UGANDA PROTEST IN PRETORIA

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) activists will be protesting Uganda’s proposed new anti-gay law at that country’s High Commission in Pretoria on Tuesday.

The Joint Working Group, a network of LGBTI organisations in South Africa, will be hosting the protest after extended negotiations with the Tshwane Metropolitan Police to secure a permit for the demonstration.

The Ugandan bill aims to build on the current homophobic legislation already in force in that country by adding further offences and even more stringent punishments for anyone caught committing the “crime” of homosexuality.

Among the horrific clauses in the proposed law is the imposition of the death penalty for what the bill terms “aggravated homosexuality”, punishment for people who do not report on gays and lesbians and the criminalisation of activists who work in LGBTI organisations.

“The protest aims not only to send a message of solidarity to our brothers and sisters in Uganda but also to send a message to the government of South Africa that their silence on this matter is entirely unacceptable,” said the JWG in a statement.

The group said that “South Africa has a very disturbing track record when it comes to LGBTI issues outside of our borders” and said that that the government has “…on many occasions in the last few years been guilty of acting in the international arena in a way that is entirely contradictory with the provisions and protections of our own Constitution”.

The JWG has called on all members of the LGBTI community and allies within broader society to join it on Tuesday the 17th of November at the Ugandan High Commission to communicate their disgust with the proposed law.

The demonstration will take place from 12pm to 2pm at the High Commission, located at 882 Church Street, Arcadia, Pretoria.