Every so often a piece of inspiring news reminds the public that gay rights are on the way to acceptance. This happened Tuesday when the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the ban on gay marriage in California unconstitutional.
This event is not unique, but is nevertheless important. Activists and supportive citizens across the states rejoiced in this news, but across the globe a step in the opposite direction was announced.
Uganda brought an anti-homosexuality bill back to the forefront Tuesday, after revisions removed the death penalty from the bill.
Homosexuality is condemned in Uganda and there are legal repercussions for those who partake or fail to report a known homosexual person to authorities. The new bill would replace the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” with life in prison.
“Aggravated homosexuality” is defined as when someone is a serial offender, HIV-positive or if one of the contributors is a minor. Perhaps these beliefs stem from a disturbed misunderstanding, but we should be outraged because of what many are fighting for in America.
In the past this bill was ridiculed internationally, which led to its shelving for two years after threats to cut aid. After a brief bout of outrage the issue dropped from relevant news, as did a similar bill passed in Nigeria.
Nigeria’s bill mandates a 14-year sentence for those caught participating in homosexual acts, but was still passed in November despite similar threats to cut off foreign aid.
Threats may seem like enough to halt the current bill on the slate, but as Nigeria proved, they are insufficient.
There may not be much any single person can do to fight global injustice, but speaking up and never backing down is a place to start.
We may be moving forward at home, but other parts of the world haven’t even begun the journey. Be aware of what is happening internationally – the world isn’t as perfect as you may think.