According to a new law in Uganda, anyone who performs certain “homosexual acts” can be sentenced to death. The law increases the vulnerability of a minority that already lacks many rights.
– People have been evicted, I have seen people beaten, people have been denied care, says Ugandan Frank Mugisha.
This week, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed what is considered the world’s strictest anti-LGBTQI law and could result in the death penalty for same-sex relationships.
The law means that “homosexual acts” can lead to life imprisonment or the death penalty in extreme cases. And the president has received sharp international criticism for the now-signed bill. Already in April, the EU Parliament voted through a condemnation of the law. In addition, the US has threatened sanctions against Uganda, and the UN Human Rights Council issued a statement that the law “is a recipe for systematic abuse”.
Activist concerns
LGBTQI activist Frank Mugisha is one of the founders of the organization Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) which works to promote the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex people in Uganda. And he is deeply concerned about developments in the country and the safety of those who live there.
– They are worried, they are afraid. People have been evicted, I’ve seen people beaten, people denied care. I get calls every day, says Mugisha who is currently in Toronto.
Rights of LGBTQI people in Africa
And it’s not just Uganda where the rights of LGBTQI people are increasingly curtailed. In Ghana, a bill is being discussed that could lead to up to five years in prison for people who identify as gay, and in Kenya there have been attempts to ban LGBTQI organizations altogether.
Today, homosexuality is only legal in 22 of Africa’s 54 countries. In the 32 countries where same-sex relations are illegal, the penalties vary. In 20 of the countries, you can be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, while eight countries apply life sentences. Four countries – Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia and now also Uganda – can punish homosexuality with the death penalty.
A colonial legacy
According to research, the deep homophobia in many parts of Africa has its roots in colonial history. And according to a disclosure by the media organization Open Democracy, Christian organizations in the United States have spent over 50 million dollars, which is equivalent to more than half a billion Swedish kronor, in their efforts to limit abortion laws, access to contraception and rights for LGBTQI people in Africa.
– You want to get more members, you want to strengthen your influence and push the anti-gay issues, the anti-abortion issues where you can, says the journalist and author Görrel Espelund. The African anti-gay laws were enacted with the colonial powers. And then conservative churches and religious communities have spun on this and made it un-African to be gay, although there is evidence that it was not so before colonial times.