Uganda Introduces Controversial Anti-Gay Bill in Parliament
In a country where homosexuality is already illegal, Ugandan lawmakers on Thursday introduced legislation proposing harsh new penalties for same-sex relationships, despite criticism from human rights groups.
The speaker of parliament, Annet Anita Among, referred the bill to a house committee for review as the initial step in a streamlined procedure to enact the proposal.
In a speech before parliament laced with homophobic language, she stated that there would be a “public hearing” in which sexual minorities would be allowed to participate.
“Allow the public — including homos — to come and express their opinions,” she said.
In Uganda’s conservative social media, conspiracy theories accusing shadowy international forces of promoting homosexuality are gaining traction.
Under the proposed law, anyone engaging in the same-sex activity or “passing themselves off” as LGBTQ could face up to ten years in prison.
It is unknown how long the legislative procedure could take.
When the time came, legislators would vote on the bill individually in front of their peers, it was stated.
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“Now is your chance to prove whether you are a homo or not,” she said.
Uganda is infamous for its intolerance of homosexuality, which is illegal under colonial-era legislation, and its strict Christian views on sexuality in general.
Since independence from the United Kingdom in 1962, no one has been convicted of engaging in consensual same-sex activity.
The law, according to rights groups, would exacerbate the persecution of a vulnerable minority group.
In 2014, Ugandan legislators passed a bill mandating life in prison for homosexuals caught engaging in sexual activity, but a court later struck down the law.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated on Thursday that the new law is “a revised and more egregious version” of the 2014 law.
“Ugandan politicians should prioritize passing laws that protect vulnerable minorities and affirm fundamental rights and stop targeting LGBT people for political gain,” said Oryem Nyeko, a researcher for Human Rights Watch in Uganda.
