Gay Marriage in Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023

 

Gay Marriage. All caps: it is wildly exciting, on all sides of the ‘homosexual’ debate!

The average kuchu in Africa barely blinks. Why? What is ‘Gay Marriage’?
In Uganda, in Africa, gay relationships are pre-loaded with considerable risk of exposure and outing to a hostile populace. [This couple in Jinja, Uganda was actually prevented from leaving prison because the judge thought it was ‘safer’ to stay there, over Easter!!] . Tut, I am for the judge deciding to punish them, without actually having convicted them. 

Anti-gay activists in Africa are so excited by the mere possibility of gay marriage that it is a rallying call. Americans would say a ‘dog whistle’.
A rallying call to legislatures to enact anti-gay laws. Immediately! Even when Kuchus in Africa are too busy trying to survive to actually have gay marriage on the agenda. Yet.

The ‘traditional’ Churches, Anglican and Catholics have an agenda here. The debate is so fierce within their communions that they are forced to pre-empt it in Africa, by having a bill that tackles a problem that is not currently here, but is foreseen. Yes, there is debate in the Anglican communion [Church of Uganda], and in the Catholic Church.  Serious debate unlike in poor Uganda where it is pre-emptively upended, with criminal penalties for even dissenting from the conservative provisions [yeah, they are hypocritical that way.]

Honourable Basalirwa certainly had gay marriage on his mind. His draft of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2023 was a Pre-Emptive Strike.

Stated in the Memorandum, Principles of the bill

The object of the Bill is to establish a comprehensive and enhanced legislation to protect the traditional family by-

a)    prohibiting any form of sexual relations between persons of the same sex and the promotion or recognition of sexual relations between persons of the same sex.

In the justification, after listing the many defects in the current legislative instruments, Hon. Basalirwa declared that first, and foremost

The Bill seeks to:

a)    prohibit marriage between persons of the same sex.

And, in case we were ever in doubt, after a long and torturous listing of all the various ways Uganda is supposed to be protected from evil homosexuals, comes Clause 13 on gay marriage.

Same Sex Marriage

a)    A person who purports to contract a marriage with another person of the same sex commits the offence of homosexuality and shall be liable, on conviction, to imprisonment for ten years.

b)   A person commits an offence if that person conducts a marriage ceremony between persons of the same sex and shall, on conviction, be liable  to imprisonment for a maximum of ten years for individuals.

There we have it. Gay marriage will be illegal in Uganda, with the stroke of the Presidential pen.

Am yet to see the final bill, as sent to the Presidential desk. Parliament was quite amazed at how ‘nice’ the Rt. Honourable Basalirwa was, with regards to penalties for the evil of homosexuality. It is quite likely that the penalties were upped [reflecting on the seriousness of the crime, of course]

Groom and groom, bride and bride, condemned. Plus the officiant.
Important not to forget possible other offences committed like the owner of the premises for the marriage [promotion of homosexuality], owner of the ‘brothel’ in which the marriage would be consummated [etc, etc] .., all such small details to fill in.

 

gug