On Monday, members of Out and Proud Diamond Group, an African LGBTQ organization, protested alongside allies outside the Savoy Hotel in London. The protest sought to confront President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, who was attending an investment summit alongside other African leaders, for his discriminatory stance on the LGBTQ community.
In recent times, President Museveni has often been on the receiving end of harsh criticism by the Western media, and repeated threats of aid sanctions, due to his government’s staunch opposition to LGBTQ rights and active pursuit of anti-gay legislation. Whilst the recent law that would have seen the promotion of homosexuality marked as a criminal offence was annulled on a technicality, the lived experience of Uganda’s LGBTQ community has changed little, as highlighted by the experience of Dismus K.A.
Monday’s protest served to keep LGBTQ rights in Uganda on the agenda, and to speak to African leaders on both a human and business level. Namely, state discrimination endangers investment, scaring away tourists, investors and potential business partners. The strong showing against President Museveni outside the Savoy Hotel was the latest in the continued challenge to scrap anti-gay legislation for good.
Isaac Kawesi one of the organizers of this protest said that considering his role in legislating state homophobia in Uganda, it is unfortunate that President Museveni could be given a warm reception in the UK, a country that has previously expressed vocal disappointment with his track record on gay rights.
Aidah Asaba member of Out and Proud Diamond Group called upon the business community in the UK and the British government to use this opportunity to publically speak out against the increasing persecution of LGBTQ people in Uganda and other African countries that they wish to invest in. “It is very important to me to continue to show my disapproval of President Museveni’s actions [and] also to send out a clear message to all fellow Ugandans and Africans that anti-gay laws are bad for investment.”
Edwin Sesange director of Out and Proud Diamond Group said, “we are not against any foreign investment to Africa countries, but the anti-gay laws in Uganda and other African countries do scare away investors. This is the chance for President Museveni and other leaders to present a case to the international business community on how progressive they are planning to be in in terms of gay rights.”
The post Protest Against President Museveni in London appeared first on EQView.
