Ugandan minister lashes out at Anglican cleric over gay-bill


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Uganda’s minister of state for ethics and integrity, James Nsaba Buturo
has condemned the pro-gays who today presented a petition to Uganda’s
speaker of parliament requesting that the anti-gay bill which was tabled by
member of parliament David Bahati be withdrawn.

During an interview, Nsaba Buturo said that those who petitioned do not
represent the interests of the Ugandan majority. He said they are representing interests of foreign forces.

Today, pro-gays including an Anglican cleric took a petition to parliament requesting the withdrawal of the anti-gay bill saying that if passed into law, it will create disharmony.

“I don’t think they know what is in the bill. They must be ignorant of the bill. They don’t know what they are doing. They are trying to defend what
most Ugandans don’t want,” the minister said.

He requested those who presented the petition to be patriotic and do
what the majority of Ugandans want them to do.

“They should be ashamed of themselves. I advise them to read the bill and understand it. They are using the death penalty to oppose the bill but some of the harsh punishments might be dropped during the debate on the bill.”

A renown anti gay advocate, pastor Solomon Male said that although he is against gays, he is against the extreme punishments. “I do not support the death penalty,” pastor Solomon Male is quoted as saying.

“The gays need to be given moderate punishment but be sensitized
against the vice,” he continued.

He said that many Ugandans living with HIV-Aids today were born with
the virus that causes AIDS but have never been sensitized about it appropriately.

He said that it would therefore be unfair to sentence a person living with Aids who inflicts the disease to another person to death or life imprisonment as it is suggested in the bill.

Anti-Gay Bill in Uganda  The Anti-Homosexuality Bill introduced in 2009 by MP David Bahati seeks to impose the death penalty on gay men who are HIV-positive for “aggravated homosexuality”. In Uganda today, homosexuality is already a crime punishable by a prison life term. This proposed law would not only condemn HIV positive gay men and "repeat offenders" to death, it would also jail for three years anyone who knows a gay man but refuses to report them to the authorities. In addition to that, anyone who defends gay rights in public will be sentenced to seven years in prison.
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