Ugandan MP Would Kill Gay Son

February 25, 2010

At a human rights forum last week in Kampala, a Ugandan MP said he would kill his son if he found out he was gay.

The MP is Otto Odonga, who was criticized by the chair of Kenya's Human Rights Commission, Makau Mutua.

Otto Odonga, MP

 
According to a reporter from Xtra.ca, a leading Canadian gay news website, Mutua said:

"I am baffled by the kind of hatred you spew against gay people, including your desire to be a hangman.

"Would you apply to be a hangman if the person to be hanged were your son?"

Odonga nodded yes, prompting Odonga to retort: "There is something deeply wrong with you."

Mutua continued his diatribe against LGB community. "Human rights are not sacrosanct. Private parts do not belong in the anus. We will not accept this kind of deviant behaviour in our society," said the MP.

Mutua wasn’t the only MP present at the forum on human rights and sexual orientation, which was held to discuss Uganda’s current proposed bill to criminalize homosexual acts and punish those who fail to report people suspected of being gay to the police.

Christopher Kibanzanga went on the attack against bisexuals. "Who are bisexuals? What do they do? Has it just been imported into Africa?"

Despite the presence of gay activists at the forum, none spoke.

A leader of an NGO tackling women’s issues on the continent called on leaders to shift their focus to more urgent needs.

"Let's put our priorities where our problems are," said Solome Nakawesi-Kimbugwe. "As Ugandans, what we want are laws that are relevant. Homosexuality is not a problem for us."