Uganda’s anti-LGBTQ law spurs bipartisan uproar in US

Leaders in Congress are forcefully condemning a sweeping new anti-gay law in Uganda, calling on the Biden administration to reconsider assistance to the East African nation. 

“Uganda’s appalling Anti-Homosexuality Act is the latest indication of Pres. Museveni’s hostility to human rights & fundamental freedoms,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) said Tuesday on Twitter. “Torture of political opposition, murder of the press & now a law making Uganda one of the most dangerous places for the LGBTQ+ community.”

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed into law sweeping legislation Monday that calls for the death penalty in cases of “aggravated homosexuality,” which the state defines as homosexual acts carried out by those infected with HIV or homosexual acts that involve children, disabled people or those drugged against their will. The law calls for life in prison for engaging in gay sex.

The law has provoked public backlash from officials, including from President Biden, who responded by threatening sanctions against those involved with carrying out related human rights abuses. He also said he instructed his National Security Council “to evaluate the implications of this law on all aspects of U.S. engagement with Uganda.”

Menendez reposted a statement from December 2020, when he introduced a bill condemning the Museveni administration and calling on the Biden administration to take action, writing at the time, “the long standing effort to build democracy in Uganda is under grave threat, and we must take action in support of those defending political freedoms in the country.”

“As I’ve done before, I call on [Biden] to review all support to the Museveni regime & redirect assistance to those fighting to uphold democracy & human rights protections for all Ugandan people,” Menendez wrote Tuesday.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) also called on Biden to revoke trade benefits from Uganda under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Biden said in his statement Monday that he would take the law into consideration when considering Uganda’s eligibility for AGOA.

“The United States must not extend trade benefits to countries that violate human rights by sanctioning violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity,” Wyden wrote in a statement. “I call on President Biden to immediately suspend Uganda’s AGOA benefits, and work with our allies to remove similar benefits, until Uganda repeals its cruel anti-LGBTQI+ law and improves its record on human rights, corruption and rule of law.”

The legislation has drawn criticism from both sides of the aisle. 

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) condemned the bill Monday, writing, “This Uganda law is horrific & wrong.”

“Any law criminalizing homosexuality or imposing the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” is grotesque & an abomination,” he said. “ALL civilized nations should join together in condemning this human rights abuse. #LGBTQ.”

Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), the embroiled lawmaker who pleaded not guilty earlier this month to 13 federal crimes in New York, called on Congress to cut all aid to Uganda until or unless the law is repealed. 

“I call on my colleagues in Congress to take immediate action to cut any and ALL forms of foreign aid to Uganda until this repugnant law is repealed,” he wrote. “All civilized nations across the world should do the same. This is a violation of human rights to its very core.”

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), one of two openly LGBTQ senators, condemned the law in a tweet, writing, “Uganda’s shameful anti-LGBTQ law is unjust & simply cruel.”

“Regardless of where you live, every person deserves the freedom to live their true authentic self, free from discrimination,” she said. “I stand with Uganda’s LGBTQ+ community & call for an immediate repeal.”

The Congressional Equality Caucus issued a statement of “solidarity” with the LGBTQ community in Uganda, writing, “All LGBTQI+ people deserve to have their rights protected & be able to live freely.”

“The passage of this legislation would have an immense impact on the human rights of LGBTQI+ people in Uganda, severely impede the fight against HIV & AIDS, and effectively end the important human rights work of various institutions in Uganda,” the statement reads.

“As attacks against the LGBTQI+ community continue to spread around the world, we must uplift the Ugandan LGBTQI+ community & prioritize their health, safety, and well-being during this time,” the group added.