The White House on Friday said that it
was not prepared to condemn an Egyptian bill that seeks to
criminalize sex between two people of the same sex.
When the Washington Blade asked
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to condemn the
proposed legislation, Sanders replied that she'd have to “check
into” the situation.
“I'm not aware of the specifics of
that,” Sanders
said, “so I would have to look into that before I could make a
response, but we will certainly be happy to check into it.”
According to BuzzFeed
News, the bill, which was introduced with the backing of 15
members of the Egyptian parliament, seeks to impose penalties of up
to five years in prison for the crime of “perverted sexual
relations” between people of the same sex. Also banned would be
“inciting” or “hosting” same-sex encounters, attending a “gay
party” and carrying “any sign or code for homosexuals.”
A “sign or code for homosexuals”
could be a rainbow flag – a symbol of LGBT pride – which
authorities in recent weeks have targeted.
While gay sex is not currently a crime
in Egypt, authorities prosecute suspected gay people with the crime
of serial “debauchery” and “promoting sexual deviancy.”