Under pressure from millions around the world, Ugandan officials are considering amending their proposed “anti-gay” bill that would, if passed, call for the death penalty or life imprisonment to those found to engage in homosexual behavior after being diagnosed with HIV.
Even with this people around the world, including me, still believe the bill to be outrageously prejudiced toward a societal group that very much does not deserve this discrimination. They certainly do not deserve to be treated like terrorists or murderers. They do nothing wrong.
Yesterday, on International Human Rights Day, groups around the world protested in front of Ugandan embassies calling for the government to put an end to the nonsensical bill. The government of Uganda, as well as several churches, are defending the bill as one intended to protect minors from being sexually harassed by older men.
Regardless of this claim, countries like Sweden have threatened to cut off aid to Uganda and some have even called for it to be thrown out of the Commonwealth.
But, now that officials are considering removing the death penalty and life imprisonment clauses in the bill, more factions of the Ugandan society may back it, as it may now be seen as less “controversial” or less medieval. However even if the amendments are made, the opposition will remain strong. This sort if justified, required-by-law discrimination against an innocent societal group is disgusting.
In 2006, when the BBC reported that a Ugandan newspaper went as far as printing the names of 45 suspected homosexuals in the country, I knew there was a problem. I just never thought it would ever come to this. Just horrible.
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