US Senators Want Nigeria Sanctioned Over Anti-Gay/Lesbian Laws

 Ten US Senators are proposing that the US sanctions Nigeria. This is a result of the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act that Nigeria enacted in January. The Senators are saying that the enforcement of the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act would be a human rights abuse and a violation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

 

The African Growth and Opportunity Act is is a legislation that has been approved by the U.S. Congress in May 2000. The purpose of this legislation is to assist the economies of sub-Saharan Africa and to improve economic relations between the United States and the region. The objective of AGOA is expanding U.S. trade and investment with sub-Saharan Africa, to stimulate economic growth, to encourage economic integration, and to facilitate sub-Saharan Africa's integration into the global economy. 

 

These ten Senators: Christopher S. Murphy,  Tammy Baldwin, Martin Heinrich,  Richard Blumenthal,  Barbara Boxer,  Al Franken, Kirsten Gillibrand,  Edward Markey,  Sherrod Brown and Mark E. Udall. stated in a letter published by The Cable that “We, therefore, ask that your administration review Nigeria and Uganda’s eligibility for AGOA’s trade preference and, if it is determined that those countries are not ‘making continual progress’ in meeting the statute’s requirements, that you take steps to revoke AGOA eligibility to Nigeria and Uganda, in accordance with 19 USC 2466a(a)(3).”

 

They believe that laws prohibiting lesbian and gay rights is a problem for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) communities. The LGBT communities have very strong influence in the US and they seek to promote such influence in other countries, especially in Africa.