Uganda Passes Anti-Homosexuality Act, Posing Grave Threat To Human Rights

Uganda passed a new law imposing strict regulations on the L.G.B.T.Q. community. The Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023, which passed almost unanimously, is one of the harshest laws of its kind worldwide. Its penalties include death for “aggravated homosexuality,” a 20-year sentence for the “promotion” of homosexuality, and up to seven years in prison for landlords who rent to queer individuals. According to Reuters, the passage of the original bill, which has since been amended, in March led to arrests, evictions, and attacks on queer Ugandans and caused many to flee in fear of their safety. Reuters reported that complaints against the law have already been filed by a local human rights group, the Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum, alongside 10 individuals.

The new regulations violate constitutional rights to equality and non-discrimination, according to human rights lawyer Adrian Jjuuko, and rights advocates fear the law’s passage will encourage neighboring Kenya and Tanzania to implement similar restrictions. The U.N. and other Western nations urged President Yoweri Museveni not to sign the bill into law and have since threatened to revoke foreign aid, with American president Joe Biden saying the new law “jeopardizes the prospects of critical economic growth for the entire country.” Biden also called for the law’s repeal, saying that no one “should have to live in constant fear for their life or being subjected to violence and discrimination.”

In addition to curtailing basic human rights, the new law will also harm public health. According to leaders of the U.N. A.I.D.S. program, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for A.I.D.S. Relief, and the Global Fund, “Uganda’s progress on its H.I.V. response is now in grave jeopardy.” The law will “obstruct health education and the outreach that can help end A.I.D.S. as a public health threat,” these experts warn.

Museveni, for his part, urged his legislators to resist influence from other nations, claiming that homosexuality is a “deviation from normal” that must be outlawed. According to the Associated Press, some Ugandans see being gay as a behavior “imported from abroad.”

“We can liken [the life proposed under the new law] to apartheid if not worse,” said one South African filmmaker. The Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 is a blatant violation of Ugandans’ right to equality, but President Museveni “has never respected human rights,” Steven Kabuye, co-founder of Truth L.G.B.T.Q., said.

Kabuye asked for international support, urging countries to open their borders to queer Ugandans. “Let us at least have temporary help, as we fight this draconian law,” he pled.

Strict anti-LGBTQ regulations have been a longstanding issue in Uganda and Africa at large. In 2009, Ugandan legislators introduced a bill that proposed executing homosexuals. In 2014, another proposed anti-L.G.B.T.Q. law was rejected when Western governments revoked foreign aid and imposed visa restrictions. According to the Associated Press, 30 out of Africa’s 54 countries also have anti-L.G.B.T.Q. laws.

Anti-LGBTQ attitudes in Africa can be attributed to European values introduced during the colonial era, but when the U.K. loosened its regulations, many former colonies did not follow suit.

The Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 will pose significant risks to the health, wellbeing, and basic rights of L.G.B.T.Q. Ugandans, human rights activists, and their allies. These Ugandans are already under threat – not only via the legislation, but also people using the law as an excuse to discriminate against the L.G.B.T.Q. community. Having H.I.V. or A.I.D.S. will become more dangerous if reaching out for help becomes life-threatening, and individuals who have already been diagnosed may become neglected. Beyond the direct internal ramifications, the law is also putting a strain on foreign relations. We are already seeing Western nations threaten to revoke foreign aid and cut ties, leaving Uganda potentially vulnerable in more ways than one.

Criminalizing an identity trait is unfounded and inhumane. Pressure from human rights groups and international governments is essential to convince Uganda’s legislature to reconsider and reverse the proposal.

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