A Nightmare for Sexual Minorities in Uganda
It isn’t easy to be gay in Africa. Most of its countries discriminate and persecute members of the LGBT community.
Unjustified imprisonment, and even the death penalty, are common in that part of the world.
That being said, societies across the globe are getting more accepting.
At the beginning of the month, Uganda’s Constitutional Court, composed of five judges, upheld the Anti-Gay Law put forward by the President last year.
In May 2023, President Yoweri Museveni signed a law calling for life imprisonment for anyone who engages in gay intercourse. It also calls for the death penalty for anyone convicted of “aggravated homosexuality”, whatever that means.
The Bill passed 387 to 2 in Parliament.
Homosexuality was already illegal in Uganda under the penal code.
When the Bill became a law, it was a clear violation of human rights. What is even more troubling is the Court’s latest decision.
The US and allies have been critical of the law in recent months. The World Bank even suspended all new funding to Uganda. America also took measures targeting top officials when it comes to travel restrictions.
The Biden administration even called it “one of the most extreme anti-gay measures anywhere in the world”.
There is somewhat of a contradiction coming from the judicial branch. The judges have stated concerns with the anti-gay law, officially called the Anti-Homosexuality Act, saying it violates several rights, especially the right to health services such as HIV treatments.
They still decided to close their eyes and let the law as it is. The judges are saying that the law is meant to protect children.
Members of the LGBT community in Uganda must be terrified.
It is a real nightmare for most of them who can’t be who they are by fear of being put behind bars for the rest of their lives.
Following the Constitutional Court judgment, which is not the highest Court in the country, many gay activists promised to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.
Let’s hope it can be analyzed by the Supreme Court who would have a life-changing decision to take. If we get to that point, we need to assure that the Court won’t succumb to political pressure and interference.
Considering the fact that a majority of the population approves of the law, it wouldn’t be an easy decision for the Supreme Court to go against the will of the people and President Museveni.
In addition to other violations, the anti-gay law can impose fines to organizations who “promote homosexuality”.
When it comes to anti-gay actions, where will President Yoweri Museveni go? The man who has been president since 1986 has nothing to lose at this point.
To justify violating the rights of members of the LGBT community, he and other bigots use the same arguments we’ve heard before. According to them, sexual minorities are threatening the sanctity of the family and are perverts.
Like other countries in Africa, Uganda think that this “gay agenda” is being imported by Western countries.
Let’s hope countries around the world will come together to denounce Uganda’s violation of basic human rights with this Anti-Homosexuality Act.
And one day, hopefully people will understand that we are all the same. Whom we love, our religion or our skin colour shouldn’t matter.
Love will always win over hate…
