
Hopefully eventually Uganda will follow the West by putting religion and culture to one side for long enough to consider homosexuality objectively and scientifically, giving compassionate regard to those who have no choice but to suffer from violent discrimination. However in the meantime, it seems that there isnt much hope, when they appear so unwilling to even communicate about it.
Footnotes:
No comments:
Post a Comment