Uganda Retreats on Gay Sex Law After Western Outrage

The proposed "Anti-Homosexuality Bill" in Uganda has become "a foreign policy issue" and needs further attention before being voted on by parliament, President Yoweri Museveni said this week. Colonial-era legislation already outlaws homosexuality in Uganda; the new bill's penalties would include life sentences and even execution under certain circumstances. The bill would also punish those who fail to report homosexuals to the authorities, raising fears it would set back the nation's battle against AIDS by discouraging HIV testing. It enjoys broad support domestically but has drawn sharp criticism from Western nations that donate heavily to Uganda. Even if the death penalty provision were dropped, the bill would still have "a lot of discrimination in it," said Frank Mugisha, chair of the Kampala-based advocacy group Sexual Minorities Uganda. "[Museveni] seems to be saying that the law should be watered down due to foreign interests," Mugisha said. "But he should rather be talking about the interests of minorities in Uganda. He should come out and say that this entire bill is just wasting time."

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