Abstract
In 2009, the Ugandan Parliament considered a piece of legislation aimed at strengthening the nation's capacity to deal with emerging internal and external threats to the traditional heterosexual family that would have made sodomy a crime punishable by death. International reporting around the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009 highlighted the role that American activists played in building support for the legislation. The bill provoked international outcry and was initially tabled under intense pressure from the donor community. This Article situates the Ugandan contest over gay rights within the broader discussion about state compliance with human rights norms. As many scholars have noted, human rights advocacy is increasingly a global endeavor. Part I examines the growing body of theoretical and empirical work that focuses on the importance of changing the social and legal environment in which states operate as a way of changing their human rights behavior.