The African Country of Uganda is at odds with human rights groups this month as the government tries to pass incredibly dangerous legislation. The Anti-Homosexuality bill would sentence HIV positive homosexuals to death for having sex. Homosexuality would be punishable by life in prison and any Ugandan who is aware of “homosexual activity” but fails to report it will face seven years in prison.

When I woke up last week to discover this news, I felt as if I was in some strange draconian time warp. Homosexuality punishable by death rings a little too close to the Spanish inquisition or the crusades or the extermination in Nazi Germany or the British gulag in Kenya or the genocide in Armenia, Rwanda, Darfur… I’m in a twisted nightmare, right? Or maybe reading a scary Margaret Atwood novel?

I certainly don’t know or understand the details and intricacies of this proposed law… but, aside from being fundamentally wrong, it strikes me as inherently counter-productive. Who is going to get tested when the results of that test take them one step closer to a firing squad? And how can you hope to eradicate HIV in a society where nobody will be tested?

The Vatican and the UN have already come out strongly against this law… Along with a host of influential leaders across the globe. But, as in all cases, there’s power in numbers. I’m going to start the week off by emailing my friends and family about this terrifying injustice and researching ways to get involved… I hope you’ll join me.

This post is by our resident blogger Carina Kolodny

Carina Kolodny is a writer and expert coffee shop loiterer based out of NYC. When not writing (or loitering) she can usually be found traveling the world or jumping out of airplanes. She became interested in HIV education while working with the Red Cross in Fiji. This was an enriching though terrifying experience as she hates snakes almost as much as she hates grammar. She counts Fiji, Cuba and Tanzania as second homes and strongly believes in the power of self love and red lipstick.