Death for gays becomes law
Uganda’s president signed into law a wide-ranging anti-LGBTQ bill yesterday that imposes life imprisonment for same-sex activity and the death penalty in some cases, signalling an intensification of the east African nation’s crackdown on LGBTQ+ people despite widespread international condemnation of the law.
The Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 punishes those found guilty of ‘‘aggravated homosexuality’’ with death, a category broadly defined by legislators to include offences that range from having gay sex with a minor to seducing someone through ‘‘misrepresentation’’ or ‘‘undue influence.’’
The new law also imposes life imprisonment as punishment for anyone found to have performed a sexual act with a person of the same gender, and up to seven years in prison for ‘‘an attempt to commit the offence of homosexuality.’’
‘‘The people of Uganda have spoken,’’ tweeted parliamentary speaker Anita Annet Among, announcing that President Yoweri Museveni had signed the legislation. ‘‘I now encourage the duty bearers under the law to execute the mandate bestowed upon them in the AntiHomosexuality Act.’’
Uganda’s parliament originally passed the bill in March but it was returned to legislators by a presidential veto. The final bill, approved by Museveni, remains largely the same but no longer includes a requirement for people to report homosexual activity or criminalises the mere identifying as LGBTQ+.
President Biden released a statement condemning the law. ‘‘This shameful act is the latest development in an alarming trend of human rights abuses and corruption in Uganda,’’ Biden said. ‘‘I have directed my National Security Council to evaluate the implications of this law on all aspects of US engagement with Uganda.’’
Its passage into law yesterday sparked fear and confusion among LGBTQ+ Ugandans, many of whom have already fled the country.
‘‘The news means that I will never see home again,’’ said a 32-year-old gay asylum seeker speaking to The Washington Post by phone from Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. He spoke on the condition of anonymity.
‘‘I left Uganda in 2018; it was a scary time for me. I feel the fear, like that morning I ran away from my home. I am in the refugee camp at the moment and never felt so disillusioned in my life,’’ he said. ‘‘I feel extremely scared,’’ said Jude, 38, who asked to be identified only by his first name to protect his identity, speaking by phone from the same refugee camp.
‘‘It’s a tragedy on our story and entire community,’’ he said. ‘‘I have no option in Uganda.’’
According to the Human Dignity Trust, a London-based nongovernmental organisation that monitors the legal status of LGBTQ+ people in different countries, same-sex activity has been punishable by life imprisonment in Uganda since 1950, when the law was inherited from British colonial statutes.