Uganda’s LGBT bill fallout deepens as protests rock Canada
The fallout between the Ugandan government and the West over the recently passed anti-homosexuality bill 2023 continues to deepen.
Recently we revealed on these pages how the Canadian government came out to condemn the move, with Justin Pierre James Trudeau, the Prime Minister describing it as despicable, and urged world leaders to reject it, saying it directly violates the rights of LGBTQ communities around the world.
“I want to condemn in the absolute strongest terms the despicable law put forward by the Ugandan government discriminating against the LGBTQ communities. Canada understands this is totally against the rights of LGBTQ communities. We will be looking at how to continue with how to support the communities around the world. I called upon leaders around the world and all Common Wealth governments to condemn this despicable piece of legislation,” PM Trudeau said while addressing journalists.
Uganda’s envoy to Canada and also the Dean of the African Group, Ambassador Joy Ruth Acheng, was also summoned and grilled for hours by the Canadian authority after the bill was passed by the parliament, this publication understands.
UGANDANS IN CANADA PROTEST
The latest to oppose the bill are the Ugandan LBTQ community living in Canada. They are now rallying all Human Rights Organizations in Europe to boycott all government activities should President Museveni sign the bill into law that prohibits same-sex activities.
On Sunday, 2nd April, they hit the streets to express their fury.
According to correspondents in Canada, the protests started with a gathering at Dundas Square, a procession on the streets there after which later ended up with another peaceful gathering at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario – Queen Park.
The protests were preceded by a community conference that was held and broadcast through a YouTube channel that was started and run by one Samuel Kisitu to reach out to far gay communities across the world.
“We are calling out all the Human rights activists to come out and stand up in a bid to stop President Museveni from signing the gay bill into law,” said Dennis Wamala, one of the Ugandan protesters.
They demand that the current legislative assault on LGBTQI+ rights in Uganda be stopped. They are also calling for action by the Canadian government, private sector, and civil society organisations to come to the rescue of Ugandan LGBTQI+ rights.
They have since asked the Canadian multinational corporations and trade organisations to speak out publicly and urge President Museveni to abstain from signing the Anti-Homosexuality Bill into law.
They went ahead to call on the Canadian Government to impose visa bans on human rights violators like the Ugandan MPs and homophobic activists promoting the anti-homosexuality bill in Uganda.
In the same conference, they asked the Canadian Government to provide flexible funding to support LGBTQI+ organisations on the ground defending human rights in Uganda.
Also, Canada should create an emergency action fund to allow civil society the nimbleness to respond to these crackdowns and crisis situations in real time.
“We ask the Canadian Government to create flexible visas and humanitarian programs for at-risk LGBTQI+ Ugandans and human rights defenders who may need urgent pathways to safety.”
Samuel Kisitu one of the organizers of the conference said “we ask the Canadian Government to hold the Ugandan government to account in multilateral spaces for their responsibility to uphold human rights. We ask for the support of the community in amplifying these recommendations, and call on our Canadian partners across government, the private sector, and civil society to urgently implement them.”
This call has been coordinated by members of Dignity Network Canada: Stephen Lewis Foundation, Rainbow Railroad, Equitas, The Equality Fund and African Centre for Refugees to amplify the messages from our partners in Uganda.
Wamala further called on Ford to restore health care access for people without health care insurance—such as people fleeing Uganda’s new anti-LGBTQ and homophobic tendencies.
Hon. Kristyn Wong-Tam, the Toronto Centre MPP added to the message given by all speakers including a reverend who gave a perspective on the religious angle as a collective message that amplified a protest held on Sunday.
Amongst the other key speakers were Doreen Kajumba, a Human Rights Activists in Canada, David Magezi, an active key participant of the Sunday protest who for fear of his life fled the country in July of last year.
Magezi and many others who agree with his notion in the conference expressed dissatisfaction of what they claimed will be a harsh law with unrealistic punishments which would boost the homophobic crowds to turn on the LGBTQI community across the country, should President Museveni sign.
Many Human rights Actors and organisations such as ACT (Toronto), Acting Out Waterloo Region Advocacy, Canada African Centre for Refugees in Ontario, Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention, Archives gaies du Québec Association amongst others were called up to take action.
US President Joe Biden addressed the Canadian Parliament last month, where he emphasized the need for more synergies to defend human rights across the world.
In its warning to Uganda, the Canadian government warned that no tourists or investors from Canada would come to Uganda once the bill is not withdrawn. So far, Trudeau has asked lawmakers to “reconsider” the bill.
Canada also intends to cut diplomatic ties with Uganda once the proposed law is not withdrawn by the government.
The US government last month also urged President Museveni to block the legislation passed by lawmakers, and officials are publicly floating the idea of economic sanctions on Uganda, even if it hampers development dollars aimed at preventing the spread of AIDS.
The United States government has since warned Uganda of dire consequences once the bill is not withdrawn.
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