Former legal adviser to Ugandan President demands repeal of anti-gay law
An MP and former legal adviser to President Yoweri Museveni says he’s prepared to lose an election over his stance against Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality law.
Fox Odoi added his name to a legal challenge filed on Tuesday, asking Uganda’s Constitutional Court to repeal the Anti-Homosexuality Act.
It was spearheaded by the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights & Constitutional Law, based in Kampala, which represents about 50 groups.
“I don’t fear losing an election. There is only one thing I fear – living in a society that has no room for minorities. I will not live in a society that doesn’t respect and protect people who are different from the majority,” Mr Odoi said to the BBC.
Before entering Parliament in 2011, Mr Odoi served as a legal presidential adviser and a senior principal state attorney.
In December last year, Uganda’s Parliament passed legislation to toughen the punishment for same-sex sexual activity, including life imprisonment for ‘repeat offenders’.
Mr Odoi broke ranks with his party by opposing the legislation.
President Museveni gave assent to the law last month.
She said it will only fuel “stigma” and “discrimination” against the LGBT community and that the law also “undermines the significant progress of the national AIDS response”.
The World Bank, along with Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands, have all halted aid to the Ugandan Government as a result of the decision of President Museveni.
