A Ugandan Parliament committee has held a second day of hearings on a globally-condemned anti-gay bill and it could be voted on this week. The original document was introduced in 2009 and included a death penalty provision, which its backers claim is being removed after widespread criticism for its harsh penalties. The original bill would mandate a death sentence for active gay people living with HIV or in cases of same-sex rape. "Serial offenders" also would face capital punishment. Anyone convicted of a homosexual act would face life imprisonment. Anyone who "aids, abets, counsels or procures another to engage of acts of homosexuality" would face seven years in prison. Landlords who rent rooms or homes to homosexuals also could get seven years. The Associated Press reports that all or none of those provisions could change during Parliament's negotiations. The bill's author, David Bahati, told The Associated Press last month that the death penalty provision in the bill was "something we have moved away from." The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission has expressed concerned that the "heinous" piece of legislation could become law. "Governments, world religious and political leaders, and HIV prevention experts have all appealed to Ugandan parliamentarians to put their distaste and fear of LGBT people aside and use their better judgment," said Cary Alan Johnson, the group's executive director. A global rally cry has been sounding calling for the worldwide lgbt community and its friends to take a stand against the legislation. You can find out and sign a petition against it here.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 10th May 2011 - 10:31am