From Daily Kos: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/21/1163868/-Uganda-may-pass-the-Kill-the-gays-bill-on-Thanksgiving
Scott Wooledge
Wed Nov 21, 2012
Speaker [of the Ugandan parliament] Rebecca Kadaga told The Associated Press that the bill, which originally mandated death for some gay acts, will become law this year.Ugandans “are demanding it,” she said, reiterating a promise she made before a meeting on Friday of anti-gay activists who spoke of “the serious threat” posed by homosexuals to Uganda’s children. Some Christian clerics at the meeting in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, asked the speaker to pass the law as “a Christmas gift.”
“Speaker, we cannot sit back while such (a) destructive phenomenon is taking place in our nation,” the activists said in a petition. “We therefore, as responsible citizens, feel duty-bound to bring this matter to your attention as the leader of Parliament … so that lawmakers can do something to quickly address the deteriorating situation in our nation.”
Now, All Out, an international LGBT rights organization, is reporting the bill was officially added to the parliament’s schedule today and could be voted on as soon as Thursday. James Burroway at the Box Turtle Bulletin confirms this.
The bill has been scheduled for an “order of business to follow” and could be voted on on Thursday, or any time thereafter. It is expected to easily pass, and then it will be up to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to veto the bill. If vetoed, the veto could be overturned by the assembly.
Proponents have denied the death penalty is attached, but All Out and other outlets report the final bill has not been made publicly available. It is believed the death penalty is still attached to the loosely defined charge of “aggravated homosexuality.”
Under existing law, homosexual acts are already considered a crime in Uganda, and can lead up to 14 years in prison.
All Out has sponsored a petition asking President Museveni to veto the bill, a promise he has said to made in the past. It will likely take the pressure of international coalition to stop this. Activists in the country have called upon the global community to help.
Continue reading at: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/21/1163868/-Uganda-may-pass-the-Kill-the-gays-bill-on-Thanksgiving
