In solidarity with LGBTQ Ugandans

So here’s the situation.

For a few years now, the Ugandan Parliament has been talking about an anti-gay bill that would result in severe punishments for those who practice homosexuality in the country.  People would be able to report openly gay individuals, who could serve life in prison or even face the death penalty.  Already in the country, women who are caught engaging in “homosexual activity” face corrective rape.

I’m sure you’ve seen the online petitions that are being created to try to stop this bill.  They were effective once before in having the bill tabled.  The current Parliament closes on Friday, May 13 and a select group of MPs are now trying to have the bill pushed through tomorrow, before Parliament closes.

I will be brutally honest.  When I first started reading all about this, I was hesitant to speak up or sign petitions.  If LGBTQ people in Uganda live in an intolerant society, maybe they should just live their lives quietly and not get themselves in trouble.  It sucks that there is such intolerance and hatred in the world, but why make yourself a target by coming out or getting caught.  In my mind these people might be better off choosing a lifetime of solitude, or worse, a sham of a relationship with the opposite gender.

Here’s where I realize my ignorance.  Human rights are not given by the state, they are innate in every individual.  Just because a government or society does not recognize a person’s right to love whomever they choose, does NOT mean they do not have that right.  This is obvious when we think about the right to life of those who are victims of genocide.  We don’t just say “they should willing die since their country won’t give them that right.”

The same is true about gay individuals.

What’s more, and the realization of this broke me, only fifty years ago the exact same argument could have been used to tell gay men and women in the United States to live quietly.  Before the Stonewall Riots in 1969, a man or woman caught in homosexual behaviour would be subject to police brutality, fines, even imprisonment.  A person who wanted to acknowledge their love for another person of the same gender lived in constant fear of harassment and hate crimes (and sadly, in some communities this has yet to change).

And let’s be clear about something.  Sure, conservative people are shocked and offended by sexual intimacy between two people of the same gender, and the gay community has been labeled as promiscuous.  But when we say “homosexual behaviour” what do we mean?  A couple could be arrested for holding hands.  For saying “I love you”.  For sharing their life with the person they care about.

Here’s the thing – if it were not for those brave men and women who stood up and claimed their right, even at the cost of their freedom, their safety, even their lives – I would not have the freedom I have now.  I take it for granted that I can walk down the street holding Kathryn’s hand with little fear of physical injury.  I take it for granted that I can post pictures of myself and her on facebook without fearing rejection from my friends and family.  I am free to be myself because people who were not free spoke up for MY right.

How can I not do the same for those in Uganda now?

Please sign this petition.  Please do it right now because tomorrow it could be too late.