Obama denounces Ugandan “Kill the Gays” bill

President Barack Obama denounced the Ugandan “kill the gays” bill in an address to the U.S. National Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 4.

“We may disagree about gay marriage, but surely we can agree that it is unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are — whether it’s here in the United States or, as Hillary (Clinton) mentioned, more extremely in odious laws that are being proposed, most recently in Uganda,” Obama said.

The pending legislation, the “Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009,” 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 for up to three years if they fail to report within 24 hours the existence of all LGBT people and LGBT sympathizers they know of.

The Prayer Breakfast is hosted by members of Congress and organized by the Fellowship Foundation, a behind-the-scenes conservative Christian group also known as The Family.

The group counts several congressmen as members and has “close ties” with the Ugandan bill’s sponsor, according to The New York Times. MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow has explored the linkages in an ongoing series of reports over the past several months.

By Rex Wockner