Editor’s note: For the most up- to- date news on Uganda’s Kill The Gays bill, visit our Uganda section.
Uganda Kill The Gays bill author David Bahati spoke with NPR’s Michel Martin Thursday about the Anti-Homosexuality bill, about homosexuality, and about his beliefs. His comments are shocking, stunning, and  inflammatory, not to mention stab the heart of every LGBT person and our supporters.
READ: Uganda Kill The Gays Pastor: Homosexuality Will Never Be Legal
The bill “is needed because there is a lot of money coming in in our country to people who are recruiting children against their conscience into this behavior of homosexuality, and also to stop the promotion and the recruitment of our children into homosexuality,” Bahati falsely claims in this audio interview. Keep in mind Bahati has never offered credible proof of this false allegation, despite being asked repeatedly for it.
Bahati falsely adds “we have conclusive research that homosexuality is a learned behavior and can be unlearned.”
In the audio, Bahati claims that the death penalty provision has been removed, although other sources say that is not correct.
The internationally-​denounced Kill The Gays bill is infamous around the world for its provision mandating the death penalty for anyone convicted of the “crime†of homosexuality, anyone convicted of same-​sex rape, anyone who is classified as a “serial offender,†even anyone with HIV. The bill is now widely expected to be voted upon — and easily pass — Friday.
It was thought that worldwide outcry from over two million individuals who signed online petitions and contacted Ugandan embassies, as well as from governments around the world, including the U.K., and United States — which contributes a large portion of Uganda’s annual operating budget through various foreign aid entities — had had the desired effect. That proved to be false.
READ: U.S. State Department Responds To Uganda’s Kill The Gays Bill
The Kill The Gays Bill also mandates jail time for those who know of homosexuals but do not report them to authorities within 24 hours and offers a maximum of seven years prison time for even renting a room to someone who is homosexual. Any assistance to a gay man or lesbian would be considered criminal.
The bill reportedly was shelved in March, but Bahati — who has said he wants to “kill every last gay personâ€â€‰â€” appeared defiant, stating at the time, “I think that the government is aware that 95 percent of Ugandans do not condone homosexuality.â€
Uganda ranks number 143 of 169 countries in the  United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index, which examines a combination of health, education, and living standards. Uganda is also considered to have a high number of people who are illiterate, especially women. All these factors lead to a population easily indoctrinated into religious extremism.
http://www.npr.org/v2/?i=136241587&m=136241581&t=audio