The U.S. State Department hosted a forum this past Tuesday which was moderated by BuzzFeed. During the forum Secretary of State John Kerry said that the United States will be sending "experts" to Uganda to meet with President Museveni to discuss the country's anti-LGBT law. Kerry told the students attending the forum that he had spoken with President Museveni and he "committed to meet with some of our experts so that we could engage him in a dialogue as to why what he did could not be based on any kid of science." Kerry added that "He welcomed that and said, 'I'm happy to receive them and we can engage in that conversation.' And that's what we're going to do.
In response to a question about what the State Department was doing to guide its response to the Uganda law and U.S. aid to the country, Kerry said the State Department was “formulating those guidelines right now.” Sources on Capitol Hill have said the Obama administration had kept lawmakers in the dark about how it intends to respond to the Uganda situation.
“There’s been already a review taking place,” Kerry said, to examine policy towards all countries where homosexuality is criminalized, “to figure out what the options are as to how we can begin to change minds, move leaders, reach the public, the same kind of education that took place frankly here in our country.”
This is a broad review encompassing around 80 countries that “have laws of one kind or another that discriminate,” Kerry said. He said he had already charged U.S. diplomats to make the case against discrimination during a meeting two weeks ago with chiefs of U.S. missions.
The LGBT community of Uganda does not have time on their side. They are being chased into hiding, jailed and in many cases other horrifying actions. The United States and the rest of the international community must do whatever means possible to stop Uganda's dangerous and deadly anti-LGBT laws.
BuzzFeed.com has more on the story.