The U.S. Senate passed a resolution by unanimous consent April 14 that calls on Uganda’s Parliament to “reject” the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009.
The proposed Ugandan law would imprison for life anyone convicted of “the offense of homosexuality,” punish “aggravated homosexuality” — including repeat offenders and anyone who is HIV-positive and has gay sex — with the death penalty, forbid “promotion of homosexuality” and incarcerate gay-rights defenders, and jail individuals in positions of authority for up to three years if they fail to report within 24 hours the existence of all LGBT people or sympathizers known to them.
Introduced by Sens. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., Tom Coburn, R-Okla., Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, the U.S. resolution also “urges” all countries that criminalize gay sex to legalize it and “encourages” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “to closely monitor human rights abuses that occur because of sexual orientation and to encourage the repeal or reform of laws such as the proposed ‘Anti-Homosexuality Bill’ in Uganda that permit such abuses.”
A similar resolution is pending in the House of Representatives.
By Rex Wockner
