Uganda President Yoweri Museveni has asked Uganda’s lawmakers to make changes in the proposed LGBTQ bill that is not criminal to merely identify as gay, as part of an attempt to lighten the bill that has drawn involvement of international condemnation.

In the month of March , Uganda’s lawmakers passed the proposed bill, potentially one of the world’s harshest anti LGBTQ law , and sent it to the president for approval.

The proposed law, criminalizes a broad range of homosexual activity, including promoting the lifestyle that approves stiff penalties including death for the LGBTQ community.

The law was met with widespread criticism from human right defenders, western governments and corporations.

Thomas Tayebwa, parliaments deputy speaker, read to the lawmakers the letter Museveni had written to the parliaments speaker on Tuesday in which he listed his reason for not approving the bill and what changes should be made.

The President’s Letter

In the letter, the President, said it needed to be clear and distinguish between someone who professes a homosexual lifestyle and someone who commits the homosexual acts.

“The proposed law should be clear so that what is thought to be criminalized is not the state of one having a deviant proclivity but rather the actions of one acting on that deviancy,” Museveni wrote in letter.

“The bill should be reviewed and include a provision that clearly states…a person who is believed or alleged or suspected of being a homosexual who has not committed a sexual act with another person of the same sex does not commit an offence.”

Museveni has also asked the lawmakers to include a provision to facilitate the rehabilitation of homosexuals who voluntarily reject the practice.

Uganda’s deputy attorney general has also advised that a mandatory death penalty also be remove from the law.

The parliaments deputy speaker has referred the bill back to parliament’s legal affairs committee which will process and report on it and return it to the full House for fresh debate and passage.

Also Read: Uganda’s President Advised By Gov’t Lawyers Not To Sign Anti-Gay Bill