Uganda Backs Off “Kill The Gays” Bill Under Pressure

Reuters reports:

Uganda will not impose the death penalty for gay sex, a presidential spokesman said today, after major aid donors said they were monitoring a plan by the African nation to reintroduce a bill colloquially known as “Kill the Gays”. Uganda’s Ethics and Integrity Minister Simon Lokodo last Thursday said the government planned to re-introduce an anti-homosexuality bill in parliament within weeks to curb the spread of homosexuality in the east African nation.

Lokodo’s statement was widely reported across the world and international donors such as the European Union, World Bank, the United States and the Global Fund said they were monitoring the situation closely and stood by the rights of LGBT+ people. A spokesperson for President Yoweri Museveni on Monday said the government has no plans to introduce the legislation that would impose the death penalty for gay sex.

Around 85% of Ugandans are Christians. Ethics Minister Simon Lokodo is a former Catholic priest and local media continues to refer to him as “Father Lokodo.”

RELATED: As most of you surely recall, the first attempt to pass the “Kill The Gays” bill came after pressure from Christian activist Scott Lively, who was later unsuccessfully sued in the United States for crimes against humanity. Lively has since made two failed runs for governor of Massachusetts.