On March 21st, Uganda's parliament passed a new law that criminalizes identifying as LGBTQ, which grants authorities extensive powers to target gay Ugandans who already face legal discrimination and violent attacks from mobs.
Although more than 30 African countries, including Uganda, already prohibit same-sex relationships, this new legislation appears to be the first to outlaw identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ), according to Human Rights Watch.
Advocates of the new law claim that it is necessary to punish a wider range of LGBTQ activities, which they believe threaten traditional values in the conservative and religious nation of East Africa. The legislation not only prohibits same-sex intercourse but also criminalizes promoting and aiding homosexuality, as well as conspiring to participate in homosexuality.
The law imposes harsh penalties for violations, including death for what is termed "aggravated homosexuality" and life imprisonment for homosexual acts. Aggravated homosexuality is defined as engaging in gay sex with someone under the age of 18 or while the perpetrator is HIV positive, among other categories.
During the bill's discussion, lawmaker David Bahati expressed his support, stating that "Our creator God is happy with what is happening...I support the bill to protect the future of our children...This is about the sovereignty of our nation; nobody should blackmail us, nobody should intimidate us."The new legislation criminalizing the identification as LGBTQ in Uganda is now awaiting President Yoweri Museveni's signature to become law. The proposed law has been condemned by LGBTQ activist Frank Mugisha, who described it as "extreme and draconian" and expressed concerns that it would effectively erase the entire existence of any LGBTQ Ugandan.
President Museveni has yet to comment on the proposed law, but his long-standing opposition to LGBTQ rights is well-known. In 2013, he signed an anti-LGBTQ law that was widely criticized by Western countries before being struck down by a domestic court on procedural grounds.
Recently, the Ugandan authorities have increased their crackdown on LGBTQ individuals following allegations by religious leaders and politicians that students were being recruited into homosexuality in schools. This month, a secondary school teacher in Jinja was arrested and charged with gross indecency for allegedly grooming young girls into unnatural sex practices and is now awaiting trial in prison. In addition, six people were recently arrested by the police for allegedly running a network involved in grooming young boys into acts of sodomy.
©️ Vygr Media Private Limited 2022. All Rights Reserved.
