Ugandan Lawmakers Amend Anti-LGBT Bill Criticized by U.S.
The Ugandan Parliament passed an earlier version of an anti-LGBT bill in March. Photo: Ronald Kabuubi/Associated Press By Nicholas Bariyo May 2, 2023 11:13 am ET KAMPALA, Uganda—Uganda’s Parliament on Tuesday removed a provision from a sweeping anti-LGBT bill that would have criminalized identifying as gay, lesbian, transgender or nonbinary, but retained most other elements of the legislation. The bill, which has been widely criticized by the U.S., other Western donors and the United Nations, was initially passed in March and includes harsh new punishments for LGBT people, including allowing the death penalty for repeated same-sex intercourse by anyone who is HIV-positive. Last month, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni sent the bill back to lawmakers, asking them
The Ugandan Parliament passed an earlier version of an anti-LGBT bill in March.
Photo: Ronald Kabuubi/Associated Press
KAMPALA, Uganda—Uganda’s Parliament on Tuesday removed a provision from a sweeping anti-LGBT bill that would have criminalized identifying as gay, lesbian, transgender or nonbinary, but retained most other elements of the legislation.
The bill, which has been widely criticized by the U.S., other Western donors and the United Nations, was initially passed in March and includes harsh new punishments for LGBT people, including allowing the death penalty for repeated same-sex intercourse by anyone who is HIV-positive.
Last month, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni sent the bill back to lawmakers, asking them to make a distinction between people who merely identify as gay, lesbian, transgender or nonbinary and those who engage in same-sex relations. The bill approved in March would have allowed prison terms of up to 20 years for identifying as anything other than straight and the gender one was assigned at birth.
“The bill should be reviewed and include a provision that clearly states that…a person who is believed or suspected of being a homosexual who has not committed a sexual act with another person of the same sex does not commit an offense,” Mr. Museveni wrote in a letter to lawmakers that was read aloud in Parliament on April 26.
Robina Rwakoojo, a lawmaker for Mr. Museveni’s party and one of the authors of the legislation, said Tuesday’s amendments followed the requests of the president, who now has 30 days to sign the bill into law. “What is being criminalized is not the state of being a homosexual, but rather the acts of homosexuality,” she said.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said legislation should distinguish between people who identify as gay, lesbian, transgender or nonbinary and those who engage in same-sex relations.
Photo: Hajarah Nalwadda/Associated Press
Existing, colonial-era law in Uganda already allows life sentences for homosexuality, but no one has been convicted of consensual same-sex relations since the country gained independence from Britain in 1962. The new bill reaffirms that punishment and allows prison terms of up to five years for actions such as touching another person “with the intention of committing the act of homosexuality.”
Rights groups on Tuesday urged Mr. Museveni to reject the amended bill. “The government should not be penalizing consenting adults for who they have sex with,” said Oryem Nyeko, Uganda researcher at Human Rights Watch.
After the initial bill was approved in March, the U.S. State Department said it was examining how the legislation would affect its ability to implement programs funded through foreign aid in Uganda, including $500 million earmarked for health services.
Write to Nicholas Bariyo at [email protected]
What's Your Reaction?
