US Must Push for Full Withdrawal of Uganda's Barbaric 'Anti-Homosexuality Bill'

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force calls on the Obama
administration and Congress to press for the full withdrawal of
Uganda's proposed "Anti-Homosexuality Bill," which would make
homosexuality punishable by life imprisonment or even death.

President Yoweri Museveni reportedly said this week that more
consultation is needed on the bill because it has caused such an
international uproar. According to media reports, Museveni has hinted
that the death penalty component could be dropped due to the widespread
condemnation, saying, "It's a foreign policy issue, and we must handle
it in a way that does not compromise our principles but also takes into
account our foreign policy interests."

The United States provides millions of dollars in assistance to
Uganda, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has contacted
Museveni to express concerns about the proposed law. U.S. Rep. Tammy
Baldwin (D-Wis.), meanwhile, will chair a hearing on the Uganda bill
next week, under the auspices of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.

Statement by Rea Carey, Executive Director
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

"It is imperative that the Obama administration and Congress push
Uganda to withdraw this bill in its entirety. Simply removing the death
penalty doesn't somehow make this a humane bill. Whether it be the
state-sponsored murder of LGBT Ugandans or their life imprisonment for
simply being who they are is barbaric and unacceptable. Our political
leaders must send the unified and unequivocal message that this
measure, in full, needs to go. We thank Rep. Tammy Baldwin and the
commission for scheduling next week's hearing to further shed light on
this abhorrent bill."