Uganda’s parliament has passed a law criminalizing identification as LGBTQ, in a move that has been criticized by rights groups as draconian. The law gives authorities extensive powers to target gay individuals who already face legal discrimination and violence in the country.
The legislation, which was passed on Tuesday, appears to be the first in Africa to outlaw identification as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ), according to the rights group Human Rights Watch. The law also bans promoting and abetting homosexuality, as well as conspiring to engage in homosexuality.
Violations of the law will result in severe penalties, including death for “aggravated homosexuality” and life imprisonment for gay sex. Aggravated homosexuality involves gay sex with people under the age of 18 or when the perpetrator is HIV-positive, among other categories, according to the measure.
The legislation will now be sent to President Yoweri Museveni for approval. Museveni has not commented on the proposal, but he has long opposed LGBTQ rights. In 2013, he signed an anti-LGBTQ law that was condemned by Western countries before a domestic court struck it down on procedural grounds.
Supporters of the new measure claim that it is necessary to punish a broader range of LGBTQ activities, which they believe threaten traditional values in the conservative and religious East African country. However, critics argue that the law is an extreme and draconian attempt to erase the existence of LGBTQ Ugandans.
Frank Mugisha, a prominent Ugandan LGBTQ activist, denounced the legislation as “very extreme and draconian.” He added, “It criminalizes being an LGBTQ person, but also they are trying to erase the entire existence of any LGBTQ Ugandan.”
In recent weeks, Uganda authorities have cracked down on LGBTQ people after religious leaders and politicians alleged that students were being recruited into homosexuality in schools. This month, authorities arrested a secondary school teacher in the eastern district of Jinja over accusations of “grooming of young girls into unnatural sex practices.” She was charged with gross indecency and is currently in prison awaiting trial.
Police also announced on Monday that they had arrested six people accused of running a network that was “actively involved in the grooming of young boys into acts of sodomy.”
The new law has been widely condemned by human rights groups and LGBTQ activists, who argue that it will lead to further discrimination and violence against the LGBTQ community in Uganda. It also raises concerns about the wider trend of criminalizing LGBTQ identities and activities across Africa, where more than 30 countries already ban same-sex relations.
As the world continues to grapple with issues of human rights and equality, the passing of this law serves as a stark reminder that there is still much work to be done to protect the rights and freedoms of all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
