The United States spokeswoman for the State Department, Victoria Nuland, has said that the US is pressing Uganda not to pass an "Anti-Homosexuality Bill".
The bill was denied in 2009 but resurfaced this year in February when the parliament resumed its proceedings.
MPs applauded as Ndorwa West MP, David Bahati, took to the floor to re-introduce the controversial Bill for reference to the appropriate committee.
After re-tabling the Bill, MPs both on the ruling side and the opposition gave Bahati a standing ovation. "Our Bill, our man," the legislators chanted.
The speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga and the President when asked about the bill gave their positions clearly that they are not in support of homosexuality in Uganda a position which most Ugandans considered patriotic.
The speaker spoke to journalists saying that they will need two weeks to finally pass this law as a Christmas present to the Ugandan people.
Meanwhile the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson was in Uganda this weekend, reiterating the US administration's "vocal" concerns about the Anti-Homosexuality Bill under consideration here, the spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
Regarding questions about the death penalty, which has been a penalty for "aggravated homosexuality" in earlier versions of the bill, Nuland said she didn't know whether the State Department has seen a version of the bill as passed by a legislative committee in Uganda's parliament. But these penalties have been removed from the bill after revision by the committee the speaker said.
"There have been a little bit of a close hold about this, partly because there's been so much controversy in the international community. So our concern is about any criminalization of homosexuality, obviously," Nuland said.
While this bill appears to be popular in Uganda, it has attracted widespread criticism abroad.
Personally President Barack Obama came out and described it as "odious," while some European countries are threatening to cut aid to Uganda if the bill becomes law.
Below is the extended exchange, from a State Department's press briefing on Nov 26:
QUESTION: Yeah, I have a question on Uganda, actually. There's an anti-homosexuality bill that's making its way through the legislature right there. What is the State Department's current assessment of where that bill is and if that's going to be headed toward a vote anytime soon?
MS. NULAND: Again, Assistant Secretary Carson was also in Uganda over the weekend. He had a chance to raise again our concerns about this issue, which we've been very vocal about. Our understanding is that a version of the bill has now passed a committee in Uganda. As we have regularly said, we call on the parliament in Uganda to look very carefully at this, because Uganda's own human rights council has made clear that if this were to pass, it would put the country out of compliance with its own international human rights obligations. And so Assistant Secretary Carson had a chance to make that point again and our strong opposition to this, to the president, to the parliament, and to key decision makers in Uganda.
QUESTION: And there was - and once the bill had a provision that would institute the death penalty for homosexual acts. As far as the State Department knows, has that provision been removed or is it still in the bill?
MS. NULAND: Again, I don't know that we have actually seen the version that passed committee. They've been a little bit close hold about this, partly because there's been so much controversy in the international community. So our concern is about any criminalization of homosexuality, obviously.
QUESTION: And one last question. Some countries, Britain and Sweden, have threatened to cut foreign aid to Uganda if this bill becomes law. Is there any consideration in the U.S. Administration to cut foreign aid to Uganda if that bill becomes law?
MS. NULAND: Again, I'm not going to get into any hypothetical situations. Our focus now is on raising awareness of the concerns within Uganda about this bill so that we don't get to that stage.
On this, Toria. Did Secretary Carson meet with the speaker of the parliament?
MS. NULAND: My understanding is he did see the speaker of the parliament, whether it was in a larger group or whether it was a distinct meeting that he did, yes.
Q: But he - so he made that point directly to her?
MS. NULAND: Yes, he did.
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" HERE GOES THE USA AGAIN INTERFERING IN DEMOCRACY; WHAT THE PEOPLE PAS IN THIER LEGISLATURE SHOULD BE RESPECTED AS THE DEATH PENALTY IN MOST AMERICAN SATES ARE STILL ACTIVE AND EVEN IN ALL THIS FANFARE THE USA DOES NOT HAVE A SODOMITE BILL THAT IS FEDERAL OTHER THAN DONT ASK DONT TEL'L. THE USA NEEDS TO ALLOW FREE PEOPEL TO THINK INDEPENDENTLY WE ARE NOT VASSELS OF THE USA NOR ARE AFRICANS SLAVES IN THE UNITED STAES. IF BLACK AMERICASN LIKE SODOMY THAT IS THIER CHOICE AFRICANS ON THE OTHER HAND REJECT IT ;YOU CAN NOT GO TO EVERY AFRICAN NATION AND SAY DONT PASS HOMOSEXUAL LAWS THAT JUST DOES NOT EVEN MAKE SENSE!!!. SOUITH AFRICA IS THE ONLY COUNTRY IN THE ONE BILLION PLUS CONTINENT THAT SUPPORTS HOMOSEXUALITY' . "THE PEOPLE OF UGANDA ARE HAPY WITH THE BILL THEY ASKED THIER ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES TO TABLE AND PASS A LAW ; HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THE DEMOCRATIC RESPONSIBILITY OF AMERICA AND AFRICA???. PEOPLE ROUND THE GLOBE LOVE DEMOCRACY THEY KNOW WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT!! HEGEMONY JUST ODOES NOT WORK IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD "PASS ONLY LAWS THAT MAKES YOU FAVOURABLE TO THE WEST ????!!!' WE LIKE SODOMY, SO TELL THE PEOPLE THEY MUST LIKE IT TOO?? "IS THIS WHAT THE DEMOCRATIC WEST IS SAYING?? THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE SENATORS WANT TO BE ELECTED NEXT YEAR SO THEY WANT TO DELIVER TO THE PEOPLE!!! THERE IS NO WAY THAT THE PRESIDENT WILL INETERFERE WITH THE LEGISLATURES IN ORDER TO APPEASE SODOMITES IN THE WEST!! IT JUST WONT GO WELL WITH THE PUBLIC" IT IS THE PEOPLE OF UGANDA WHOM ARE CALLING FOR THE BILL ; "NOT JUST SOME SENATORS WHAT THE WEST ALWAYS UDNERESTIMATES IN AFRICA IS THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE!!!!!! THEY STILL HAVE THIS STEROTYPED UNDERSTANDING OF WHO THE AFRICANS ARE AND WHATAN HOW THEY THINK !!! THEY HAVE THEM AS BEING SUBMISSIVE AND AND CAN BE PUSHED OVER EASILY FOR BRIBE MONEY. AS AFRICANS ARE CONTINUING TO SAY WE DO BETTER WITHOUT AID MONEY. WE NEED TO BECOME MORE ACTIVE EDUCATED AND DO FOR SELF. AID MONEY IS A HINDERNACE TO AFRICAN GROWTH AND INDEPENDNCE IT BREEDS CORRUPTION AT ALL LEVELS . THE MONEY NEVER PASSES ALONG AND IT CORRUPTS SO MUCH THAT NOTHING GETS DONE IN AFRICA; WITH AID ITS JUST LIKE AIDS WE MUST GET RID OF THIS', WE MEED A NO TOLERANCE TO AID)S!!!!!!! KEEP AID)S TO YOURSLEF GIVE US FREE WIZE INTELLECT' AND NO HOMOSEXUALITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AFRICA IS NOT LIKE TEN YEAS AGO, IT IS NOT AFFECTED BY THE GREED THAT IS CONSUMING WESTERN GOVERNMENTS AND ECONOMIES, AFRICA IS SO WELL INSULATED THAT IF THEY STOPPED BRIBE MONEY( AID) THEY WOUDLD BETTER SERVE THIER OWN ECONOMIES. THY NEED TO PUT MORE EMPHASIS ON THEMSELVES WE ARE LIVING IN A TECHNOLOGICAL AGE WHERE INFORMATION IS ACCESABLE TO ALL AFRICANS; THEY ARE PLUGGED IN THEY GET NEWS BELIEVE ME. IF KONY CAN GET RID OF HIS CELL PHONE WAY OUT IN THE BUSH BECAUSE HE CAN GET TRAPPED!!; THEN YOU KNOW AFRICA IS WELL EDUCATED". SO THAT FOOLISHNESS ABOUT AID IS NOT WHAT IS MOTIVATING THIER ELECTED OF THE LAND ITS THE PEOPLE WHOM, ARE VOTING THAT COUNTS!!! GOO HOME WITH THE OUT DATED COERCION THESE ARE BIG MAN AND AFRICA IS RESPONSIBLE TO THE ONE BILLION PEOPLE NO MATTER WHAT THE WEST WANTS TO THINK. ITS NOT YOUR POWER THAT WILL KEEP ANY ONE IN POWER IT IS THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE IN AFRICA TODAY!!!. THERE IS NO WAY THAT DICTATORS ARE STILL FASHIONABLE IN AFRICA NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!