Uganda Promises Gay Crackdown

The menace of homosexuality is apparently getting out of control in Uganda.

The Ugandan government said on Saturday it would strengthen anti-gay laws and step up police operations against homosexuals amid concern about the "mushrooming" number of gays and lesbians in the East African nation.

"The state of moral health in our nation is challenging and we are concerned about the mushrooming of lesbianism and homosexuality," Ethics and Integrity Minister James Buturo told a news conference. "Ten years ago, this phenomena was not there, but the disease has penetrated everywhere," he added.

Same-sex intercourse and marriage is illegal in Uganda. The official sentence is life imprisonment, but there is no record of anyone being convicted in Ugandan courts. Buturo said that the law would be changed to increase the number of prosecutions. Gays, who are believed to number in the tens of thousands, remain underground in Uganda as a result of the stringent laws.

Getting our own house in order will only be the beginning.