On Monday, US President Joe Biden urged Uganda to remove its anti-gay law and consider sanctions.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed a harsh anti-gay measure on Monday that mandates the death sentence for "aggravated homosexuality," defined as same-sex intercourse with HIV-positive persons, minors, or vulnerable people. Uganda already outlawed same-sex relations.
Biden Calls Uganda Anti-gay Law a 'Shameful' Act
"This shameful Act is the latest development in an alarming trend of human rights abuses and corruption in Uganda," Biden stated, as per Politico.
Biden said he had asked the National Security Council to assess the law's effects on all facets of US involvement with Uganda, including the capacity to securely deliver services under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and other assistance and investments.
Biden stated that he has ordered the US National Security Council to reevaluate aid programs to Uganda in light of the new law, and that his administration is also considering sanctions against Uganda and "restrictions on entry into the United States for anyone involved in serious human rights abuses or corruption."
According to the State Department, the United States provides $950 million to Uganda yearly, a significant portion of which is dedicated to health-related programs.
Uganda's Monday anti-LGBTQ bill joins several others on the African continent, where just 22 of 54 states allow homosexuality.
The new legislation reaffirms an existing law that allows life sentences for people who engage in same-sex relationships and adds harsher measures, such as allowing the death penalty for HIV-positive people who repeatedly engage in sex with people of the same gender and prison sentences of up to 20 years for "promoting homosexuality."
The version signed by President Yoweri Museveni does not penalize LGBTQ people, a worry for rights activists who opposed an earlier proposal.
Sen. Ted Cruz Slams Uganda's Severe Anti-LGBTQ Law
In addition, Sen. Ted Cruz blasted a severe anti-LGBTQ bill enacted into law in Uganda on Monday. Cruz called the legislation "grotesque and abhorrent" in a tweet, adding, "ALL civilized nations should condemn this violation of human rights."
According to USA Today, Cruz opposes same-sex marriage at home. Cruz, a former Texas solicitor general who fought cases before the Supreme Court, suggested last year that Texas should remove a decades-old ban criminalizing homosexual sex.
"Consenting adults should be able to do what they wish in their private sexual activity, and government has no business in their bedrooms," a Cruz spokesperson said.
Cruz has previously voted against codifying same-sex marriage and criticized the Supreme Court for nationally legalizing it. However, he has advocated for the repeal of a defunct Texas law that criminalized sexual activity between same-sex couples, saying, "Consenting adults should be able to do what they wish in their private sexual activity, and government has no business in their bedrooms."
Per CNN, the measure criminalizes gay sex education and makes it illegal not to report aggravated homosexuality to authorities. "Rehabilitation"-conversion therapy-is recommended for LGBT criminals.
This year, Museveni returned the measure to parliament for changes. The newest law passed this month. Western nations, particularly the US, have criticized Uganda's longstanding president over the bill.
Uganda, which is one of more than 30 African nations where homosexuality is illegal, attempted to enact similar legislation in 2014 and 2019, but the first bill was struck down due to legal challenges, and Museveni vetoed the second bill due to "foreign policy implications."
Due to the new restrictions, many members of the LGBTQ community have fled the country or gone into imprisonment.
The leaders of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (the Global Fund), the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, and the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief expressed concern that the legislation could hinder education and outreach efforts in Uganda, thereby reversing gains made in the fight against AIDS.
"The stigma and discrimination associated with the Act's passage have already reduced access to both prevention and treatment services," they wrote.