State Department To Review Uganda's Preferred Trade Status

The U.S. State Department says that Uganda's pending "kill gays" bill is a "serious affront to internationally accept human rights standards" and that it is reviewing Uganda's preferred trade status. HRC Back Story reports:

As a condition of receiving preferred status under AGOA, a country must not be engaged in “gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.” In its letter, the State Department said that it will work closely with Congress and other stakeholders during its yearly review of AGOA eligibility. The letter also stated that the State Department has asked all of its embassies in Africa to report on host country laws and pending legislation that criminalizes homosexuality. Moreover, it stated that the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor has established a task force on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues to strategize a U.S. response to LBGT issues worldwide.

The sentence I bolded above is an amazing move for Sec. Clinton's State Department.