If you look at a league table of LGBT rights around the world, although we’ve a long way to go, the UK sits somewhere near the top.. But this league isn’t about winning the gold cup at the end of the season.

Whatever your views on Internationalism I think you’ll agree that we in the UK have it fairly good. Sure we worry about bulling at school, not being able to donate our blood and sometimes how we’ll fund our social to the gay village, but we don’t worry about being locked up, just because we are lesbian, we don’t worry about being murdered by the state just for being gay and we don’t worry about being tortured because we are trans. Indeed twice a year we get together, hundreds of us to talk about our need to be equal, we condemn those who have blocked our path and we share new and better ways in which to fight for liberation. There are countries around the world where this is illegal, such gatherings, even of just a few LGBT people would be scorned upon and reactions would be fast, furious and sometimes painful.

We often hear the arguments in defence of those who continue to neglect their responsibilities to LGBT pupils, workers and citizens, “there are no gay people here”, well just imagine what it would be like if it were your government saying that. For some imagination isn’t needed for they live it every day, every hour, every second.

I’ll always remember LGBT conference a few years ago, my first, when a delegate stood up arguing against trans rights in Afghanistan. “There are no trans people in Afghanistan” she cried. I remember thinking well I’ve never heard of any, perhaps she is right. It was only when the proposer of the motion, Faz Velmi, a member of the LGBT committee, voiced her disgust with those comments that I realised why we didn’t know about trans people in Afghanistan. It wasn’t that there weren’t any, it was that if there were, they’d be smart not to tell anyone about it. It was then I decided that internationalism wasn’t something just to talk about or debate but something to educate about, to campaign on and sometimes to demonstrate about.

I believe in my head that I’m right and that internationalism should be key to the work of the LGBT campaign not only in the coming year but in the future. I believe I’m right but I also know there are some doubters. Some who believe that we’ve not yet come far enough to be looking outward beyond the borders of our island nation. I don’t share that view, indeed my only regret about internationalism is that we didn’t do it sooner or with more determination. There is so much to be learned, so much to be gained, and nothing to lose. Not just for us but for thousands of LGBT people across the globe. Their struggle is our struggle and we should never give up the fight.

For those of you who say we should focus only on the issues here in the UK I want to tell you about a young Zimbabwean woman who was locked up by her family and forced to submit to being raped by an older man in order to "correct" her sexual orientation, or the story of the Egyptian student who was sentenced to 17 years in prison for posting a profile on a gay dating site. These are just two in a sea of true stories. We should deal with issues here in the UK and international issues and when people ask us why we are fighting against oppression across the world we should tell them it’s because we can.

Last week we demonstrated outside Uganda House in London. In Uganda homosexuality is illegal, and being charged can lead to a custodial sentence, however recently things were made worse when the Red Pepper magazine ran a campaign designed to out and intimidate LGBT people. These people included prominent figures and poignant for us, students. The paper also published a list of LGBT community venues leaving them open to attack.

In the article Red Pepper said,

“To show the nation how shocked we are and how fast the terrible vice known as sodomy is eating up our society, we have decided to unleash an exclusive list of men who enjoy taking on fellow men from the rear.”

A few days later the newspaper sported the headline ‘Jinja Cops Hunt For Gays’ in which they called on the public to track down all ‘sodomites’. This story was followed up a day later with the headline ‘Kampalas Notorious Lesbians Unearthed’. The story included a list of lesbian and bisexual women with a call for readers to send more names to the paper for ‘outing’.

The outings would have been shocking enough, however, In the wake of the outings has come a campaign of state sponsored homophobia by the Ugandan Authorities. Many men on the list have been arrested and charged, others have been forced to flee or go into hiding. There are also reports that some of those arrested were taken to be tortured.

I wanted to say a big thanks to those who showed up to the demo on Friday, and those who couldn’t make it but supported the action through the many emails and letters of support we have received. Richard and Kat thanks for spending your own time making the banner which I know raised a few eyebrows. This action isn’t over however until the people in Uganda live without fear of oppression, sadly we have to acknowledge that chance won’t come easily but together I’m sure we can make a small difference a step at a time. Please, if you have not yet done so, consider sending a letter to the Ugandan high commissioner and tell her that sexuality is not a crime. Please also consider sending a letter to the LGBT people in Uganda offering support and if people ask you why tell them, it’s because you can!

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