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heartcream -> Sucks to be Gay in Uganda (2/12/2010 5:15:14 PM)
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http://minnesotaindependent.com/55223/franken-sponsors-bill-condemning-ugandas-anti-homosexuality-bill
Franken sponsors bill condemning Uganda’s anti-homosexuality act
By ANDY BIRKEY 2/12/10 11:07 AM
U.S. Sen. Al Franken is one of a handful of senators from both parties sponsoring a bill condemning the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2009, legislation in Uganda that could lead to capital punishment for gays and lesbians there. The bill is seen by observers as an outgrowth of American evangelical Christianity, specifically the secretive evangelical political group, The Family.
Authored by Sen. Russ Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat, the bill’s cosponsors include Republicans Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Maine’s Sen. Susan Collins.
Also signed on to the bill: Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., Sen Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.
Here’s the full text of the bill:
Calling on members of the Parliament in Uganda to reject the proposed ‘Anti-Homosexuality Bill’, and for other purposes.
Whereas a bill introduced on October 14, 2009, by a member of Parliament in Uganda would expand penalties for homosexuality to include the death penalty and requires citizens to report information about homosexuality to the police or face imprisonment;
Whereas many countries criminalize homosexuality, and in some countries, such as Iran, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan, the penalty for homosexuality includes the death penalty;
Whereas the United States, in seeking to promote the core American principles of equality and `Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness,’ has long championed the universality of human rights;
Whereas religious leaders in the United States, along with representatives from the Vatican and the Anglican Church, have stated that laws criminalizing homosexuality are unjust; and
Whereas the people and Government of the United States recognize that such laws undermine our commitment to combating HIV/AIDS globally through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) by stigmatizing and criminalizing vulnerable communities: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate–
(1) calls on members of the Parliament in Uganda to reject the `Anti-Homosexuality Bill’ recently proposed in that country;
(2) urges the governments of all countries to reject and repeal similar criminalization laws; and
(3) encourages the Secretary of State to closely monitor human rights abuses that occur because of sexual orientation and to encourage the repeal or reform of laws such as the proposed `Anti-Homosexuality Bill’ in Uganda that permit such abuses.
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