ACT NOW TO STOP THE ANTI-HOMOSEXUALITY BILL IN UGANDA FROM BECOMING LAW

A **CALL TO ACTION** by KUCHU DIASPORA ALLIANCE (KDA) | Uniting across continents to amplify the collective voice of our movement

Posted by Melanie Nathan, January 02, 2014.

The Kuchu Diaspora Alliance (KDA), a network of Ugandan LGBT activists living in the Diaspora is echoing the voice of our comrades on the ground in Uganda, by calling to action allies of the Ugandan LGBT struggle and all those that support equality and dignity for all, to organize your communities to action against the recent passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2009 by the Parliament of Uganda.

We call for collective and coordinated effort as we respond to the human rights situation in Uganda.

Call to Action:

• Ugandan Human Rights Defenders – Continue lobbying our President and parliamentarians to drop the unconstitutional Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2009.

• Organize peaceful demonstrations at respective Uganda embassies in your country calling for Uganda to respect international human rights instruments and agreements that it has signed by doing away with the criminalization of LGBT people.

• Mobilize online communities to sign online petitions addressed to the Office of the President of Uganda

• Write letters to the Office of the President of Uganda reminding him of the impact on human rights that will result from signing the bill into law.

• Diplomatic engagement with President Museveni from world leaders and donor partners to Uganda.

• Engage with activists on the ground as well as Ugandan activists in your country to find strategic responses that will not endanger the lives of LGBTQ people in Uganda.

• Support the Kuchu Diaspora Alliance (KDA) by circulating this message far and wide.

Background:

On December 23, 2013, the Uganda Parliament passed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill that was first proposed as a private member’s bill by Member of Parliament, David Bahati in 2009.

The Bill proposes severe prison sentences for offenders. It states that anyone who commits the offense of homosexuality will be liable to life imprisonment as the provisions, according to the bill, are meant to “protect the traditional family by prohibiting any form of sexual relations between persons of the same sex.”

Furthermore, the bill proposes to criminalize the “promotion of homosexuality” which is a provision targeting civil society and human rights defenders. These and other provisions of the bill go beyond targeting homosexuals, to affect families, human rights defenders, teachers, neighbors, friends, spiritual leaders, medical professionals, shop owners, to mention but a few.

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Please report back and let us know of any actions by anyone you know….