The Senate Foreign Relations Committee today approved a resolution opposing Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill, a move intended to escalate pressure on that country as it considers legislation that would impose life imprisonment or a death sentence for same-gender consensual sex.
The Senate resolution notes that “such laws undermine our commitment to combating HIV/AIDS globally” by stigmatizing and criminalizing at-risk populations. It calls on Uganda’s Parliament to reject the bill and similarly urges other countries “to reject and repeal similar criminalization laws.” It was introduced by Sens. Russ Feingold, D-Wisc., Tom Coburn, R-Okla., Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Susan Collins, R-Maine.
The fate of Uganda’s legislation, which has sparked international outrage, remains murky. But the problem of homophobia in Africa is alive and well. Read this griping story for more on the climate of fear that many homosexuals endure and the impact on HIV services. And click here for more on the Senate resolution.
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