Uganda anti-gay law revised

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has requested that legislators clarify in the proposed anti-homosexuality law that it is not a criminal offense to simply identify as gay, as he attempts to tone down a bill that has garnered international condemnation.

The legislation, which criminalizes a broad range of homosexual activities, including promoting or aiding the lifestyle and imposing severe penalties, such as death, for so-called aggravated homosexuality, was overwhelmingly passed by lawmakers in the East African country last month and sent to the president for approval.

Human rights activists, Western governments, and corporations have widely criticized the law. In a letter to the parliament’s speaker, Museveni outlined his reasons for returning the bill and what changes he wanted, calling for a distinction to be made between someone who professes a homosexual lifestyle and someone who actually engages in homosexual acts. He also requested that provisions requiring citizens to report acts of homosexuality be removed from the law, as it would create “constitutional challenges” and conflicts in society.

Last week, Museveni advised legislators to “look into the issue of rehabilitation” and make changes to the bill. The country’s deputy attorney general has also recommended that the mandatory death penalty be removed from the law.