LGBT News Uganda's Constitutional Court annuls anti-gay law

Sadly it's only been struck down on a technicality, so chances are it'll be voted on again & passed in to law.

So sad.

 

But it shows that there are still enough pro-LGBT forces there that people can do something like this. It is a declaration, a statement, a manifesto, telling the world that LGBT people in Uganda is still there and not giving up yet.

 

This is good news. Although it was struck down on a technicality, the good news here is that this is a political off ramp for Uganda. All the politicians who wanted to vote on the law are now on the record. Some aid has been cut.

Now, I think to try and ensure that the law isn't reinstated, there should be talk of returning the aid that has been cut back to Uganda. A combination of carrots and sticks. They passed the law, so we whacked them with the sticks. Now that the law is gone, we need to wave some carrots in front of them to hopefully make sure it doesn't return.

The immediate backlash from this is going to fall on the court itself. So, hopefully while the pressure is there, we'll have some room to negotiate to ensure that the law stays dead.

 

I felt such a relief reading this, even though it's only a small step.

 

Problem is they had the threat of having the aid withdrawn hanging over them when the bill was first making it's way through parliament and it was still signed in anyway. The Ugandan government doesn't give a crap about the aid, they're going to get money regardless and they know the populace will blame the gays for any problems.

I feel the way forward is actually targeting Musevani and anyone else drinking the Kool-Aid with proper sanctions; asset freezes, visa bans and the like.

 

Exactly.

 

Still, though. A gay-bashing bill struck down in Uganda for any period of time should send the message to every country that killing people just because they're different than you is no way to go about things, especially making it law. Putin should be taking notes here, but I'm afraid his eyes are a little bit more northwest.

 

They probably assumed they were empty threats though, that they wouldn't consider something like an anti-gay law something that other countries would do something to affect everyone in the country over.

Since it actually happened, it's possibly, though unlikely, they will not pass it again.

 

Like Tim said, it's one thing to make the threat, and it's another thing entirely to carry it out. We also have to keep in mind that the primary LGBT advocacy groups in the country, such as Sexual Minorities Uganda, opposed cutting aid in the first place. Here is an article on it.

It's my belief that we should do more to work with the LGBT advocates on the ground, take their advice, and organize accordingly. However, I do agree that more directly targeted sanctions, asset freezes, visa bans, etc. is perhaps the most appropriate way for the West to respond to those in power.

I think we need to better coordinate our actions with members of the community actually doing the fighting on the ground in Uganda. It doesn't do our shared cause much good if we're taking actions that they feel undercuts their ability to do the necessary work that must be done there on the ground.

I believe by reinstating the aid we might bring ourselves back to a neutral position, and hopefully dissuade them from reinstating the law. If they do reinstate the law, then taking carefully targeted actions is the best way forward on our end, as well as getting the necessary funding and training to LGBT Ugandans.