Every successful conviction under this law will allow an opportunity to ‘expose’ another predator. Eventually they’ll be able to point to countless cases where there was a ‘victim’ and a ‘perp.’ Once they have enough predators locked up it will be easy to make it politically impossible for the head of state to oppose stricter penalties against gay folks.

This is a dangerously self-fulfilling clause. This clause, even without the death penalty, will spell ruin for gay people in Uganda.

I commend your fire and zeal but – in no small way – BTB has been preventing a catastrophe. For three years, now.

Not alone, of course. Along the way we found ourselves in alliance on this issue with people we never would have expected or even dreamed. And while we cannot assert that the statements from the White House and the State Department are a direct result of our endeavor, it is also true that the role we played provided a foundation for this issue to be more broadly publicized and for concern to be expressed to the Administration.

There is still great danger. The Ugandan LGBT population is still at risk – in some ways more so – and the situation could turn for worse at any time. So we continue to write. We continue to monitor. We continue to correct the misinformation that is spread by careless mainstream “reporters”.

But things are not the same. The consequences and repercussions of anti-gay legislation in Uganda are significantly different than they were in February 2009 when we began this effort. Ugandan politicians are well aware that Europe and the United States are watching this bill specifically and that what they do will impact the future of that nation.

Clearly you have a passion and concern for the Ugandan people. I recommend that, to better understand the context of our coverage of the situation in Uganda and why things are where they are today, you read the past three years of Uganda commentary here.

This isn’t a big ask. Uganda is neither a strategically important country nor one with a significant domestic constituency in the US. A commitment to implement sanctions would be nothing more than the Administration’s living up to its announced policy on human rights. The White House can make this commitment without any sign-off from the GOP.

This should be low hanging fruit. Frankly, it should have been a demand at the $35,800/plate dinner attended by the gay A-list this week. Too bad that the no one thought to do that amidst the fine dining and lighthearted badinage.

I love BTB’s coverage of this and other issues. As usual, you are more in-depth than anyone else. But I’d rather see BTB help prevent a catastrophe rather than catalogue its features in detail.

It is pathetic that the only people focusing on this are the people who are hiding in basements in Uganda:

http://bikyamasr.com/57261/gay-activist-in-hiding-wants-donors-to-rethink-uganda/