|
|
HRC urges Obama to act now on LGBT Ugandans arrests, violence
From a press release
2014-06-03
|
|
This article shared 3586 times since Tue Jun 3, 2014
|
|
WASHINGTON —— The Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ( LGBT ) civil rights organization, sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging his administration to take immediate steps to hold the Ugandan government accountable for the enactment of state-sponsored homophobia and transphobia earlier this year.
Following Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signing into law the Anti-Homosexuality Act in February, the administration initiated an interagency review of the United States' relationship and engagement with Uganda. Recent reports from advocates in the country have outlined deeply disturbing increases in harassment, property loss, arrests, and violence against LGBT Ugandans since the nation's parliament passed the legislation and sent it to Museveni's desk for his approval.
"I respectfully ask that you direct the Administration's interagency review to begin issuing immediate, concrete results that will illustrate the United States' commitment to protecting human rights in Uganda," said HRC President Chad Griffin in the letter. "An immediate demonstration of significant consequences, moreover, will put other leaders who are considering similar bills on notice that enacting anti-LGBT laws will affect their country's relationship with the United States."
In December 2011, President Obama issued a presidential memorandum in which he directed "all agencies engaged abroad to ensure that U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect the human rights of LGBT persons." In addition, the memorandum outlines that our nation's "deep commitment to advancing the human rights of all people is strengthened when we as the United States bring our tools to bear to vigorously advance this goal." The administration's response to the enactment of the Anti-Homosexuality Act in Uganda will set the precedent for how the U.S. plans to implement the policy outline in the President's memorandum.
"The world is waiting for action, and on behalf of the Human Rights Campaign's 1.5 million members and supporters nationwide, I ask that you direct your Administration to begin taking immediate steps to hold the Ugandan government accountable," said Griffin in the letter.
The full text of the letter is available at the link: hrc-assets.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com//files/assets/resources/Griffin_Letter_to_President_Obama.pdf .
|
|
|
|
This article shared 3586 times since Tue Jun 3, 2014
|
ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE |
---|
|
| | SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition' 2024-03-15 Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...
|
| | Women's History Month doesn't do enough to lift up Black lesbians 2024-03-12 Fifty years ago, in 1974, the Combahee River Collective (CRC) was founded in Boston by several lesbian and feminist women of African descent. As a sisterhood, they understood that their acts of protest were shouldered by ...
|
| | WORLD South Africa murder, lesbian couple, Brianna Ghey, Eurovision 2024-02-16 In South Africa, LGBTQ+-rights groups condemned the brutal murder of Diego Jacobs, a queer man in Cape Town, The Washington Blade reported. Reports indicate Jacobs, 21, was brutally murdered (reportedly by a former neighbor) on Feb. ...
|
| | Smollett asks state supreme court to overturn conviction 2024-02-07 Embattled actor Jussie Smollett has asked the Illinois Supreme Court to review and overturn an appellate ruling upholding his conviction for a hate-crime hoax that took place more than five years ago, The Chicago Sun-Times noted. ...
|
| | Club Q shooter faces more than 50 federal hate-crime charges 2024-01-17 On Jan. 16, the shooter who killed five people—Daniel Davis Aston, Kelly Loving, Derrick Rump, Raymond Green Vance and Ashley Paugh—and injured 40 others at the Colorado Springs LGBTQIA+ nightclub Club Q pled not guilty to ...
|
| | Jussie Smollett loses appeal, might head back to jail 2023-12-01 Embattled out gay actor Jussie Smollett could soon be back behind bars after an Illinois appeals court backed the ex-Empire actor's disorderly conduct convictions stemming from a faked 2019 hate crime and lying to Chicago cops, ...
|
| | NATIONAL Trevor Project, anti-trans crimes, priest sentenced, hate-crimes unit 2023-11-24 The Trevor Project announced the extension of its partnership with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, reaffirming its commitment to providing specialized assistance to LGBTQ+ people who call 9-8-8, The Advocate reported. Interim Senior Vice President ...
|
| | OPINION Renewing state's Invest in Kids program is investing in anti-LGBTQ+ hate 2023-10-23 In February 2020, Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield warned transgender students in the Diocese's educational system that they "may be expelled from the school" if they live their lives authentically. Lansing Christian School ...
|
| | Indivisible Illinois hosts online discussion about rise in hate crimes in Illinois 2023-10-20 Advocates, elected officials and researchers shared ways people can prevent and respond to hate crimes during a Oct. 19 online meeting hosted by Indivisible Illinois, a grassroots coalition of Illinoisans who organize around "urgent and long-term ...
|
| | Attorney General Kwame Raoul highlights resources to address hate crimes 2023-10-17 --From a press release - Chicago — Attorney General Kwame Raoul released the following statement strongly condemning the heinous acts committed in Plainfield this past weekend and reminding residents to report hate crimes in Illinois, including to his office's Civil Rig ...
|
| | WORLD Mauritius ruling, Justin Trudeau, couple attacked, Dame Shirley Bassey 2023-10-13 In a historic ruling, the Supreme Court of Mauritius decriminalized same-sex sexual relations when it declared the African country's British colonial-era anti-sodomy laws relations to be unconstitutional, The Advocate reported. ...
|
| | Statement from President Joe Biden on 25th anniversary of Matthew Shepard's death 2023-10-12 --From a press release - BRIEFING ROOM STATEMENTS AND RELEASES Twenty-five years ago today, Matthew Shepard lost his life to a brutal act of hate and violence that shocked our nation and the world. The week prior, Matthew had been viciously ...
|
| | GLAAD: GOP primary debate includes question on anti-LGBTQ+ violence, candidates duck 2023-09-28 --From a press release - GLAAD: "Instead of addressing the critical issue of the safety and rights of all Americans, GOP primary candidates ignored the rise in violence and hateful rhetoric aimed at the LGBTQ community and our allies. Several chose ...
|
| | WORLD African efforts, HIV in Amsterdam, Donatella Versace, 'The Queen in Me' 2023-09-28 A new attempt to prevent the recognition of and equal rights for LGBTQ+ people in Kenya through a constitutional amendment has been introduced in Parliament, The Washington Blade reported. The move was in response to this ...
|
| | DANCE Deeply Rooted performing Nov. 3 at the Auditorium Theatre 2023-09-27 The Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Dr., is presenting Deeply Rooted Dance Theatera Chicago-based contemporary dance company rooted in traditions of American and African-American dancein a one-night-only performance ...
| |
|
|