NIGERIA: Legislature Approves 14 Year Prison Sentence For Gays That Marry

Today the Nigerian House approved a bill that sets a 14 year prison sentence for people that enter into same-sex marriages.

Nigeria's House of Representatives approved the bill in a voice vote, likely sending it immediately to President Goodluck Jonathan for him to potentially sign into law in Africa's most populous nation. Whether he will approve it remains unclear, and both the United States and the United Kingdom raised concerns over a measure that could put foreign funding for AIDS and HIV outreach programs in jeopardy.

Nigeria's Senate previously passed the bill in November 2011 and the measure quietly disappeared for some time before coming up in Thursday's session of the House. Under previous versions of the proposed law, couples who marry could face up to 14 years each in prison. Witnesses or anyone who helps couples marry could be sentenced to 10 years behind bars.

According to Gay Star News, the bill also outlaws LGBT rights organizations. Homosexuality has long been criminalized in Nigeria. I'll have more on this as further information becomes available.