Uganda LGBTs strategize, unite as ‘Kill the Gays’ bill nears

As the harsh Anti- Homosexuality Bill moves closer to a vote in the Ugandan parliament, some opponents of the bill gathered on Feb. 14 to encourage each other,  to discuss the next steps to take against the bill, and to relax.

They assembled for the third annual Standing on the Side of Love gathering at a hotel in Kampala. On the agenda were the status of the bill, as well as an exchange of ideas about LGBTI rights and about how to improve the safety of  LGBTI people in Uganda.

The drama and music group Rock Angels provided entertainment, as shown in photos above and below.

Rock Angels is one of several projects of the AIDS-fighting Youth on Rock Foundation, which has recently been under attack by police in Kampala. Three of the group’s leaders have been detained temporarily by police, accused of promoting homosexuality but not formally charged, then released with orders to return for further questioning.

Youth on Rock is a community organization run by and for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex youth. Its projects are aimed at educating youths about HIV/AIDS and LGBTI rights.

The foundation is seeking financial support so it can reopen an office for counseling LGBTI youth and for coordinating its grassroots efforts.  Contributions may be made through a Web page on the Fundrazr site, organized by Youth on Rock supporter Suzanne Zelei of Sweden. That appeal is about a third of the way to reaching its $1,000 goal.

Standing on the Side of Love is an interfaith public advocacy campaign, sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association, that seeks to harness love’s power to stop oppression.

See Also

The story of a lesbian couple imprisoned in Cameroon

Local sponsors of this year’s event included:

• Youth on Rock Foundation
• Unitarian Universalist Church of Uganda
• St. Paul’s Reconciliation and Equality Center

The Anti-Homosexuality Bill, nicknamed the “Kill the Gays” bill, has gradually moved higher on the parliament’s Notice of Business to Follow list. At the end of last week, it was at No. 3.

Related articles

• Some clergy in Uganda join forces to protect LGBTI people (76crimes.com)
• LGBTI activists in hiding in Uganda after release by police (76crimes.com)
• Third arrest in anti-gay Uganda crackdown (76crimes.com)
• Uganda ramps up arrests of gay activists (76crimes.com)
• Ugandan LGBTI Youth Group Founder Arrested for Homosexuality (oblogdeeoblogda.me)
• ‘Kill the Gays’ bill moves ever closer in Uganda (76crimes.com)