Monday, January 3, 2011

Victory!

[Huge Correction. The first court injunction was temporary, stopping the pebble from rolling with the photos etc of gay ugandans. The Court ruling now makes it PERMANENT!] that was my mistake. sorry!

Oh yes. Fitting that my first post of the year is of a victory, won in the courts of Uganda, by gay Ugandans.

See, last year, the Rolling pebble, a nascent newspaper decided to brush up its circulation by doing what others had never dared to do before. Publishing the photos of purported gay Ugandans. And, the exhorted the population to 'Hang Them'
Three of those supposedly gay people took them to court.
Won an injuction, temporarily, to stop the publication of 100 Homosexuals. And inciting the public to 'hang them'.... or whatever.

Now, that injunction is permanent.

Yep. It is a victory. And, I am so happy that it has been so.

Not as simple as it seems, what was under contention. I mean, it was simple. We are Ugandans. For some other Ugandans to believe that they have the right to kill us, incite hatred, to call for our hanging...! But, that is exactly what they believe. Anyway, the judgement says it is simply unconstitutional.

Funny, isnt it?
Such a small thing. They say that they love us. Yes. Male, Ssempa, they do swear to undying love of the homosexual, and that is what drives them to do what they do.
But, they don't believe that we should have any protection under the law of the country. They are distressed. They are angered, they are angry that the courts dare to slap them on the hand when they trample on the rights of people who they assume are gay Ugandans.

I know, case in point, the Pastor Wars case, that is ongoing.
But, this Rolling Pebble thing is also there. A guy believes that he has the right to ask the populace to 'Hang Them'. And, a Pastor, an influential and very loud pentecostal pastor Christian is at the courts, defending the right of these guys to do that.
It is all because, as homosexuals, and in their eyes, we are not people. We are evil. Criminals. Sodomites. Gosh, the words that Ssempa uses to describe us, spitting! [glad that he has been so effectively muzzled for now!]
And, they do believe these words, implicitly. And they are happy to go running around, to shout us down, to declare in church and in the social and political world that we should never ever be defended. Not by anyone. And, not against their attacks.


Well, according to the courts of law of Uganda, when we dare to come out and challenge the 'moral majority', the law is kind of blind to the fact, the small wrinkle of fabric in our humanity that we are Ugandans. The law, the constitution. They protect us.
Simple. Clear, and to the point.

Giles Muhame believes he should sue. I think he should go ahead. He might win.....!


Have a very Happy New Year.

gug

1 comment:

Zoe said...

Hi, i'm interested in the gender issue in Uganda. But i can't enter the link of the judgement you posted.
Thanks:))

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