Nigeria Moves Closer to Approving Jail Time for Gay People

Despite outrage from the international community, lawmakers in Nigeria are moving closer to passing a law that criminalizes even kissing between two men.

The bill is nearing passage, the AFP reports, having cleared the Senate last year and now gotten a second reading in the House of Representatives. If signed by the country's president, same-sex couples would be sentenced to 10 years in prison for making a public show of affection. Getting married would come with up to 14 years in prison, plus jail time for anyone who helped make the wedding happen.

The AFP reports that if the bill passes, it would effectively banish all LGBT rights organizations and could have unintended consequences on the fight against HIV/AIDS in the country.

Advocates have also argued the bill would foment antigay violence, giving a license to law enforcement to abuse LGBT people.

The law has long been in the works and the United States and Britain have condemned it without effect.