From: Yona Maro
Ndorwa West Member of Parliament David Bahati, mover of the private member’s bill, finally got his wish after President Museveni declared last week that he would sign into law the controversial Anti-Homosexuality Bill.
The president had earlier refused to sign the bill passed by parliament in December 2013, arguing in a lengthy letter to the Speaker of Parliament that homosexuals and lesbians are simply abnormal people who need help rather than punitive legislation.
That the President’s latest stand is popular with many Ugandans is without doubt. However, not everything popular is necessarily right. Not everything on the law books is necessarily right either.
It’s important to separate what is wrong from what we don’t like. Abusing children, whether homosexually or heterosexually, is wrong and must not go unpunished. Likewise, initiating children into homosexuality as has been alleged is wrong and should be punished too.
However, a blanket condemnation, victimisation and stigmatisation of all people deemed to be homosexual just because we don’t like their ways is also wrong.
As far as consenting adults are concerned, we believe the state has little business legislating as to how they should relate sexually. Not only is it unnecessary and intrusive, it is almost impossible to implement.
Like President Museveni wrote in his letter before the u-turn at Kyankwanzi, a tough new law against the practice won’t eliminate homosexuality, just like other laws have not eliminated vices such as prostitution.
And Uganda doesn’t have to listen to Western voices trying to dictate how the country should exercise its sovereignty. The approach by some of these countries is in fact another form of intolerance that doesn’t help.
Ugandans only need to listen to their consciences and make up their minds on whether it’s proper to imprison people just because their sexual preference is different.
Strangely, many religious leaders whose cardinal duty is understood to be preaching the virtues of love, tolerance, repentance and forgiveness are instead pushing the state to institutionalise vengeance against some in their flock.
The words of Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church, should be instructive to such leaders: who am I to judge. Indeed, we should all ask ourselves, who are we to judge?
http://observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30226&catid=35&Itemid=61&fb_action_ids=10203335994943499&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%5B1393671764230650%5D&action_type_map=%5B%22og.likes%22%5D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D
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Yona Fares Maro
Institut d’études de sécurité – SA