A bill is before Uganda lawmakers that would further criminalize same-sex sex and gay rights activity in the African nation.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the keynote speaker at the breakfast, also denounced the legislation, as well as other hateful or violent acts said to be taken in the name of religion or to protect religious values.

Clinton said. “Religion, cloaked in naked power lust, is used to justify horrific violence, attacks on homes, markets, schools, volleyball games, churches, mosques, synagogues, temples. From Iraq to Pakistan and Afghanistan to Nigeria and the Middle East, religion is used as a club to deny the human rights of girls and women … and to discriminate, even advocate the execution of gays and lesbians.”

Later, the secretary said, “We are standing up for gays and lesbians who deserve to be treated as full human beings. And we are also making it clear to countries and leaders that these are priorities of the United States. …And I recently called President Museveni, whom I have known through the prayer breakfast, and expressed the strongest concerns about a law being considered in the parliament of Uganda.”

Obama and Clinton chose to speak about the Uganda legislation at the prayer breakfast because of organizers’ ties to a secretive, powerful evangelical network known as The Family. The author of the Uganda legislation, MP David Bahati, is said to be an associate of The Family. The same is said of Uganda President Yoweri Museveni.

If you are familiar with the anti-gay Christian right campaigns in the United States and you read Bahati’s bill, you’ll see the connection. You might even wonder if the Traditional Values Coalition PR guru is on Bahati’s payroll.

Until last week, I had read only summaries of the Uganda legislation, which conveyed enough information for me to assess that Bahati was proposing an assault on human rights and the persecution of LGBT people.

But to read the carefully constructed language in this call to kill those who love or desire someone of the same-sex is to be frightened.

The stated principle of the legislation: “To establish a comprehensive consolidated legislation to protect the traditional family by prohibiting (i) any form of sexual relations between persons of the same sex; and (ii) the promotion or recognition of such sexual relations in public institutions and other places through or with the support of any Government entity in Uganda or any non governmental organization inside or outside the country.

“This bill aims at strengthening the nation’s capacity to deal with emerging internal and external threats to the traditional heterosexual family.”

The legislation states that same-sex attraction is not innate, that strengthening the law criminalizing homosexuality is necessary to protect “the children and youths of Uganda who are made vulnerable to sexual abuse and deviation as a result of cultural changes” and that marriage is “only between a man and a woman.”

The bill defines “the offense of homosexuality,” which includes touching another person “with the intention of committing the act of homosexuality.” Such consensual activity can be punished by life in prison.

The bill defines “aggravated homosexuality,” which includes a person living with HIV engaging in consensual same-sex sexual activity or a “serial offender.” “A person who commits the offense of aggravated homosexuality shall be liable on conviction to suffer death,” the bills states.

A person who attempts “to commit the offense of homosexuality” could be imprisoned for seven years and a person who attempts “to commit aggravated homosexuality” could be imprisoned for life.

The legislation would shield “victims” — the carrot for people to tell on one another.

The legislation also contains a big stick — those with knowledge of someone practicing homosexuality who do not come forward could be jailed.

The legislation also would outlaw the “promotion of homosexuality,” which is participating in “production, procuring, marketing, broadcasting, disseminating, publishing pornographic materials for purposes of promoting homosexuality.”

Sharing information from 365gay.com in Uganda might become a crime that carries a prison sentence. Certainly the legislation would prohibit a news organization such as 365gay.com from operating, and it would also prohibit LGBT civil rights groups and HIV/AIDS organizations from operating.

A bill that frightens me, so far away.

Imagine the fear in Uganda.