Global Courant 2023-05-29 16:36:42
LONDON — Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed one of the world’s toughest anti-LGBTQ laws on Monday.
The 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Bill, introduced in Uganda’s parliament in early March, calls for the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” which is defined as cases of same-sex relationships with people who are HIV-positive and with minors and other categories vulnerable people. Anyone engaging in gay sex could face a life sentence if convicted, while anyone caught having same-sex relationships could face up to 10 years in prison.
The speaker of the Ugandan parliament, Anita Annet Among, was the first to announce on Twitter that the president had signed the bill into law, saying that Museveni had “answered the cries of our people”.
“I thank His Excellency, the President, for his steadfast action in the interest of Uganda,” said Among tweeted. “It is with great humility that I thank my colleagues, the MPs, for withstanding all pressure from bullies and doomsday conspiracy theorists for the sake of our country.”
An earlier draft of the legislation also criminalized “the offense of homosexuality,” meaning anyone who identifies as LGBTQ or “any other sexual or gender identity that violates the binary categories of male and female” could be punished with a imprisonment of up to 10 years if convicted. Lawmakers approved that version of the bill in late March after several readings and hours of debate. The proposed legislation was then sent to the president, who then returned the bill to parliament in April, asking for amendments that would differentiate between identifying as LGBTQ and actually engaging in homosexual acts amid protests from human rights groups and Western governments. Lawmakers passed an amended version of the bill in early May that would not criminalize those who identify as LGBTQ.
Homosexuality was already illegal in Uganda, as it is in more than 30 of the 54 African countries. It was first criminalized in the East African country under colonial laws, but there had never been a conviction for same-sex consensual sexual activity since independence from Britain in 1962.
Human rights advocates had said they plan to challenge the legislation in court if it is signed into law.
Prior to the bill’s signing, members of Uganda’s LGBTQ community reported facing growing discrimination and violence. Many said they are concerned about their personal freedoms and safety.
“There are no words to describe the feeling of being persecuted by everyone around you, just for being you, for being who you are,” Atuhaire, a Kampala-based member of the Ugandan LGBTQ community, told in March to ABC News. first name to protect their personal safety.
“The vitriol we receive on social media on a daily basis has always been vicious, but nothing like the past few months,” Grace, a Ugandan LGBTQ activist, also told ABC News in March.
ABC News’ Emma Ogao contributed to this report.
