David Cameron has vowed to cut aid to
nations that persecute gays, the UK's Daily
Mail reported.
The British prime minister's new policy
comes just days after he defended
his decision to legalize gay marriage during a Conservative Party
conference.
Aid to Malawi has already been cut by
nearly $30 million after the nation sentenced gay couple Steven
Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga to 14 years of hard labor for
announcing their engagement. The African nation received nearly $300
million from Britain over the past three years.
International Development Secretary
Andrew Mitchell is also threatening Uganda and Ghana. Uganda
lawmakers continue to press for legislation that would increase the
penalties for being gay in a nation where it is already a crime. MP
David Bahati's bill, first introduced in 2009, proposes putting
repeat offenders to death under certain circumstances and
criminalizing the discussion of homosexuality. Officials in Ghana
have called for the arrest of all homosexuals.
“The Government is committed to
combating violence and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender people in all circumstances, in this country and
abroad,” a spokesman for Mitchell said. “We take action where we
have concerns.”