The View From the Gutter

In another step backwards for human rights, Uganda has recently come up with an anti-homosexual bill. It is actually entitled "Anti-Homosexual Bill, 2009."

Here is the link to the article so you know what i'm talking about: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/697859

The first thing it talks about is how the practice of homosexuality is punishable by life in prison, which has been the law for awhile now. The thought that you could spend the rest of your life in prison simply for your sexual orientation is appalling enough to me, but then there is the part about aggravated homosexuality, which they define as sex when the victim has a disability, is under the age of 18 or the perpetrator is HIV positive. This is apparently the same law they have for sex between two people of the opposite sex. It is punishable by death.

On the surface, this may seem like a good law, it may seem logical and just, but they fail to designate between forced sex and consentual sex. Most western countries have statuatory rape laws, so you will still be punished for having consentual sex with a minor, but the punishment won't be as harsh. There seems to be no such line in this bill. The way it is written, it appears that if an 18 year old has sex with their willing partner, they will still be sentenced to die, because the very act of sex with someone under the age of majority is considered to be aggravated.

Let's move on to the part about people with disabilities. Again, on the surface it may seem like a proper law, but as in the previous one, they do not define what disabilities they are talking about. Not all disabled people are incapable of making educated and informed decisions. If a person has a physical disability, such as paralysis, they often don't have any mental deficiencies to go with them. I absolutely think that if a person is so mentally incapacitated due to a disability that they are incapable of truly consenting, then it should be against the law. However, this bill, again, makes no distinction.

As for the HIV part, i assume the goal is to try and stop the spread of HIV and AIDS, which i fully support, but i still don't think this is the right way to do it. If someone is HIV positive and doesn't tell their partners, then yes, they should be punished in some way because they are willingly putting someone's life in danger without their knowlege or consent. However, there are HIV negative people who willingly sleep with positive people knowing they are positive. Occasionally, they even willingly have unprotected sex with them. That's a choice i wouldn't make, but it's a choice other people are entitled to.

Obviously i think that rape should be punished. No matter the age, gender, sexual orientation or HIV status of the victim, forced sex is wrong. However i don't think anyone should die for having sex that is freely consented to by both partners.

I also do believe that there is an age at which a person could legally be deemed unable to consent. I don't think it's okay for a 30 year old to have sex with an 8 year old for example, because i don't think that can ever be mutually consentual. I don't think an 8 year old is truly capable of understanding all the consequences and issues that can come up in a sexual relationship. Even if they know what sex is on a physical level, they don't grasp the emotional and psychological aspects of it. As i said though, in the case of an 18 year old and a 16 year old, i think it's different.

I just think they need to be more clear with regards to the law, and make some distinctions.  

Andrew and I are off to Vancouver tomorrow. I am going to NDP Convention and Council and he is going to volunteer. We will have time for some fun though, we are having dinner with my dad on Sunday, and hopefully my brother and his girlfriend. We are taking the bus down there, and will be staying in a motel in Prince George for a night, since the bus to Vancouver won't leave until the next day. We'll be back home on December 1, in time to get ready for Christmas. I'll be bringing my lap-top, but i don't know how often i'll get to come on here. There will be pictures though, i'll either upload them while i'm there, or when we get back.

It's the 18th anniversary of Freddie Mercury's death. We miss you freddie.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians, hope you are having a good weekend. We had our dinner last night, me, Andrew, my parents, my cousin Scott and his dog Ruckus. My step-dad is going to be doing work on the house today, so we figured we would eat yesterday.