Video: Ugandan President: Homosexuals are ‘disgusting’ and Obama should ‘respect African values’

The President of Uganda has defended signing the country’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill into law and has urged US President Barack Obama to respect African societies.

Speaking exclusively to CNN’s Zain Verjee, President Yoweri Museveni hit back at criticism from the West and at President Obama’s warning that US-Ugandan relations risk being damaged.

Mr Museveni said the US should “respect African societies and their values, just the way we don’t interfere with yours.”

He warned: “If you don’t agree you just keep quiet. Let us manage our society if we are wrong we will find out by ourselves, just the way we don’t interfere with yours.”

When asked if he personally disliked gay people, Mr Museveni said “they are disgusting. What sort of people are they?”

He added: “I never knew what they were doing I was told recently. It’s terrible, disgusting but I was ready to ignore that if there was proof that that’s he’s been born abnormal but now the proof is not there.”

Mr Museveni also said yesterday that gay people give each other worms through sex.

Politicians and campaigners around the world have strongly criticised President Musevni for signing Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill into law.

The law calls for repeat offenders to be sentenced to 14 years in prison and makes it a criminal offence not to report someone for being gay.

Lesbians are covered by the bill for the first time.

US Secretary of State John Kerry announced his country would be reviewing its relations with Uganda, following President Museveni’s decision.

EU foreign policy chief Baroness Ashton described the move as “draconian”.

Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said it was “an abhorrent backwards step for human rights”.

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said he was “deeply saddened and disappointed”. 

The Chair of the Kaleidoscope Trust, Dr Purna Sen, said it was a “terrible blow to the struggle for human rights in Uganda”.

Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands on Tuesday became the first three countries to cut their aid to Uganda. 

The UK Government confirmed to PinkNews that none of its aid goes directly to the Ugandan Government.

Elsewhere in Uganda on Tuesday, the country’s Red Pepper newspaper published the names of 200 people who it claims are gay.

The paper has a history of outing public figures in Uganda – often resulting in violent and tragic consequences.

• Nov 29 2023

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