VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – The International Association of LGBTI Pride Organizers (InterPride) has condemned the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill that the Ugandan government has committed to pass by the end of 2012. The bill will ensure that homosexuality is treated as a serious criminal offense and includes, but is not limited to introducing the death penalty for those accused of being serious offenders, those suspected of ‘aggravated homosexuality’ and those that are HIV-positive.
The co-president of InterPride, Caryl Dolinko, stated, “We are stunned and disappointed that a hate law such as this can be potentially voted into law in the world today. At InterPride, we work for equality, dignity and LGBTI human rights and our member organizations support these rights. We are appalled that Ugandan politicians have taken this antiquated and hateful stance”.
The Anti-Homosexuality Bill was submitted in October 2009 as a private member’s bill by David Bahati, a Ugandan MP, and member of ‘The Family’, (an influential fundamentalist Christian evangelical political organization) and has yet to gain parliamentary approval, but it will.
As reported in San Diego LGBT Weekly, Nov. 8 the speaker of Uganda’s Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, has promised to speed up the passing of the bill and it is believed that it will be passed by lawmakers before the end of this year.
