Uganda Enacts Harsh Anti LGBTQ Law Including Death Penalty

President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda enacted one of the strictest anti-LGBTQ laws in the world, including the death penalty for ‘aggravated homosexuality’, prompting outrage from the West and the threat of sanctions from aid donors.

Although Uganda and more than 30 other African nations already forbade same-sex unions, the new law goes much further. It advocates for the death penalty for ‘serial offenders’ of the law and the transmission of a lethal illness like HIV/AIDS through gay intercourse. Further punishment for ‘promoting’ homosexuality is a 20-year imprisonment.

Uganda Enacts Harsh Anti LGBTQ Law

According to Clare Byarugaba, a Ugandan rights campaigner, today's legalisation of state-sponsored homophobia and transphobia by the president of Uganda

Joe Biden, the president of the United States, described the action as "a tragic violation" of human rights and said that Washington will evaluate how the law would impact "all aspects of U.S. engagement with Uganda." He said that additional actions are being considered, such as the enforcement of fines and the denial of entry into the US for anyone involved in gross human rights violations or corruption.

In a presidential portrait, Museveni is seen at his desk, signing the bill with a golden pen. The 78-year-old referred to homosexuality as a ‘deviation from normal’ and urged legislators to defy ‘imperialist’ pressure.

According to one of the petitioners, Busingye Kabumba, the constitutional court later received a complaint against the law from a local organisation, the Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum, and ten other people.

Museveni had asked parliament to modify some aspects of the original measure enacted in March. But in a conservative nation where anti-LGBTQ beliefs have become more entrenched recently, in part as a result of advocacy by Western evangelical Christian groups, his final approval was not viewed as being in doubt.

Every year, Uganda receives billions of dollars in international aid, but this bill may cause donors and investors to take unfavourable action, as happened with a bill similar to it nine years ago.

Suggested Reading: A Step Backward: Uganda Passes Anti-Homosexuality Law, Criminalises Same-Sex Relationships

Feature Image Credits: ANI and Mint