Anti-gay Ugandan Speaker dropped from London conference
The homophobic Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament has been dropped from an event taking place in London this month, following complaints by human rights campaigners.
The Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament, and champion of the country’s anti-gay laws, Rebecca Kadaga, was set to appear at the 4th Ugandan Investment Forum in the Troxy, London on 13 September 2014.
In an email forwarded to PinkNews from a reader, a spokesman for the Troxy previously said the event would go ahead, noting that the venue was the first corporate signatory to Tower Hamlets’ “No Place For Hate” campaign.
But following numerous complaints, the organisers of the event have agreed to drop Kadaga from the listings, following negotiations with the venue’s management.
She had been set to speak at the event. It is unclear whether she will still attend, without making a speech.
Speaking to PinkNews, human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell had criticsed the venue for allowing the conference to go ahead.
He said: “Kadaga is definitely not acceptable. Troxy would not facilitate a conference hosting racist speakers. Why are they hosting a conference with homophobic speakers? It is double standards.”
The theme of the event is “Uganda is open for business”, and other speakers include the Vice President, various Ministers and peers.
Kadaga pushed forward the country’s now defunct Anti-Homosexuality Act, in its early stages, and initially had promised to pass the bill by the end of 2012.
On 1 August, Uganda’s Constitutional Court overturned the country’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, however yesterday the bill was reintroduced in the country’s Parliament.
Approved by Mr Museveni in February this year, the law called for repeat offenders of homosexuality to be sentenced to 14 years in prison and made it a criminal offence not to report someone for being gay.
Political supporters are pushing for the act to be reinstated.
Tickets to the Investment Forum are free, and available here.
