Anti-Homosexuality Bill on hold

May 11, 2011 – Parliament in Uganda adjourned today without voting on the “anti-homosexuality” bill.  The Council understands that the current lame duck parliament may convene again on Friday, May 13, and that the bill could still receive a vote in the final hours of this current parliamentary session.

The Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional law Uganda (CSCHRCL) in Uganda notes that the bill, once believed to have been permanently stalled, “is being used to blind the world to everything else that is going on in Uganda right now.  Alternatively that re-opening the discussion about a backwards looking and harmful proposal is symptomatic of a more general problem of weak governance.”

The Council is grateful for the leadership of the White House, State Department and U.S. Congress in speaking out against this shocking effort, and we trust that the United States will continue to hold President Museveni to his assurance that the bill will not become law.  The State Department outlined recent U.S. government engagement in a statement on Box Turtle Bulletin here.  We appreciate the ongoing commitment of U.S. foreign policy leaders to human rights for all Ugandans, including the country’s LGBT community.