Bipartisanship begins at home

On Oct. 14, 2009, David Bahati, a member of the Ugandan parliament, proposed a bill called “The Anti Homosexuality Bill, 2009.” The bill was approved for debate in the upcoming session of parliament. There has been widespread support for the bill in Uganda, including mass marches in the capital city and rallies in the countryside. On Thursday, Princeton students in Frist Campus Center will collect signatures expressing opposition to the bill. That petition is being co-sponsored by the Princeton Pride Alliance and the Anscombe Society.

At a time when the U.S. Senate plumbs new depths of dysfunctionality, undergraduate students at Princeton are working past real differences to achieve productive harmony. The Anscombe Society and Pride Alliance still disagree about whether American laws should be amended to allow for same-sex marriage and about the inherent morality of homosexual activity. But they do not disagree about basic human rights like freedom of speech, freedom from fear and the fundamental right to life. The terms of Bahati’s “Anti Homosexuality Bill” are repugnant to both Anscombe and Pride Alliance, and it has been my pleasure to work with them to help organize a student petition protesting the bill.

Under Ugandan law, sodomy presently carries a penalty of up to 14 years in prison. Under the terms of the bill introduced by Bahati, the crime of “homosexuality” — any homosexual activity –- would be punishable by life imprisonment. The bill does not provide for any lesser penalty. The crime of “aggravated homosexuality” would carry the death penalty and would apply to any person found guilty of committing “homosexuality” twice. The bill further criminalizes “failure to disclose the offence,” requiring, say, that a doctor treating gay men report his patients to the police. Freedom of speech is also muzzled: Any person found to be “an accomplice” of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals would be liable for up to seven years in jail. Any person found “aiding or abating [sic]” homosexuals would also be liable for up to seven years in jail.

The bill draws no distinction between those persons who are born LGBT and the manner in which they express that identity. On the contrary, the bill manifestly declares that, “This legislation further recognizes the fact that same sex attraction is not an innate and immutable characteristic.” The bill defines “homosexuality” not as an orientation or consistent attraction but as “same gender or same sex sexual acts.”

Of course the Pride Alliance rejects this bill, but so does Anscombe. The Anscombe Society understands a fundamental difference between same-sex attraction and practice, acknowledges the innate quality of that attraction and does not encourage the criminalization of homosexual activity. I am not a member of either the Pride Alliance or the Anscombe Society, but I am proud to be a student at a university where opponents in debate find opportunities for practical cooperation despite significant philosophical differences.

While American political life increasingly ossifies into partisan paralysis, America’s foreign service efforts have been producing real results abroad. Led by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, American diplomats have stressed our nation’s distaste for the Ugandan bill and encouraged Ugandan legislators to reconsider their priorities. This pressure seems to be working. The president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, at first backed Bahati, but then stressed that the bill was the private initiative of one member of his parliament. Finally, he summoned legislators from his party to a conference in which he berated them about the chorus of complaint arising from foreign diplomats. The president told his political allies, “Mrs. Clinton rang me. What was she talking about? Gays ... [This bill] is a foreign policy issue. It is not just our internal politics.” Considering the $246 million pledged by the United States to Uganda as foreign aid in late 2009, I can see why Museveni told the parliamentarians to “go slowly.”

I do not believe that it is inappropriate for America to protest the violation of human rights abroad. I believe that it is the affirmative responsibility of America to uphold human rights wherever she can. I am pleased that Clinton has made this bill a priority in American relations with Uganda, and I commend the student organizations that are supporting her efforts. This cooperation serves as a model for American civil discourse, and I will be proud to add my signature to the petition.

Brendan Carroll is a philosophy major from New York, N.Y. He can be reached at btcarol@princeton.edu.