In the next 24 hours Uganda could have a new law in place: imprisoning or even worse executing citizens solely for being gay.
The proposed radical legislation first came to the world’s attention in 2009.
A global appeal is in place by non-profit organisation Avaaz to stop the bill and they are urging all who oppose to sign.
If protesters block the vote for two more days until Parliament closes, the bill will expire forever.
Ugandan MP David Bahati's proposed law called to implement the execution of homosexuals under certain circumstances and demands citizens to report any known act of homosexuality to the police within 24 hours.
Life imprisonment will be the minimum punishment for anyone convicted of having gay sex, under the bill. If the accused person is HIV positive or a serial offender, or a "person of authority" over the other partner, or if the "victim" is under 18, a conviction will result in the death penalty.
Two years ago it was being considered but tomorrow the concept runs the risk of becoming a shocking reality for Ugandans.
Ugandan newspaper Rolling Stone ran a front page story that included names, photos and the location of gay men and lesbians, including several well-known activists with the headline: “hang them”.
Three months later prominent gay rights activist David Kato was callously beaten to death by a hammer after being featured.
The paper alleged that homosexuals were “raiding schools” and planned to “recruit up to 1,000,000 children”. The press has convinced the country through scaremongering homosexuality is a disease.
Twenty years ago Uganda was the first to register an AIDS epidemic, which drastically reduced the population in some areas of the country.
Instead of increasing HIV awareness and prevention and treating patients equally and humanely some members of their Parliament’s view is that genocide is a better solution.
There is fear and speculation that this incorporation of an anti-homosexual bill could pave the way for other countries to follow suit and disregard human rights worldwide.
Murdering and stealing are renowned criminal activities: sexual preference, however, is not, nor punishable. Danger of witch hunts and genocide are imminent in Uganda if the bill is successful.
Despite living in an era where so much else is acceptable consensual homosexual acts between adults are still illegal in as many as 70 countries.
To stand against the potential law sign the petition.
