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House and Senate Introduce Resolutions to Condemn Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill

House Resolution (H.R.) 1064, which condemns Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill, was introduced in the House last week and currently has 39 cosponsors. Representative Howard L. Berman (D-CA), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is the primary sponsor of the bill. He is joined by other cosponsors, including the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA), Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Chair Donald Payne (D-NJ), Congressional Black Caucus Chair Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus Co-Chair Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).The Senate introduced a similar resolution — S.R. 409 — on February 4, 2010, that recognizes the unjust nature of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill and includes a clause that addresses the threat the bill poses by way of stigmatization and criminalization to the efficacy of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program. Original cosponsors of the resolution include Senators Feingold (D-WI), Coburn (R-OK), Cardin (D-MD), and Collins (R-ME).Want more background on the Ugandan anti-homosexuality bill? Check out our blog posts from December and January.

Take Action

While both resolutions have garnered strong bipartisan support, more cosponsors are urgently needed. Tomorrow, we'll be sending out an action alert which will give you the chance to email your Senators and Congressperson to urge them to support these resolutions.In the meantime, please contact your House and Senate representatives and urge them to cosponsor these resolutions. Call the congressional switchboard, 202-224-3121, to easily connect with House Representative and Senate offices. Let your Congress members know why you support the bill. And check back tomorrow for an email action on this critical health and human rights issue!

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