Uganda. Jailed for performing a play

The BBC reports 

Uganda charges British producer David Cecil over gay play

                                           David Cecil face a two-year jail sentence if convicted

The authorities in Uganda have charged a British theatre producer, David Cecil, for staging a play about the condition of gay people in the country.

He appeared in court accused of "disobeying lawful orders", because the play The River and the Mountain was performed without authorisation.

Not so much disobeying lawful orders you sort of need to have orders if you are going to disobey them.

" Yet Uganda will receive £101.5 million of British aid this year, with £22.5 million going straight into government coffers, albeit reserved for health, education and administrative improvement."

Mr Cecil was denied bail. He faces two years in jail if convicted.

Hmm. Well justice is supposed to be blind but lets face it, it isn't meant to be bat shit crazy. 

The Ugandan parliament is considering legislation aimed at increasing penalties for homosexual acts.

The play - the main character of which is a gay businessman killed by his own employees - was performed at two theatres in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, last month.

I assume murder is illegal in Uganda you could almost, not quite but almost, understand it if he was being jailed for a play about murder. Or is it legal to murder gay people in Uganda?

Homosexual acts are illegal in Uganda and gay people have faced physical attacks and social rejection.

FFS it is 2012 not 1912 Uganda needs to realise that being gay is considered to be perfectly normal in most of the world. I am confident New Zealand has matured enough to pass a bill in the near future legalising gay marriage.

An anti-gay bill imposing life sentences on those convicted of homosexual acts was re-tabled in parliament earlier this year.

It was first introduced in 2009 but never debated - and the MP backing the legislation says a clause proposing the death penalty will be dropped.

Uganda you have far more important issues facing you than this. Accepting same sex relationships  is just one part of the rich tapestry that makes us human. Drop the bill from the parliamentary order paper. Even better replace it with legislation allowing same sex marriage.