Ugandan president signs anti-gay bill into law
Yoweri Museveni, the president of Uganda, has signed the contentious anti-homosexuality measure despite opposition from Western nations and human rights advocates.
Boakyewaa Lawrencia 
After being first approved by MPs in March, the bill was sent back to the legislature for revisions.
The offense of homosexuality is now only applied to gay sexual conduct under the new statute. The penalty for violating this provision is life in prison.
The law also establishes the death sentence as a punishment for serious offenses, including sexual assaults on minors, people with disabilities, and abuse victims who have been diagnosed with serious illnesses.
Any type of gay abuse against children or other vulnerable people must be reported to the authorities by the general public.
Initially, the law made it illegal to identify as a member of a sexual minority, but Mr. Museveni claimed that this would have resulted in persons being detained and prosecuted based only on their outward appearance.
When the president sent the bill back to the legislature, this clause was eliminated.
In response to the new law, the Global Fund, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Pepfar) of the US government, and UNAIDS released a statement saying they were "deeply concerned" about its detrimental effects.
They claimed it would hamper efforts to spread awareness about health issues such as Aids and noted that LGBTQ individuals were growing increasingly concerned for their safety and security and that more people were being dissuaded from getting necessary medical care.
It is anticipated that the law will face legal challenges.
The Ugandan constitutional court invalidated one akin to it in 2014.
