VOA标准英语2010年-Petition against Anti-Gay Bill Deliver

Church leaders, human rights activists², and healthcare workers in Uganda have delivered a petition, demanding the withdrawal³ of an anti-homosexuality bill in parliament.  Critics say the bill's passage could set a precedent⁴ for other African countries, which have criminalized homosexuality and homosexual behavior in recent years. 

An Anglican priest and an activist¹ for HIV/AIDS patient rights delivered the petition to Uganda's parliament speaker Monday on behalf of ordinary citizens and 500,000 people around the world, who signed the petition in support.

The priest, Canon Gideon Byamugisha, says the speaker assured him that their demand to have the anti-gay bill withdrawn⁵ from parliament would be given serious consideration.

An anti-gay demonstration⁶ in Uganda

"I am very, very satisfied because he said he was going to forward the view to the parliamentary committee that is handling the appeal," he said.  "And he said that our view is going to be part of information they have to debate on the bill.  We want the parliamentarians to know that not all Ugandans are supporting the bill."

Homosexuality is already illegal in Uganda, a crime punishable by as long as 14 years in prison.  But Uganda's parliamentary committee is now reviewing a bill that contains provisions for the death penalty for some homosexual acts, fines and jail terms for some citizens who do not report homosexual activity, and 7-year prison terms for anyone who aids or abets⁷ homosexual activities, including HIV/AIDS service workers.

The United States, Britain, and the European Union have condemned⁸ the bill.  A global public campaign network called Avaaz, which sponsored the petition, says copies of the petition have been sent to Uganda's western allies in the hope that they can use diplomatic pressure to kill the proposed legislation.

The campaign director for Avaaz, Alice Jay, says her organization became involved in the petition drive after receiving numerous requests from concerned Ugandans.

"The strongest critics of this came from within Uganda and one of them said very clearly, 'There is homophobia in Uganda like in most of the world.  But we do not want our laws to be based on it.'  We started looking into it and we polled our members across the world and we got a 90 percent in favor for us to launch a campaign and 89 percent in Africa, saying that there was interest and concern about this bill and that we should take action," she said.

Jay says one of the organization's biggest worries is that if the anti-gay bill becomes law in Uganda, it could prompt some other African countries to introduce similar legislation. 

Homosexuality is illegal in more than 30 African countries, and international human rights activists say gays, lesbians, and bisexual people are under increasing attack in many parts of the continent, often on religious grounds.
 

1 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

2 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

4 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

5 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

6 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

7 abets   

v.教唆（犯罪）( abet的第三人称单数 )；煽动；怂恿；支持

参考例句：

• Abrasion also abets wind erosion. 磨损作用也助长了风的侵蚀。 来自辞典例句

8 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。