LIBERIA TO CONSIDER GAY DEATH BILL

Following Uganda’s lead, a senator in Liberia has introduced legislation into parliament that could make homosexuality punishable by death.

According to AFP, the bill was introduced last week by Senator Jewel Howard Taylor, who is the country’s former first lady.

The proposed legislation also aims to ban same-sex marriage

“No two persons of the same sex shall have sexual relations. A violation of this prohibition will be considered a first degree felony,” reads the bill.

When it comes to a first degree felony, judges have the discretion to sentence offenders to life imprisonment or even to execution.

Both male and female same-sex sexual activities are already illegal in Liberia, with penalties including a fine or up to three years in prison.

The bill’s introduction comes in the midst of ongoing debate about LGBT rights in Liberia and across Africa.

Uganda’s legislature is also considering a bill that would impose the death penalty in certain cases of “aggravated homosexuality”.