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Summary: Parliament to debate reintroduced anti-homosexuality proposals that could lead western donors to cut aid.
[8 February 2012] - A bill that would make the death sentence mandatory for gay "repeat offenders" has been reintroduced in the Ugandan parliament, a move likely to draw fresh condemnation from western aid donors. The bill was originally proposed as a private member's bill in 2009 by David Bahati, a legislator with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, provoking an international outcry. President Barack Obama denounced the bill as "odious", and the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, called on the Ugandan president, Yoweri Museveni, to reject it. International donors threatened to cut aid to the country if it became law. The bill was shelved last May. Following widespread international condemnation, the cabinet said in August it had decided to drop the bill because existing laws were sufficient to deal with homosexual "crimes". However, a small but vocal anti-gay movement led by several MPs and a group of bishops said it was determined to reintroduce the proposed legislation. "The anti-homosexuality bill was retabled on the floor of the House today and has been referred to parliament's legal and parliamentary affairs committee for scrutiny," the parliamentary spokeswoman, Helen Kawesa, told Reuters. "The committee is expected to examine it and conduct public hearings, and then it will report back to the House for a formal debate on the bill." Homosexuality is taboo in many African nations. It is illegal in 37 countries on the continent, including Uganda, and activists say few Africans are openly gay becuase they fear imprisonment, violence and loss of jobs. The bill has given Uganda a reputation as the "world's homophobia capital". Ghana and Tanzania have said they will resist pressure to legalise homosexuality despite Britain threatening to cut aid to countries that deny gay rights. Julian Pepe, a Ugandan gay rights activist, told Reuters: "We've always said, it's not over until it's over. It's disappointing that this bill has been revived. "We are expecting a backlash from the public, but we're not giving up our fight. We'll engage our partners and talk to MPs and hope sense prevails at the end of the day." Further Information:
pdf: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/08/uganda-gay-death-sentence-bill