Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill

Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2014
Parliament of Uganda
An Act to prohibit any form of sexual relations between persons of the same sex; prohibit the promotion or recognition of such relations and to provide for other related matters.
Citation	Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2014
Territorial extent	Whole of Uganda
Enacted by	Parliament of Uganda
Date passed	20 December 2013 (invalid)
Date signed	24 February 2014 (invalid)
Signed by	Yoweri Museveni
Date commenced	24 February 2014 (invalid)
Legislative history
Bill citation	Anti Homosexuality Bill, 2009
Bill published on	14 October 2009
Introduced by	David Bahati
Summary
Broadens criminalisation of same-sex relations in Uganda

The Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2014 (previously called the "Kill the Gays bill" in the western mainstream media due to death penalty clauses proposed in the original version) was passed by the Parliament of Uganda on 20 December 2013 with life in prison substituted for the death penalty.

The bill was signed into law by the President of Uganda on 24 February 2014. On 1 August 2014, however, the Constitutional Court of Uganda ruled the Act invalid on procedural grounds.

The Act, should it take effect, would broaden the criminalisation of same-sex relations in Uganda domestically. It also includes provisions about persons outside of Uganda who are charged with violating the Act, asserting that they may be extradited to Uganda for punishment there. The Act also includes penalties for individuals, companies, and non-governmental organisations that aid or abet same-sex sexual acts, including conducting a gay marriage.

Same-sex relationships have been illegal in Uganda since British colonial rule – as they are in many African countries – and before this Act was passed, they were punishable by incarceration in prison for up to 14 years. The Act was introduced as a private member's bill by Member of Parliament (MP) David Bahati on 14 October 2009. A special motion to introduce the bill was passed a month after a two-day conference was held in which three Christians from the United States asserted that homosexuality is a direct threat to the cohesion of African families.

Several sources have noted that the Act has exacerbated both the endemic homophobia in Uganda and the associated discussions about it.

According to human rights organisations, at least 500,000 gay people live in Uganda out of a population of 31 million. The government of Uganda contests that number as inflated, and the BBC states that it is "impossible" to determine the actual number.

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