Uganda: MP Proposes Death Penalty for "Aggravated Homosexuality"

The state-sanctioned, anti-gay hysteria in the East African nation of Uganda returns with deadly consequences. Ugandan MP David Bahati introduces a bill that creates an offense of "aggravated homosexuality" to be punishable by death, reports New Vision. To protect "traditional families and children", of course.

A person commits aggravated homosexuality when the victim is a person with disability or below the age of 18, or when the offender is HIV-positive. The bill thus equates aggravated homosexuality to aggravated defilement among people of different sexes, which also carries the death sentence. The Bill, entitled the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009, also states that anyone who commits the offence of homosexuality will be liable to life imprisonment. This was already the case under the current Penal Code Act. However, it gives a broader definition of the offence of homosexuality. A person charged with the offence will have to undergo a mandatory medical examination to ascertain his or her HIV status. The bill further states that anybody who 'attempts to commit the offence' is liable to imprisonment for seven years.'

The same applies to anybody who 'aids, abets, counsels or procures another to engage in acts of homosexuality' or anybody who keeps a house or room for the purpose of homosexuality. The bill also proposes stiff sentences for people promoting homosexuality. They risk a fine of sh100m or prison sentences of five to seven years. This applies to people who produce, publish or distribute pornographic material for purposes of promoting homosexuality, fund or sponsor homosexuality. Where the offender is a business or NGO, its certificate of registration will be cancelled and the director will be liable to seven years in prison. Failure to disclose the offence within 24 hours of knowledge makes somebody liable to a maximum sh5m fine or imprisonment of up to three years."

Uganda already has some of the most draconian anti-gay legislation on the planet—sodomy is punishable by life imprisonment. Several anti-gay, evangelical American groups have to suggested the rabidly anti-gay government in Kampala that suspected gays and lesbians—even teenagers—should be forced to "conversion therapy".

The bill is said to have a "99% chance" of being passed, a Uganda MP tells the BBC.

UPDATE: GayUganda blogger contemplates what are the next steps and if he and his partner should flee Uganda.

Thanks SebaSpace

Some Background ...
Anti-Gay Activists March on Parliament
Uganda Anti-Gay Conference Day Two
UG Anti-Gay Conference
Rare Court Victory for Uganda Gays
Uganda Launches Major Anti-Gay Offensive
Uganda' Muslim Cleric: Exile Gays
Uganda Ethics Minister Advises Gays to Leave
"Abstinence Only" Policy Spreads HIV, Death
Bush Admin Funding Anti-Gay Groups in Uganda
UG Minister Receives Award for Anti-Gay Crusade

Comments

[mellovirgo89]

O_o !!!!

[FREELEO]

aggravated homosexuality!!! will someone please tell what that is? i've been a aggravated homo for a long time but what the hell is that? again, something else that would be laughable if people weren't going to die over it.

[Ravenback]

I guess they are making it comparable to aggravated homicide or aggravated manslaughter. Who knows with these backward folks.

[Dean]

This is ridiculous and outrageous Have consential gay sex and go to jail for a long time. Write about gay sex in a nondispproving way and go to jail for a long time. Discuss with someone gay sex and go to jail for a long time. Plan with someone to have gay sex and go to jail for a long time. I see a pattern here.

I suspect that the GayUganda blogger (who I understand is in Uganda) will be hunted down like a rat throught Internet tracing. I also suspect that AfroGay (SebasSpace) (who I understand lives in the US but is from Uganda) should take this as a sign that to go home may result in his going to jail for a long time. What a shame.

[DU]

Remember in Africa, "traditional families" include polygamous families ... ridiculous people

[Jim]

Me, too, FREELEO. I've been an aggravated homo for years.

How about punishment for the crime of aggravated bigotry? Or aggravated ignorance? Or aggravated lying with evil intent?

I wonder if there are some crimes these American evangelical preachers could be charged with...something along the lines of "intentionally and maliciously promoting gross human rights violations."

If there exists such a place as Hell, we all know these pastors will be spending a lot of time there. But before then, and just in case there is no such place, I surely would love to see them behind locked bars.

[Derrick from Philly]

"Remember in Africa, "traditional families" include polygamous families ... ridiculous people"

DU,

Is that part of Africa in Utah?

Stop painting all Africans as bad simply because of their corrupt national leaders. It's like saying that all Europeans have bad breath and no teeth.

[Pheromone Cologne]

"""Remember in Africa, "traditional families" include polygamous families ... ridiculous people"

DU,

Is that part of Africa in Utah?

Stop painting all Africans as bad simply because of their corrupt national leaders. It's like saying that all Europeans have bad breath and no teeth.-""

yes I think you are correct, we can't paint all as the same!
danielle

[Kevin Perez]

"Stop painting all Africans as bad simply because of their corrupt national leaders. It's like saying that all Europeans have bad breath and no teeth."

Yeah, I suppose we shouldn't say anything "bad" about POC who care little about LGBT of color either but cry at young straight boys being beaten by White po po. You know because since not all are the same means they are devoid of criticism, anger, and exposed of their hypocrasy.

Yeah and not all LGBT folks are deviants bent on destroying the nuclear Black family, AIDs isn't a conspiracy to ineffect the Black man and destroy Black women and children, homosexuality a Euro thing either. Not all LGBT are rich, White, middle class men who make a lot $$$$$ and attend fabulous parties like they do in Will & Grace or they way POC aruge to validate homophobia.

Seldom does anybody do anything to stop paiting the LGBT community as all vthat either as well.

[Derrick from Philly]

Yeah, KEVIN, like you just said: Let's not paint all African people as bad or ignorant--just like we won't paint all LGBT people as bad and immoral.

With all the turmoil in Africa, it would take a while for them to catch up with the death toll accomplished over the centuries by their neighbors to the north.

[tete]

Good point. And wasn't it Microsoft's Bill Gates who recently invested $50 million into a programme to circumcise up to 650,000 men in Swaziland and Zambia?

The goal??

Supposedly: "to curb the transmission of HIV in two of the AIDS hotspots of the world, as circumcision has been shown to more than halve the risk of men becoming infected."
http://tinyurl.com/n6ow7m
http://tinyurl.com/yjzvx3x

How isn't that ignorant? (let alone outrageous)..And indeed it's one way to trade ignorance with the unlucky beneficiaries of that program in Africa.

[Isis]

I'd like to know what Aggravated Homosexuality is? Who is the victim in this "crime" and how are they affected by someone's sexuality? This has to be one to the most RIDICULOUS things I've ever heard! I mean its downright NONSENSICAL!!

[MosesO]

"My Love (for David Bahati)", a poem:

To some people
My love is somewhat alien;
When he comes up, they start subject-changing, and
In some states he's seen as some contagion -
In those zones, he stays subterranean;
Some love my love; they run parades for him:
Liberal citizens lead the way for him:
Concurrent with some countries embracing him,
Whole faiths and nations seem ashamed of him:
Some tried banning him,
God-damning him,
Toe-tagging him,
Prayed that he stayed in the cabinet,
But my love kicked in the panelling, ran for it -
My love! Can't be trapping him in labyrinths! -
Maverick, my love is; thwarts challenges;
Cleverest geneticists can't fathom him,
Priests can't defeat him with venomous rhetoric;
They'd better quit; my love's too competitive:
Still here, despite the Taliban, Vatican,
And rap, ragga in their anger and arrogance,
Calling on my love with lit matches and paraffin -
Despite the fistfights and midnight batterings -
Despite the dislike by Anglican Africans
And sly comparisons with those mishandling
Small kids, and his morbid inner chattering
My love's still here and fiercely battling,
Parenting, marrying, somehow managing;
My love comes through anything