Ugandan Gay Group Claims Bill Still Contains Gay Death Penalty Clause

According to a bulletin sent late last night by the Ugandan Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law (website), the pending Anti-Homosexuality Act still contains the death penalty. They write:

The Anti-Homosexuality Bill was upgraded to Item No. 1 on the Order of Business to Follow of the Ugandan Parliament which means it may be tabled in a matter of hours from now. The Coalition today requested and obtained the version of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill which is going to be tabled as the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2012. It is clear that none of the provisions have been changed from those of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009. It is still the “Kill the Gays Bill’! The report of the Legal & Parliamentary Affairs Committee has still not been released.

Earlier this week the BBC reported that Ugandan lawmakers have claimed that the death penalty provision had been removed, but they refused to make the allegedly amended bill available to the press for inspection.  Today at noon there will be a protest at the Ugandan consulate near the United Nations building in Manhattan.  I’ll have more on this story today as we hear developments.