Uganda's embattled LGBT community was profiled on Monday by Al Jazeera's AJ Stream. The first guest was Frank Mugisha, the director of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), the sole LGBT rights organization in the East African nation. Mugisha was awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award last November—the first time that an LGBT rights activist has been honored by the prestigious award.
Watch the interview AFTER THE JUMP ...
Mugisha says daily life is "difficult" for LGBTs in Uganda. The re-introduction of the extreme Anti-Homosexuality Bill—which seeks the death penalty or life imprisonment for anyone caught engaging in homosexual acts for a second time—has created some dialogue.
"There has been some level discussion which has been huge for us," said Mugisha. "But at the same time there has been an increase in harassment. .... Those that are closeted are afria dto come out. And those who are out can be harassed or thrown out of their homes."
Mugisha worked closely with the late David Kato, who was the spokesman of SMUG. Kato reportedly received numerous death threats after his name and photo made the front page of an anti-gay tabloid with the headline "Hang Them". Kato was later brutally killed in his own home on January 25. Enock Nsubuga was arrested one week later and police claim he confessed to Kato's murder over a sex-for-pay deal gone wrong. Authorities refuse to link Kato's murder to his activism.
Watch the interview AFTER THE JUMP ...
Homosexuality is punishable by up to life in prison in Uganda, which has been condemned by the international community for its state-sponsored anti-gay terror campaign. Thirty-eight of Africa's 54 nations have laws criminalizing homosexuality. Four nations—Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan—boast the death penalty for same-sex activity. South Africa and Seychelles boasts the continent's only protections of LGBT rights.
Well, THAT was uncomfortable...
I think that Scott Lively had a point in that this discussion wasn't as balanced as it could have been...but *bloods boils* nobody likes to be told "your way is not the right way", and I can only imagine that this would extremely irritating to hear if your view point had been historically held as correct (speaking from a western perspective).
It is my hope that, in time, humanity as a whole will be in a place where we understand that respecting the integrity and truth in all of us is what will unite us.
Posted by: archipelago | 24 July 2012 at 15:46
Bravo Frank. He handled that bigot and the issues with courage, grace and strength. Lively was off base. Not everyone follows the bible. Jesus of Nazerth never spoke out against same sex sex. Not all lgbt engage in sodomy. Continental Africans have had gay family members for generations without much ado until Lively and his bigotry.
Ugh!
Posted by: Barton Hughes | 24 July 2012 at 16:40
Bravo Frank. He handled that bigot and the issue with courage, strength and grace. Lively was way off base. Not all lgbt folks engage in sodomy. Not everyone follows the bible. Further, if they did, Jesus never said anything about same sex sex. African families have managed with lgbt family members for generations without falling apart.
Ugh
Posted by: Barton Hughes | 25 July 2012 at 07:50
I didn't know Al Jazeera cares about this things-)
Posted by: alveo | 25 July 2012 at 14:23