Uprising in Uganda: The Fight for Gay Rights
For the past decade, millions of Americans have fought to legalize gay marriage and spread awareness about homosexuality in order to provide equal opportunities to all U.S. citizens. While America inches closer toward nationally tolerating same-sex marriages, Uganda has moved in the opposite direction. In December 2009, the Ugandan Parliament began debating whether to pass legislation that will openly persecute homosexuals. Those who are revealed to be gay will face capital punishment and their families will be charged with up to seven years in jail for not bringing their gay relatives to the attention of the police. The law, which reflects the government’s conservative views, is the supposed answer to the Ugandan gays’ fight for civil rights.
When speaking about this new legislation, David Cato, a Ugandan gay activist, says that, “It’s a question of visibility. When we come out and ask for our rights, they pass laws against us.” Cato has suffered much injustice at the hands of the Ugandan government. He lost his job, endured harsh beatings four times, faced slander from the press, and was even arrested twice by local authorities. Cato, one gay rights activist out of thousands, is an epitome of his country’s increased discrimination. If the new law passes and the government’s injustice continues, several thousand will suffer the same fate as Cato, if not worse. Uganda, an already war-torn country, cannot afford to lose any more people for petty reasons. If the government continues to wage this war against its own people, it risks the destruction of its own country.
Even if the Ugandan government fails to recognize that the new law disrespects its people’s own diversity, it should at least realize that said law could have deleterious results for the government itself. By passing a law that persecutes homosexuals and their families, the government will have to increase spending several fold. Both executing someone and imprisoning them are expensive. The government will ultimately lose money by enforcing its own legislative power. Is the government really willing to pay millions of dollars to uphold its homophobic principles?
This law further damages the reputation of the Ugandan government. Other countries have condemned the proposal strongly and have warned the Ugandan government against passing the bill. If the Ugandan government were more astute, it would realize that this law creates new problems and is in no way beneficial.
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