"It's vital this horrific attack is not used to drive a wedge between communities here in the UK. It was only in 1999 that communities in Brixton, the East End and in Soho, at the Admiral Duncan, were targeted with lives lost and changed forever. "This has happened before in our own city. On June 25, together, we will honour the people who lost their lives, and stand united in a moment of solidarity, peace and remembrance. The October 10th Event Offers: Zebra Run 5K at Lake Eola 7:30 a.m. The horrific events in Orlando highlight that the campaign for respect and equality must go on within communities across the globe. “In less than two weeks time, tens of thousands of people from all over the world will be coming to Pride in London. It was a senseless attack, where it appears people were targeted for their sexuality. So the international pressure on President Museveni has come to bear on him,” Opiyo said.A minute's silence in memory of the Orlando victims will be led from the main stage in Trafalgar Square during the festivities in the capital.Ĭhair of Pride in London Michael Salter-Church said: “Our hearts go out to all the families and friends of those who lost their lives in Orlando. And I think that the foreign policy implications were suspension of funding from several development partners, more difficult relationship with the U.S. “Well, the president understood the foreign policy implications of enacting a law that targets gay people in Uganda. Opiyo said the Ugandan president probably backed down due to intense international criticism, including the United States announcing sanctions against Uganda. Late last year, Museveni announced he would no longer pursue further anti-gay legislation in Uganda.
The legislation stipulated repeat offenders should be sentenced to 14 years in prison.īut a constitutional court struck down the law, noting that the parliament speaker acted illegally by going ahead with a vote on the bill despite at least three lawmakers objecting to a lack of quorum. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed a draconian Anti-Homosexuality Bill in February 2015. If that happens, they will be beaten, they will be chased they would be stoned,” Opiyo said. “While we may not take guns and shoot people the way people in Orlando have done, but here we do not see any possibility of gay people freely expressing themselves, even in private in disco halls, let alone walking in the middle of town holding hands. In some of these countries homosexuality is even punishable by death. Uganda is one of the few African countries, including Nigeria, Mauritania, Somalia and Sudan, where the general public does not accept same sex relations or behavior. And in terms of our leadership, they have used that type of violence to justify violence against our own people here in Uganda,” he said.
But the few people who watch cable news are shocked at the utter brutality of some people in the U.S. “Not so many people follow cable news to understand the extent of the horror at the Orlando club. Opiyo told VOA while most Ugandans are horrified by the Orlando, Florida massacre, anti-gay government officials are using such violence to justify the ill-treatment of gays in Uganda. The annual Pride march in New York Citywhich occurs on the last Sunday in June to coincide with the anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion on June 28, 1969, the beginning of the modern day gay. A portion of the proceeds from each performance benefit Come Out With Pride Orlando and. Nicholas Opiyo of the human rights group Chapter Four Uganda said while anti-gay groups in Uganda could not have carried out the Orlando, Florida gay nightclub shooting, still gay people in Uganda cannot openly express themselves. Hilarious and touching, the show brings memories of Gay Life for men and women during the 90’s with so much that still applies today. The biggest problem facing the LGBT community in Uganda is not anti-gay laws, but rather homophobic public altitude against same sex relations, which local politicians are using to vilify gay people, a human rights lawyer said Tuesday.