A Ugandan lawmaker on Tuesday introduced legislation he said aims to outlaw homosexuality in the east African country, reflecting anti-gay sentiment which has been at a peak in recent days.
Lawmaker Asuman Basalirwa said his bill would penalize “promotion, hiring and funding” related to the activities of LGBTQ people.
A majority of MPs appeared before the parliamentary chamber in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, to express their support for the law.
“They are either for us or for the western world,” Speaker Anita Among said, announcing that lawmakers would show their support by raising their hands when the bill finally goes to a vote.
Same-sex relationships were already criminalized in Uganda under the colonial-era penal code. And a panel of judges overturned a harsh anti-gay law enacted in 2014, with international condemnation. This bill originally provided for the death penalty for certain homosexual acts.
Also, read; Protestant Council of Rwanda bars abortions in its clinics
The new law will be evaluated by a parliamentary commission before being discussed in plenary. Details of the specific provisions were not immediately available.
Basalirwa has spoken of homosexuality as a “cancer” and said his bill is an opportunity to pass a strong law.
Anti-gay sentiment has soared in recent days amid alleged reports of sodomy in boarding schools. The Church of England’s recent decision to sanction registered partnerships for same-sex couples has also stirred up many, including some who view homosexuality as an import from abroad.
