The now infamous Ugandan bill that would have given the death penalty to “repeat offender” gay and lesbian people has been shelved, and was not debated in parliament before the house session ended this Friday. The potential passing of the bill sparked international outcry, with millions of people signing petitions online. In Washington, the State Department called the proposed bill as “odious” and added that both President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “publicly said it is inconsistent with universal human rights standards and obligations.”
The bill or an amended version of it could be presented in the next parliament, which is expected to open in June. The bill’s author, David Bahati says he plans to re-introduce the bill to the new parliament next season.
“Today marks the end of a chapter in the fight to protect the rights of the LGBT community in Uganda but the struggle isn’t over yet,” said Graeme Reid, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Program at Human Rights Watch, “There’s a real danger we might see this bill re-emerge in some form.”
Joe.My.God recently reported that the Family Research Council spent $25,000 to lobby against a U.S. House resolution condemning the Uganda bill.