France Joins U.S. in Slamming Uganda's Draft Anti-Gay Law

US opponents of a draft law that strengthens Uganda's anti-gay legal code are attempting to enlist Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to their cause.

"The egregious bill represents one of the most extreme anti-equality measures ever proposed in any country," Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (D-Florida) and three other members of the House of Representatives wrote in a letter to Clinton.

The lawmakers said Uganda's stance on homosexuality threatened the effectiveness of US funding for HIV prevention and care. The approximately $300 million spent in Uganda by the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2008 amounted to 2.6 percent of the nation's entire economy.

"We believe the 'Anti-Homosexuality Bill' would undermine the substantial US contribution to Uganda through PEPFAR and raise serious questions about the effectiveness of this global health investment," the letter said.

France recently registered its "deep concern" about the proposed Ugandan legislation. "France reiterates its commitment to the decriminalization of homosexuality and the fight against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity," said a letter from the French foreign ministry.

Denunciations from the United States and France seemed to have little effect on the authors of the legislation.

"The fact that the moral fabric of America and Europe has been put under siege by the supporters of this creeping evil of homosexuality should not suggest that we follow suit," bill author David Bahati wrote in an article in Uganda's Observer.

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