Ugandan 'Anti-Homosexuality' Bill

There is an alarmingly violent bill that is currently being debated in Uganda and we wanted to share this information.

The bill that was introduced by David Bahati, a Ugandan member of parliament, criminalizes homosexual acts "with penalties ranging from up to 10 years imprisonment for single acts of homosexual sex to life imprisonment and the death penalty for a category of crime labelled 'aggravated homosexuality.'"

Instead of addressing the conditions that are keeping so many Ugandans in poverty, this bill has made a scapegoat of Uganda's LGBTQI community and anyone who supports that community.

Here are some of the penalties that Bahati's bill includes:

• The death penalty is mandated for HIV-positive people who engage in sex with people of the same gender.
• There are threats against any Ugandan media organization that allows LGBT Ugandans to air their views or publish press statements.
• The bill would criminalize organizations providing health information for men who have sex with men.
• The bill criminalizes homosexual acts, with penalties ranging from up to 10 years imprisonment for single acts of homosexual sex to life imprisonment and the death penalty for a category of crime labeled 'aggravated homosexuality'.
• The bill calls for Uganda to withdraw from all international treaties and conventions which support the rights of lesbians, gays and bisexuals
• The bill introduces extradition arrangements for Ugandan citizens who perform 'homosexual acts' abroad
• The bill includes legal penalties for people who fail to report alleged homosexual acts or individuals and institutions that promote homosexuality or same-sex marriage to the authorities.
• Article 13 of the bill calls for up to seven years imprisonment or a monetary fine for any person or institution believed to be promoting homosexuality. Business and NGOs convicted of promoting homosexuality are liable to be de-registered.
• Bahati’s proposed bill also supports stigma and discrimination against HIV-positive people
• The bill requires employees and managers in institutions who are aware of the sexual practices of their colleagues to report them to the authorities.
  
  

For more information about the bill check out Human Rights Watch.

You can take a look at the actual bill here.

To take action you can join the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) and speak out against the bill.

Stopping this bill from passing needs to come from Ugandans. However, we can share our support for the LGBTQI community and for human rights for all. The Uganda that we know is a community of acceptance and support...and this bill is far from that.