Once again, the Ugandan Parliament is considering legislation known as the "Anti-Homosexuality Bill" -- better known as the "Kill the Gays Bill." This time, Ugandan legislators are wanting to deliver this bill as a "Christmas gift" to the Ugandan people, attempting its passage by the end of the legislative session on December 15.
This legislation has been considered several times before, and has always been held off by brave Ugandan LGBT activists and others around the world working in solidarity with them -- including GetEQUAL. Now, though, Ugandan Members of Parliament are trudging the bill back up in an attempt to draw attention away from their own rampant corruption and a controversial oil bill -- using LGBT Ugandans as a political distraction from their own ethical shortcomings.
This bill is murderous in its nature and includes horrifying consequences for LGBT Ugandans and those who know/support LGBT Ugandans. The bill calls for execution of anyone engaging in same-sex behavior, imprisonment for anyone known to be helping LGBT Ugandans (including landlords renting out an apartment), and even possible jail time for those who fail to report someone else who has engaged in same-sex behavior -- including medical personnel, counselors, and family members.
American evangelical religious figures and American politicians have both actively and passively encouraged this bill to pass -- American religious figures like Scott Lively, Lou Engle, and Rick Warren have lent support through conferences and workshops in Uganda, while American politicians with ties to the secretive group known as "The Family" have lent support by holding off the possibility of crippling sanctions against the country.
So we're asking five prominent members of "The Family" -- Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), and Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) -- to publicly denounce this bill and to ask Ugandan Members of Parliament who are members of "The Family" to kill the bill.