War Against Love
In my last Medium entry, I discussed the importance of advocating for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. In America, several anti-LGBTQ legislation is underway, which puts the community’s rights at risk. However, in Uganda, the LGBTQ+ community has never been more at stake than they are now. On March 9, 2023, the Anti-Homosexuality Act was introduced to Uganda’s parliament. The Anti-Homosexuality Act is one of the strictest anti-LGTBQ+ legislation presented to parliament, with only two out of almost 400 representatives voting against it. The Act expands on the criminalization of same-sex acts, which include touching a member of the same sex with the intention of homosexuality. Punishment for those guilty of homosexuality is imprisonment for up to 10 years. If that isn’t extreme enough, the bill goes on to further elaborate that those who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community will face up to 10 years in prison.Furthermore, the legislation declares all same-sex conduct to be non-consensual. On top of this declaration, the legislation mentions the death penalty for those found guilty of aggravated homosexuality. The offense of aggravated homosexuality describes same-sex acts with children, people with disabilities, serial offenders, or people with HIV.
The 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act is not the first of its kind in Uganda. Past legislation has included the 2009 and 2014 Anti-Homosexuality Acts, which are less extreme versions of the newest bill introduced. The legislation only moves the country backwards as it strips fundamental rights from people and criminalizes them for simply being who they are. It’s important to note that Uganda is not the only country in Africa to denounce homosexuality, as it is currently criminalized in 32 other countries in Africa. Other parts of the world, 67 countries in total, have homosexuality outlawed as well.
