Is Ted Cruz In His Progressive Era? Or Is Uganda’s Anti-Gay Law Just THAT Bad?
Uganda’s reintroduction and subsequent passing of the Anti-Homosexuality Act has sparked global outrage and concern among human rights activists. GOP Senator Ted Cruz took an unexpected stance against the discriminatory legislation on Twitter sparking confusion and amusement from political onlookers, reports USA Today.
Uganda’s new law calls for death penalty
The Anti-Homosexuality Act was first introduced in 2014 and faced significant international condemnation for its infringement on the rights of LGBTQIA+ individuals. The bill aimed to criminalise same-sex relationships and impose severe penalties such as life imprisonment and capital punishment for offenders. The initial bill was thrown out on procedural grounds but was reintroduced by lawmakers in 2023 and signed into law by President Yoweri Museveni.
Ted Cruz is traditionally known for his conservative views but his public opposition of Uganda’s law has both perplexed his usual supporters on the right and surprised his critics on the left. Cruz tweeted to his followers on May 30 that he believes the Uganda law is “horrific and wrong”.
As a prominent conservative politician, Cruz has often aligned himself with positions reflecting traditional social values. However, his condemnation of the Ugandan law signals a departure from his usual stance against LGBTQIA+ rights.
According to USA Today, Senator Cruz has not backed away from his stance against the Anti-Homosexuality Act despite receiving criticism from right-wing figures. When pastor Tom Ascol from the Founders Ministries and The Institute of Public Theology tweeted saying, “Was this law God gave to His old covenant people ‘horrific and wrong’?” Cruz responded by saying, “We are talking the laws of man, not the Old Testament laws of God. Do you really believe that the US govt should execute every person who is gay??”.
Although a welcome respite from his usual conservative platform, critics of Senator Cruz believe his statements wax hypocritical when measured against his history with gay rights issues.
