Legislators do not only have a duty to legislate Law but impliedly, to pass good Law not influenced by biased public opinion but informed by International and Regional standards, most of which Uganda has signed and ratified. The Bill is a direct attack on sexual and gender identity. Article 21 of the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda as amended guarantees equality and freedom for all from discrimination on the ground of sex, race, colour, ethnic origin, tribe, birth, creed or religion, or social or economic standing, political opinion or disability. ‘Discrimination on the ground of sex’ appends respect for a private life, respect for family and a home.
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A 2020 report by Bantwana Initiative of World Education carried out in Uganda on defilement and sexual harassment shows that, “19% of children reported that they had ‘played sex’ with an adult in the past six months. Of the 47% of children that reported receiving a ‘bad touch’ in the past six months, 50% identified a caregiver as the perpetrator, 33% identified a teacher and 17% identified a friend, stranger, or another family member as the perpetrator. Of the 32% of teachers that reported knowing a child that received a bad touch in the past six months, 56% (majority) identified a fellow student as the perpetrator. Where children knew a child that received a bad touch, 34% of children talked with a teacher and 25% talked to a friend.”
Kuchu Times Media Group as the community media platform whose goal is to demystify the myths around the sexual and gender diverse community will be running a campaign telling the lived realities of LGBTIQ+ persons. We shall be featuring stories that ago as far as the first issue of Bombastic magazine. The aim is this campaign is to introduce you to the sexual and gender diverse community of Uganda away from the current smear campaign.
. As we join the rest of Ugandans in the confusion of the priorities of our legislators and their obsession with policing people’s bodies; Kuchu Times Media Group will be resuming her SRHR campaign. The purpose of this campaign will be to shed light on the diversities of sexual reproductive health and rights needs especially within womn and gender non conforming persons from minority groups.
As Ugandan citizens of conscience, we reject discrimination and stigmatisation of the LGBTQ persons. We condemn in the strongest terms sexual violence against all persons including children and we firmly believe that the existing legislation comprehensively protects them, if enforced. The proposed bill is unconstitutional and regressive in nature and if passed it will curtail public health services, access to justice, housing, association, and conscience among others.
We urge the Parliament of Uganda to uphold the principles of non-discrimination and desist from legislating hatred towards any group based on propaganda, myths and personal baises.
Human Rights Promotion and Awareness Forum (HRAPF) drafted a legal and human rights analysis of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023. This follows the publishing of the Bill in the Uganda Gazette on 3rd March, 2023. Follow the link below to read the whole article. https://www.kuchutimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/23-03-08-HRAPF-Analysis-of-the-Anti-Homosexuality-Bill-2023-1.pdf
A working effective parliament doesn’t look the other way when things are going tough, even for the minority, an effective parliament seeks for ways of dismantling discrimination and tries to forge ways of creating a more inclusive and accepting society for all individuals regardless of their political, social-economic and sexual orientations. That is how societies world over move forward, discrimination only lags us behind.
Transgender Equality Uganda held a two day feminist and movement building forum from the 14th to the 15th February, 2023. The forum was aimed at building a collective vision and share perspectives to catalyze national effort, to address and prevent Gender Based Violence (GBV) committed against LBTQ women and female sex workers, revising strategies to promote SRHR justice, growth, healing and transformation healing as a movement. Revising strategies to reclaim the shrinking spaces for LBTQ women and female ex workers within the movement.
Due to the gags and intolerant policies in main stream media towards sexual and gender diverse persons, we have found that our communities seek solace in the internet. In fact Kuchu Times Media Group is the pioneer of alternative media use in Uganda and East Africa and continues to run almost 90% on the internet aside from a few print publications that also have online versions.
The LGBTQI+ community absolutely rejects any suggestion that our community is linked to non-consensual interpersonal behaviors especially the heinous acts of pedophiles. As a community we condemn all acts of child molestation and abuse and encourage the duty bearers to deal with any such culprits as the law states.