Uganda Passes New Anti-Homosexuality Bill
Christian nationalism in action revives the Kill the Gays Bill
UPDATE: 3/25/23 - I learned that the Anti-Homosexuality Bill was amended by Uganda’s parliament to include the death penalty for the offence called “aggravated homosexuality.” Presumably then the offence of homosexuality was expanded to include life in prison as the NY Times reported.
This mimics the original Anti-Homosexuality Bill introduced by David Bahati in 2009. That bill earned the nickname “Kill the Gays Bill” from Rachel Maddow and others at the time.
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According to the UK Guardian, Uganda’s Parliament passed a bill on Tuesday which, if signed by Uganda’s president, will criminalize those who publicly identify as gay, as well as those who engage in any homosexuality behavior. According to the copy of the bill have, those convicted of homosexuality could go to prison for up to 10 years.
The Guardian reports that the bill includes the death penalty, however, the copy of the bill that I was given by a Ugandan opponent of the bill does not include that penalty. I am working to get a copy of the bill passed by Parliament.
This bill is very nearly a copy of the Anti-Homosexuality Bills of 2009 and 2014. The bill, first introduced in 2009, was finally passed in 2014 and signed by President Yowari Museveni. However, it never went into effect due to being declared unconstitutional by the nation’s Constitutional Court.
The current bill criminalizes promotion of homosexuality, intent to engage in homosexual acts, and various other actions related to same-sex behavior. The bill will again go to President Museveni for signature. It is unclear to me what makes this bill any different than the 2014 bill with regard to Uganda’s constitution.
The original movers of the anti-gay measure cited their Christianity as a reason for crafting and supporting the bill. Throughout 2009-2010, the bill triggered world-wide condemnation from Christians and non-Christians alike. This time around, news of the bill has been more restrained.
For much more on the history of Uganda’s anti-gay legislation, click here. Recent Christian nationalism proposals in the U.S. have openly called for civil punishments for heresy and teachings at odds with reformed Christianity. Uganda demonstrates what can happen when these proposals are applied in law.
Note the update in the text. The death penalty is for "aggravated homosexuality" which could be for repeated offences.
After all that hard work in 2009, this thing rears its ugly head again. Unfortunately, the climate of today's world is likely more receptive to such a policy. LGBTQ+ individuals, like all minorities, are ready scapegoats to, as Wendy said, take attention away from problems for which there appears no easy answer. None of this, however, could be done without the firm support of the Church, there and here. Shame on them.
With the "woke" and "groomer" nonsense, swathes of people are subject to unfocused, raw hatred which represents the totality of whatever those lobbing the names don't like. In Uganda this is carried a little further and placed into law. There was a time when I would never have believed something similar could happen in the US, but I now accept that it could.
When the world becomes unsettled, when there are problems that have no ready solution, when things get rough, the minorities come into the crosshairs. In those times, the Church should be there to unite us, to defend the minority from the majority. They should remind us that we are all equal under God. Instead we get, well you know what we've got and it ain't pretty. God help us.