WASHINGTON A gay rights activist in Uganda, where a bill that would punish gays with prison or death has stirred worldwide outrage, received the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award in Washington on Thursday.

Ethel Kennedy, the widow of the former U.S. attorney general, was joined by Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry in presenting the award to Frank Mugisha at a ceremony on Capitol Hill. It is the first time the award has been bestowed on an advocate for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights.

"It gives me more courage to continue doing the work I'm doing," Mugisha told The Associated Press ahead of the award. "It sends out a message, not only to my country but to other countries that criminalize homosexuality."

The 29-year-old Mugisha leads the underground group called Sexual Minorities Uganda, whose members routinely shift locations in Uganda for their safety. Uganda, a conservative East African nation, is one of more than 70 nations that have imposed laws against being gay.

Mugisha blames U.S. evangelical activists in particular for stoking fears and promoting homophobia with a 2009 visit and conference on "rehabilitation" for gays in Uganda. Since then, violence against gays has increased, he said.

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