Ugandan MP: New anti-gay law won’t harass ‘consenting homosexuals’

A Ugandan MP has claimed that a new draft of his country’s anti-gay law won’t attack “consenting” homosexuals, and will target people “promoting” homosexuality to children.

The country’s Constitutional Court struck down the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act earlier this month, finding that the speaker of Parliament acted illegally by moving ahead with a vote on the law despite at least three lawmakers objecting to a lack of quorum.

However, MPs have changed parlaimentary regulations to allow the law to be passed again, and are currently working on a new version.

MP Medard Bitekyerezo, who is backing the new law, told allAfrica: “We are saying nobody should come with money, to our country, to start recruiting those disadvantaged who don’t have the money, into homosexuality.

“Our president is saying, there are some people who have opted to go into hotels and they’re sleeping together and they are adults, and they have consented.

“He says we shouldn’t tamper with them and we have also agreed.

“What we have put in this new law, we are saying, if adults have consented, period, there’s no problem. We shall not harass them.

“But what we don’t want them to do is, we do not want them to recruit our children into homosexuality.

“This one’s a very clear statement from me, I am talking as a Ugandan, I will remain in this country, we shall protect this country, because we feel that children should be given a chance to make their own choices and we must protect children until they have become adults.”

It is the clearest signal yet that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is attempting to water down the country’s law, following diplomatic pressure from the West.

Mr Bitekyerezo said previously: “We agreed to come up with a new version that doesn’t hurt our Western friends but also protects Ugandans.”

Homosexuality is still currently illegal in Uganda.