The recently set anti-LGBTQ law in Uganda has a maximum sentence of ten years in prison for those found guilty of the act.
In certain cases, the law allows for the ultimate punishment to be a death penalty. This is among the strictest crackdowns against homosexuality in Africa.
Almost 30 African countries have outlawed same-sex intimate relationships due to widespread conservative religious and social beliefs.
The new rule has been criticized by countries all over the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and European countries.
Details of the New Anti-LGBTQ Law and Punishment
- If you are found guilty of child grooming or trafficking for the intention of exposing a kid to homosexual activity, you might face the punishment of life imprisonment.
- Proponents of LGBT rights, including those who write, broadcast, or distribute pro-gay media or literature, as well as those who support or fund LGBT rights’ activities or organizations, face prosecution and jail.
- Publishing, broadcasting, or distributing any material that supports gay rights or “promotes homosexuality” can result in criminal prosecution and imprisonment for media outlets, journalists, and publishers.
- A person convicted of “aggravated homosexuality,” defined as the sexual abuse of a child, a person with a disability, or vulnerable persons, or the infliction of a life-threatening illness on a victim of gay attack, is subject to the death penalty.
- If a building is utilized as a “brothel” for gay behavior or the rights of other sexual minorities, the owner could go to jail.
Rights campaigners warn this latest action by Uganda will stir resentment and hostility further for the LGBTQ community, and the Bill now awaits President Yoweri Museveni’s approval. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has called homosexuals “disgusting,” adding fuel to the flames of widespread homophobia in the country.
Moments after the new anti-LGBTQ law was passed by the Government of Uganda, the US secretary of state, Anthony Blinken stated that the Anti-Homosexuality Act, which was passed by the Ugandan Parliament threatens the basic civil liberties of all Ugandans and may even undo progress made in the battle against HIV/AIDS.
The Anti-Homosexuality Act passed by the Ugandan Parliament yesterday would undermine fundamental human rights of all Ugandans and could reverse gains in the fight against HIV/AIDS. We urge the Ugandan Government to strongly reconsider the implementation of this legislation.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 22, 2023
He urged the Ugandan government with his strongest recommendation for them to rethink enforcing this law.