The Anti-Homosexuality Act in Uganda: Effects and Counter-Strategies

The current Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) of 2023 in Uganda is known to be the harshest in the whole world criminalising homosexuality with death penalty and life in prison. The highly funded and well organised Anti-Rights movement has actively taken over key institutions like media, which they use to spread misinformation, disinformation and negative stereotypes. Other institutions like churches have also highly been infiltrated hence witnessing religious leaders pushing and supporting these draconian laws which even include death penalty. The successful enactment of the AHA in Uganda has led other countries to pick a leaf and to introduce similar legislations, as has happened in Ghana and Kenya. Other countries like Tanzania and Cameroon already have strict laws on homosexuality. Though a few African countries have decriminalized homosexuality, the impact of these oppressive laws on LGBTQ+ individuals has been profound, causing widespread harm, gross abuse of rights and discrimination.

In response to these challenges, we want to analyse the effects of the Anti-Homosexuality Act on the lives of LGBTQ+ people in Uganda and discuss strategies for combatting these discriminatory laws as well as for advocating for long-term solutions. We will also reflect on how Uganda’s case influences other African countries and what could be done to counter this.

With:

• Martin Alex Musiime, Lawyer, Head of Legal desk at Let’s Walk Uganda and petitioner against the Anti-Homosexuality Act in Uganda
• Edward Mutebi, Activist, Founder and Executive Director of Let’s Walk Uganda and petitioner against the Anti-Homosexuality Act in Uganda
• Facilitated by Franza Drechsel, Advisor in the Africa Unit of the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung