Whilst the (majority of the) rest of the world is taking baby steps to advance the equal rights of homosexuals, one country is shaming itself by taking massive steps backwards.
Uganda is proposing an Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which is currently before the Ugandan Parliament and which proposes the death penalty for certain consenting homosexual acts.
Sponsored by the Ugandan MP, David Bahati, the Bill is expected to be debated and voted on in the coming weeks.
Although there have been reports that death penalty clauses will be dropped, to date the Bill has not been amended, watered down or scrapped. All the original provisions, including the death penalty, remain.
Indeed, the Bill's sponsor, MP David Bahati, said late last week that he stands by the Bill and will not withdraw it.
Some media, iuncluding the New York Times are also reporting links between this Ugandan policy proposal and USA Evangelical organisations, including those that practice "ex-gay therapy". According to The New York Times, three US evangelists travelled to Uganda last March and spoke at a conference that conference organiser Stephen Langa said was about ''the gay agenda - that whole hidden and dark agenda''.
Summary of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill
Peter Tatchell of the London-based lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) human rights group OutRage! said:
"The Anti-Homosexuality Bill proposes the death penalty for two classes of same-sex acts.
"First, for 'aggravated' homosexuality, which is defined as gay sex with under 18s or disabled persons and gay sex by a person in authority or by a person with HIV, even if they use a condom.
"Second, for 'serial' homosexual acts, meaning for persons who have repeated same-sex relations ie. more than once or twice.
"The Bill extends the existing penalty of life imprisonment for same- sex intercourse to all other same-sex behaviour, including the mere touching of another person with the intent to have homosexual relations.
"Life imprisonment is also the penalty for contracting a same-sex marriage.
"Promoting homosexuality and aiding and abetting others to commit homosexual acts will be punishable by five to seven years jail. These new crimes are likely to include membership and funding of LGBT organisations, advocacy of LGBT human rights, supportive counselling of LGBT persons and the provision of condoms or safer sex advice to LGBT people.
"A person in authority - gay or heterosexual - who fails to report violators to the police within 24 hours will be sentenced to three years behind bars.
"Astonishingly, the new legislation has an extra-territorial jurisdiction. It will also apply to Ugandan citizens or foreign residents of Uganda who commit these 'crimes' while abroad, in countries where such behaviour is not a criminal offence. Violators overseas will be subjected to extradition, trial and punishment in Uganda.
"This bill is even more draconian than the extreme homophobic laws of countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran.
"It is part of a wide attack on civil society and is symptomatic of Uganda's drift to Mugabe-style authoritarianism," added Mr Tatchell.
Photo credit Brett Lock of OutRage!
