The United States government has asked Uganda not to make any law criminalizing homosexuality.
On Tuesday, March 21st, 2023, the Ugandan Parliament passed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 during a plenary session attended by the majority of legislators.
The decision by the Parliament has attracted a bitter reaction from the American government.
Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon calling on the government of Uganda to reconsider its decision regarding the bill, which now awaits President Yoweri Museveni’s assent into law.
“The Anti-Homosexuality Act passed by the Ugandan Parliament yesterday would undermine the fundamental human rights of all Ugandans and could reverse gains in the fight against HIV/AIDS. We urge the Ugandan government to strongly reconsider the implementation of this legislation,” said US Secretary of State Blinken.
The United States is a great partner with the government of Uganda in various sectors, including health (HIV, maternal health), defense, good governance, and democracy, among others.
President Yoweri Museveni recently, while addressing MPs, warned the West against imposing their beliefs on others and described homosexuals as deviants.
The homosexuals are deviations from the norm. Why? Is it by nature or nurture? “We need to answer these questions,” the president said.
“We need a medical opinion on that. We shall discuss it thoroughly. Western countries should stop wasting the time of humanity by trying to impose their practices on other people,” Museveni said in an address boycotted by opposition legislators from the National Unity Platform Party.
“Europeans and other groups marry cousins and near relatives. Here, marrying within one’s clan is taboo. Should we impose sanctions on them for marrying relatives? “This is not our job,” he added.
Under the proposed law, anyone who engages in same-sex activity or who identifies as LGBTQ could face up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
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