Cherie
11-10-2019, 06:53 AM
The Ugandan government announced its plan to reintroduce a bill that would criminalize homosexuality with the death penalty.
The bill—colloquially known as "Kill the Gays" in Uganda—was nullified by the constitutional court in 2014 on a technicality, but the government said it plans to resurrect the bill within weeks.
"Homosexuality is not natural to Ugandans, but there has been a massive recruitment by gay people in schools, and especially among the youth, where they are promoting the falsehood that people are born like that," Ethics and Integrity Minister Simon Lokodo told Reuters.
:skull:
In 2014, the United States reduced aid to Uganda in response to the first "Kill the Gays" bill, imposing visa restrictions and cancelling military exercises. The World Bank, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands also suspended or redirected aid.
Last November, the anti-gay remarks by a senior official in Tanzania led to the nation's second biggest donor, Denmark, withholding $10 million in aid.
Lokodo said foreign opinion is a concern, but Uganda is prepared for any negative response.
The Trump administration earlier this year announced an initiative that urges countries to decriminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations.
A State Department spokesperson on Thursday told the Washington Blade the "U.S. government firmly opposes criminalization of LGBTI individuals."
The spokesperson added the State Department "stands with Uganda's LGBTI community and Ugandans of all backgrounds and beliefs to defend the dignity of all citizens.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/kill-the-gays-bill-revived-by-ugandan-government-would-impose-death-penalty-on-lgbtq-community/ar-AAIBdhi?ocid=spartandhp
The bill—colloquially known as "Kill the Gays" in Uganda—was nullified by the constitutional court in 2014 on a technicality, but the government said it plans to resurrect the bill within weeks.
"Homosexuality is not natural to Ugandans, but there has been a massive recruitment by gay people in schools, and especially among the youth, where they are promoting the falsehood that people are born like that," Ethics and Integrity Minister Simon Lokodo told Reuters.
:skull:
In 2014, the United States reduced aid to Uganda in response to the first "Kill the Gays" bill, imposing visa restrictions and cancelling military exercises. The World Bank, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands also suspended or redirected aid.
Last November, the anti-gay remarks by a senior official in Tanzania led to the nation's second biggest donor, Denmark, withholding $10 million in aid.
Lokodo said foreign opinion is a concern, but Uganda is prepared for any negative response.
The Trump administration earlier this year announced an initiative that urges countries to decriminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations.
A State Department spokesperson on Thursday told the Washington Blade the "U.S. government firmly opposes criminalization of LGBTI individuals."
The spokesperson added the State Department "stands with Uganda's LGBTI community and Ugandans of all backgrounds and beliefs to defend the dignity of all citizens.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/kill-the-gays-bill-revived-by-ugandan-government-would-impose-death-penalty-on-lgbtq-community/ar-AAIBdhi?ocid=spartandhp