The Ugandan Daily Monitor reports that an anti-gay demonstration was halted by police and that the pro-gay community met in Kampala:
On Sunday, Police moved to halt a planned demonstration in support of the controversial Anti-Homosexuality Bill saying that the government is still sorting ‘issues out’ as pro-gay activists under the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kampala secretly met to condemn the same bill.
Integrity USA’s blog Walking with Integrity has more on the LGBT Valentine’s Day Conference:
More than 200 LGBT Ugandans (including many young adults) gathered in Kampala to strategize and organize a response to the anti-homosexuality bill that is about to voted on by the Ugandan parliament.
Risking arrest and certain imprisonment these courageous activists convened by Ugandan Unitarian Universalist minister Mark Kiyimba, Spectrum Uganda and other grassroots LGBT community organizations engaged in hours of discussions what one organizer described as a “Pride Parade in a closet.” Although the subject matter was deadly serious.
The conference attendees called for complete decriminalization of homosexuality, full access to services, human rights and protection by the state. Sessions included talks by religious and human rights activists. The keynote speaker was Anglican Bishop and Integrity Uganda president Christopher Ssenyojo, a champion ally of LGBT rights spoke on the theme of Love and justice. Bishop Christopher, was formerly exiled from Uganda and continues to offer Christian sanctuary to the LGBT community at great risk.
In other news, Ekklesia notes pressure on the Boy Scouts International to oppose the bill:
The worldwide Scout movement has come under pressure to denounce the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill, given that the Bill’s proposer, David Bahati, is Chief of the Scout Board of Uganda.
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“The leader of the Scout movement in Uganda is demanding the execution of all scouts and scout leaders who commit repeated homosexual acts,” said the human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, “Scout leaders who fail to report gay scouts to the police will face three years in jail. Any scout leader who provides supportive advice to a gay scout will be jailed for five to seven years.”
Acting on behalf of the organisation Outrage!, Tatchell has written to Derek Twine, Chief Executive of the Scout Association UK, to thank him for referring the issue to WOSM. However, he said that action needed to go further.
Wondering how this might affect the Boy Scouts of America anti-gay policy and their 100 year anniversary celebrations.
The Box Turtle Bulletin has more on the Scouts.
“The world scout headquarters in Geneva has written to the Chief Scout and the Chief Commissioner of the Uganda Scout Association concerning the Anti-Homosexuality Bill and the sponsorship of this Bill by the Chairman of the Uganda Scout Board, David Bahati MP,” reports LGBT human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell of OutRage!
“This swift response came just hours after protests against Mr Bahati to the Scout Association UK by the London-based LGBT human rights group OutRage!.