Taboos Silence Opponents Of Uganda Anti-Gay Bill : NPR: In Uganda, a bill designed to eradicate homosexuality has strong support in the government and among evangelical Christians. Proponents of the bill link homosexuality to the West. And under the bill, Uganda would withdraw from any international treaties or protocols that recognize the human rights of gay people.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calls Uganda's anti-homosexuality bill a 'very serious potential violation of human rights.' But few in Uganda are willing to speak against it because those who do are labeled gay.
In the lobby of Uganda's parliament building is an installation showing the potentially disastrous effects of climate change. The sign says: 'The Choices, Actions and Agreements Made Now Will Determine Which Future Becomes Reality.' Whoever wrote that might well have been describing the country's political climate.
Ugandans may soon have a choice to make. Homosexuality has been illegal there for more than 100 years, but now lawmakers are considering legislation that would go further. The Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009 would jail consenting adults who engage in gay sex. It would give life sentences to people in same-sex marriages. It would extradite gay Ugandans living abroad and prosecute them.
