The Ugandan parliament is currently considering an “Anti-Homosexuality Bill,” under which any person “convicted of gay sex is liable to life imprisonment.” If that person is HIV positive or has sex with a minor or a person with a disability, he or she would be found guilty of “aggravated homosexuality” and face the death penalty. Although the U.S. has not yet taken an official position on the bill, other countries are speaking out. Both UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper have called the legislation unacceptable, and now Sweden is adding its voice:
According to comments attributed to Gunilla Carlsson, Sweden’s development assistance minister, the Swedish government says it would cut aid to Uganda over an anti-gay law they find “appalling”.
“My number two at the ministry, who has direct contact with the Ugandan government, has brought it up,” Ms Carlsson recently told Swedish Radio News. “We’ve talked about it in Uganda, and I’ve also tried to speak to the kind of organisations in Uganda that are the target of the legislation.” Uganda receives about $50 million in development aid from Sweden annually.
Reuters reports that the legislation will “likely” pass the Ugandan parliament. Last night, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow highlighted three “anti-gay American activists” who inspired the bill, and tonight, she’ll profile Americans who have the power to stop the “Kill the Gays” bill. Watch it:
No comments:
Post a Comment