'Horrific.' Biden, Cruz slam anti-LGBTQ law in Uganda that includes death penalty

John Fritze, USA TODAY
Updated ·2 min read
655

WASHINGTON − Sen. Ted Cruz lashed out at a harsh anti-LGBTQ measure signed into law in Uganda on Monday that imposes the death penalty for what it describes as "aggravated homosexuality" and establishes lifetime prison sentences for anyone who engages in gay sex.

"This Uganda law is horrific & wrong," the Texas Republican posted on Twitter with an "#LGBTQ" hashtag. "Any law criminalizing homosexuality or imposing the death penalty for 'aggravated homosexuality' is grotesque & an abomination. ALL civilized nations should join together in condemning this human rights abuse."

President Joe Biden also spoke out against the law Monday, calling for its immediate repeal.

'I am scared': LGBTQ Ugandans already suffer imprisonment, torture. Now they could face the death penalty.

Biden in a statement called the law "a tragic violation of universal human rights − one that is not worthy of the Ugandan people, and one that jeopardizes the prospects of critical economic growth for the entire country."

The measure, which has faced condemnation throughout the world, defines "aggravated homosexuality” as cases of sexual relations involving people infected with HIV, as well as with minors and other categories of vulnerable people. The version signed by President Yoweri Museveni doesn’t criminalize those who identify as LGBTQ, a key concern for some rights campaigners who condemned an earlier draft of the legislation.

At home, Cruz has spoken out against the landmark 2015 Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage.

Yet Cruz, a former solicitor general of Texas who argued cases before the Supreme Court, said last year that Texas should repeal a decades-old state law that criminalizes gay sex, according to the Dallas Morning News. “Consenting adults should be able to do what they wish in their private sexual activity, and government has no business in their bedrooms,” a Cruz spokesman told the News.

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 03: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks on Title 42 immigration policy on May 03, 2023 in Washington, DC. A group of Republican Senators spoke out against the expiration of Title 42 saying it would be detrimental for southern states along the U.S.-Mexico border. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775973519 ORIG FILE ID: 1487339607

Contributing: Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden, Ted Cruz join outcry over Ugandan anti-LGBTQ law