There has been global outcry against the bill The New Zealand Government is being urged to make a stand officially condemning Uganda’s hateful anti-gay bill. While a member of MP Medard Segona from Uganda’s Legal and Parliamentary committee has told the BBC the death penalty provision has been dropped, the actual text of the revamped bill is yet to be seen by any GLBT rights groups or media. Even if the death penalty is removed, the proposed legislation would still punish “aggravated homosexuality” with life imprisonment. "Aggravated homosexuality” is defined as when one of the participants is a minor, HIV-positive, disabled or a "serial offender”. The original bill also prohibited the "promotion" of gay rights and called for the punishment of anyone who "funds or sponsors homosexuality" or "abets homosexuality". The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions’ (CTU) Out at Work network is calling on the New Zealand Government to condemn the bill. "It is a matter of utmost urgency for our government to join governments around the world to condemn this odious and repugnant legislation," says Out@work spokeswoman Karena Brown. "We will also be asking our Government to make it known, using the Commonwealth Leaders Forum, that governments and organisations around the world are outraged by this Bill. This is where governments and international organisations can really make a difference by responding with a unified voice against such legislation that is in total breach of all international human rights conventions and treaties. Brown says the proposed legislation is another attack on the rights of gay men and lesbians in several countries. "We cannot stand by and ignore this gross international threat to human rights, which could set back the human rights of LGBTI people everywhere," she says. "We are calling on union members and civil society organisations to join the online petition protesting this bill." Brown points out the bill was shelved in 2009 due to massive international outcry. "So it can be stopped and we must make every effort we can to stop it again.” The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions’ statement comes after the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) condemned the bill as extremely shocking and called for Ugandan members of parliament to reject it.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 26th November 2012 - 4:06pm