Ugandan Tourism Board Welcomes Gay people to visit the Country

The Ugandan Tourism Board (UTB) and the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) wants gay tourists to come and visit the country.

Their goals is to restore the country's reputation and move the focus away from the anti-gay climate.

Here's more:

John Tanzella, president and CEO of IGLTA, told the SoSoGay website that the board felt Western media had portrayed Uganda in a particularly negative light since the country passed a law that would punish gay sex with life imprisonment in December last year.

Tanzella said, ‘The delegation said that gay people are welcome.' They were very concerned about the perception of Uganda in Western Europe and North America, and claimed that the backlash caught them by surprise.

'No-one thought it would pass. The delegates all pointed out that they have friends and family who are gay.’

He said Uganda was a long way off from joining IGLTA and first would have to go through a ‘process of education.’

In a statement released in March the UTB said, 'The controversy currently surrounding the Anti Homosexuality Act 2014 is exaggerated.

'No gay person will be killed in Uganda.

'The law was based on the majority support for it in the Parliament of Uganda and the majority ordinary Ugandans whose cultural and religious beliefs are not agreeable to some habits such as homosexuality.

'However, Uganda is a very hospitable, friendly, warm and loving country of diverse culture, religion and beliefs which welcomes all visitors of all backgrounds regardless of their sexual orientation, beliefs and skin color.'

Okay, I see that they're trying to rewrite the hateful wrongs, but it's going to take some time before I visit that place.

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