Sign Up

This morning nearly half-a-million signatures protesting Uganda's "Kill The Gays" legislation were delivered to that country's parliament. The online petition was organized by a group called Avaaz [HERE] whose mission statement is "to close the gap between the world we have, and the world most people everywhere want."

The petition was delivered to Uganda’s parliament in Kampala this morning by a delegation led by Anglican priest Canon Gideon Byamugisha. It was accompanied by a letter asking parliament to reject the controversial bill and instead pass legislation to protect gay people. Speaker of Parliament Edward Sekandi promised the delegation he would refer the petition to a committee for scrutiny.

Uganda's anti-homosexuality bill, if passed, would impose the death penalty on anyone who has homosexual sex with a minor or disabled person while infected with AIDS. The death penalty would also be imposed on repeat offenders, while others convicted for having gay sex would be jailed for life. In addition, those who fail to report homosexual activity, such as relatives, teachers, landlords or health workers, would also face prison sentences.

Avaaz hopes to have over a million signatures soon, adding to the pressure put on the Ugandan government by leaders from around the world, including President Barack Obama and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Sign the petition HERE