April 11, 2023
In March 2023, the Ugandan Parliament moved forward broad-reaching legislation to further criminalize LGBTQIA+ people. The bill would make it a crime to even identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer, with sentences up to life imprisonment. It gives authorities wide powers to crackdown on anyone who does not report on same-sex couples or who promote gay rights, including prohibitions on media coverage. And the law could impose death sentences in some cases, including for the transmission of HIV. Uganda’s President Museveni has the power to stop the bill. But so far he is issuing statements for other African countries to follow Uganda down this path.
Anti-gay hate laws and actions by authorities are sweeping across the region with recent crackdowns in Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia.
After the news broke from Uganda, AVAC and partners came together for a call with advocates in Uganda. They are fierce and imperiled voices who are readying to fight for LGBTQIA+ people in Uganda, but at AVAC, we know they are fighting for all of us.
On the call, advocates dug into the specifics of how these attacks have gained momentum and their ties to US-based religious extremists. And advocates discuss what needs to happen next.
The podcast features Ugandan advocates and AVAC partners, including:
- Richard Lusimbo of Uganda Key Population Consortium (UKPC) and Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG)
- Ruth Muganzi of the Kuchu Times
- Kenneth Mwehonge of HEPS Uganda
- Angelo Kaggwa-Katumba of AVAC
- Lilian Mworeko of the International Community of Women living with HIV/Eastern Africa (ICWEA)
- Mitchell Warren of AVAC
- Jim Pickett, an AVAC advisor
Listen
Transcript
Contact
To learn more and get involved reach out to Convening for Equality at coordinator@ugandakpc.org.
Resources
- AVAC Condemns Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023, AVAC
- Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ rights in US Legislatures, ACLU
- Global Tracker of Anti-Gay Leglisation, ILGA Database
- Legal and policy barriers for an effective HIV/AIDS response, PEPFAR commentary in The Lancet
News Coverage
The US Evangelical Movement’s links to homophobic legislative attacks in African countries.
- Christian fundamentalism lies behind harsh new anti-LGBTIQ bill in Uganda, Open Democracy
- Homophobia in Uganda is a horrifying demonstration of colonialism and evangelism at work, Canary Workers Coop
- US Evanagelicals had a hand in Uganda’s revived “Kill the Gays” Bill, LGBTQ Nation
- The US connection to Uganda’s ‘kill the gays’ bill, Washington Post
- US Christian Right Pours More than $50m into Africa, Open Democracy