An asylum seeker from Uganda covers his face with a paper bag in order to protect his identity as he marches with the LGBT Asylum Support Task Force during the Gay Pride Parade in Boston on June 8, 2013.
BY Stoyan Zaimov, Christian Post – Uganda has voted in favor of a bill that would make “aggravated homosexuality,” including repeated gay acts, punishable by life imprisonment, and threaten jail for those who fail to report gay people.
While homosexuality was already illegal in Uganda, MP David Bahati, who was behind the bill, sought to strengthen existing laws.
“This is victory for Uganda. I am glad the parliament has voted against evil,” said Bahati, according to AFP news agency. “Because we are a God-fearing nation, we value life in a holistic way. It is because of those values that members of parliament passed this bill regardless of what the outside world thinks.”
The bill now heads to President Yoweri Museveni for his signature.
The parliament-approved bill initially sought to impose the death penalty on those caught in gay acts. Several world leaders have objected the harsh punishment, threatening to impose sanctions on the African country.
Supporters of the new bill have argued that their traditional family values have been threatened by Western-inspired gay rights groups, and this new law would be a pushback against such an influence.
