State Department Opposes Uganda's 'Kill The Gays' Bill

The U.S. State Department has said that it is opposed to a plan to introduce the death penalty for gay sex in Uganda.

In 2013, Uganda approved a similar bill, dubbed the “Kill the Gays” bill. The nation's highest court struck down the law on a technicality.

According to Reuters, the new bill is expected to be voted on before the end of the year.

The United States and the European Union, major donors of aid to Uganda, said that they oppose the legislation. The U.S. gives more than $970 million per year to Uganda.

“The U.S. government firmly opposes criminalization of LGBTI individuals,” a U.S. State Department official said. “We stand with Uganda's LGBTI community and Ugandans of all backgrounds and beliefs to defend the dignity of all citizens.”

A Ugandan minister told Reuters that the bill was needed to “curb a rise in unnatural sex” in the nation. Uganda has a colonial-era law criminalizing gay sex.