Uganda Anti-Gay Bill Brings Democrats and GOP Together

by Michael Jones · 2010-02-05 05:44:00 UTC
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UgandaDemocrats and Republicans might not be able to work together on health care of stimulus packages, but at least the two parties can come together to condemn Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill. The U.S. Senate has joined the U.S. House in offering a resolution condemning Uganda's proposed bill, which would institute the death penalty for certain queer people, and imprison for life many more.

And talk about drawing both ends of the political spectrum. Sen. Russ Feingold and Sen. Tom Coburn are two of the resolution's leading sponsors. For Sen. Coburn's part, there's a particular irony seeing his name attached to the resolution, since he's a member of the evangelical network known as "The Family." "The Family's" Ugandan syndicates are the ones behind the country's anti-gay bill.

Still, it's nice to know that despite what the Family Research Council or the American Family Association thinks, Democrats and Republicans can come together to denounce the potential slaughter of LGBT people. The resolution even goes one step further, and urges U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to "closely monitor human rights abuses that occur because of sexual orientation" and denounce the criminalization of homosexuality anywhere in the world.

Meanwhile, Uganda's Parliament is feeling the heat something special one day after President Obama called the anti-gay law odious. Officials in Uganda's executive branch are trying to distance themselves from the bill and say that whatever final version reaches the President's desk will not be as harsh as the one currently tabled in Uganda's parliament. Just don't tell that to Uganda's Minister of Ethics, James Nsaba Buturo. He went on a blistering defense of the bill after President Obama scolded the country.

"Somebody should tell President Obama that the parliament is doing its legislative duty in the interest of the people of Uganda," Buturo said. "We cannot tell the Senate what to do. We cannot tell Congress what to do. So why do they feel that they can tell us what we should do in the interest of our people?"

Ah, spoken like a true wannabe perpetrator of egregious human rights violations and mass killing.

Photo credit: thejakers

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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