Intense global criticism of the Ugandan ‘kill the gays' bill has successfully led to the removal of a clause to hang people who have consensual gay sex, however the proposed legislation likely still includes the criminalisation of the promotion of anything gay. More than 1.4 million people have now signed a petition against the bill. It was to be debated earlier this week but was dropped and may be discussed at an extraordinary sitting of Parliament on Friday, Uganda time. The bill's author lawmaker David Bahati has announced the death penalty has been removed from the document; however no new version has been publicly released. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International argues that the provision banning the promotion of homosexuality could jeopardise gay rights advocates and organizations working on behalf of gay people. Anyone who “counselled or abetted people in committing homosexual acts”, including landlords who rented houses or rooms to gay people, would face seven years in jail. The bill also makes it compulsory for people to report gay activity within 24 hours of becoming aware of them and penalises those who fail to do so. Gay activists say anti-gay sentiment has sharpened as the bill has been promoted. In January, gay activist David Kato was slain after a Ugandan newspaper published names and photographs of gay people under the headline "Hang them!"
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 12th May 2011 - 10:45am