Although I am not gay, I am very happy, although not completely satisfied, with the improvements we, as a country, are making to give gay and transgender people the rights they so deserve.

In Uganda, things are very different, with the Government of Uganda proposing an Anti-Homosexuality Bill, introduced by MP David Bahati. The Bill, if enacted, prescribes the death penalty and life imprisonment for people who are gay. The same applies to people who do not turn in gay people to the authorities.

The Bill is barbaric and abhorrent. Malta could play an important role by pushing the EU to take action against Uganda if it is passed. The Bill has been on the agenda of Uganda’s Parliament since 2009 and right now it is listed as “business to follow”.

The Maltese Government should pressure the EU to take action against Uganda if this Bill is not scrapped even if it means cutting financial aid to the country. Foreign ministers, throughout the EU, should put the issue on the agenda as hundreds of thousands of people in Uganda are being harassed, imprisoned and threatened every day just because they happen to be gay.

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