Speech to the Parliament about the Ugandan "Kill the Gays" Bill and IDAHO

Note: I had not heard the latest news that the bill may still be debated in Uganda. I am however pleased that Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has made representations to the Ugandan Government on this issue. Here is my speech:

The Hon. PENNY SHARPE [3.41 p.m.]: I speak today to show my support for the International Day Against Homophobia on 17 May 2011. Today, thousands of kilometres away from this place, the Ugandan Parliament was due to debate the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Introduced in 2009 by Ugandan member of Parliament David Bahati, it is known as the "Kill the gays" bill. The original legislation proposed to hang people found guilty of being gay or lesbian. After intense pressure from the international community, the Ugandan President deferred the bill in 2010. It was due to be debated again today. However, around the world a strong campaign culminating in a petition signed by more than 1.5 million people has helped to see the bill again withdrawn-for now. David Bahati has said that he will author another similar bill and submit it in the future.

Gay men and lesbians in Uganda live in fear. For the simple act of loving someone of the same gender they risk their lives every day. In January this year this risk was clearly and brutally demonstrated. David Kato Kisule was murdered after winning a law suit against a magazine that had published his name and photograph, identified him as gay and called for him to be executed. David Kato was a member of the Sexual Minorities Uganda Group. He was among 100 people whose names and photographs were published in October 2010 by a Ugandan newspaper in an article that called for their execution as homosexuals. The photos were published under the headline "Hang them" and were accompanied by the individuals' addresses. David Kato was bludgeoned to death in his own home. The Anti-Homosexuality Bill is an extreme and harsh reminder that for many people being gay is a matter of life and death.

The International Day Against Homophobia [IDAHO] began as a national day in Canada in 2003. It has quickly been taken up by organisations and activists across the globe who want to highlight the issues and the impact that homophobia has on the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex [GLBTI] people and the community more broadly. Next week a number of activities will take place in New South Wales to recognise IDAHO. Pride in Diversity is Australia's first and only not-for-profit workplace program designed specifically to assist Australian employers with the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender [LGBT] employees. The inaugural Pride in Diversity Business Luncheon will include a presentation of awards for Australia's top employers.

The AIDS Council of New South Wales [ACON] is hosting a forum to explore how discrimination impacts on people of diverse sex, sexuality and gender. The forum will contribute to an increasing focus on transphobia as part of IDAHO. Parramatta, Newcastle and Wollongong will be hosting "Sea of Hearts" and "This is Oz" events. These are visibility events that are very important for the gay and lesbian community. I am happy to note that the exhibition in Parramatta includes the use of images of local heroes from the Parramatta Eels football club, who have stood up and said that homophobia is not welcome in their part of the world. Wear it Purple formed in 2010 after a string of gay youth suicides in the United States of America. Proclaiming that every young person has the right to feel proud of who they are, the group coordinated a day to encourage people everywhere to "Wear it purple" in order to raise awareness about homophobic and transphobic bullying and youth suicide. Wear it Purple is hosting an event to celebrate and support rainbow young people. This special youth-friendly event will be held as part of the annual IDAHO exhibition entitled "FRAGILITY-Strength of Spirit" at the Pine Street Creative Arts Centre.

The Open Door in Penrith is proudly hosting a forum entitled "Being Gay, Lesbian & Transgender Out West: Opportunities, Challenges & Fun". This IDAHO event aims to raise awareness of the challenges facing the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex community in Sydney's western suburbs. The Blue Mountains Family Support Service will host a Blue Mountains Rainbow Flag Raising and community breakfast. This year's event will focus on celebrating Blue Mountains rainbow families. The Heroes vigil invites people to bring images of their community heroes who have experienced homophobic or transphobic violence and vilification to stand alongside the images of Harvey Milk, David Kato and others. I acknowledge and congratulate the many organisations who will use IDAHO to draw attention to homophobia and transphobia. In doing so they provide visibility and public space that celebrates diversity and inclusion of everyone in our community. They also look beyond our borders and ask us to take action on behalf of others-like those in Uganda and other countries-who need the rest of the world to be watching and campaigning for change.