Uganda Accuses U.S. of ‘LGBT Agenda’

The government of Uganda accused the United States of pushing an “LGBT agenda” last Wednesday in the wake of a number of new visa restrictions against many of its officials.

The United States expanded their visa restriction policy to include several new Ugandan officials. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who announced the new policy, stated that these restrictions were placed on individuals responsible for “undermining the democratic process in Uganda or … repressing members of marginalized or vulnerable populations.” This isn’t the first time the nation has been held under scrutiny by the U.S.—In 2021, the United States governments placed visa restrictions on officials for a “flawed” election involving voter intimidation and other corrupt tactics. The World Bank has also suspended its lending programs to Uganda in response.

This most recent wave of sanctions comes in response to a recent law passed in Uganda. One of the harshest in the world, this law included the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” a crime they believed queer people were comitting spreading HIV/AIDS through gay sex. President Yoweri Museveni, who signed the law into effect in May, also spoke of plans to “rehabilitate” LGBTQ+ people in the East African country. After the law was passed, rights activists report that mob-aided arrests had noticeably risen in number, as well as individual hate crimes and abuses against queer citizens.

U.S. President Joe Biden called Uganda’s most recent move a “tragic violation” of human rights. Now, with new visa restrictions placed on several high-ranking officials, it is claiming that the United States has fallen victim to a threat from within. In the words of State Minister for Foreign Affairs Okello Oryem, “There’s a coup at the State Department in the U.S. It is being taken over by people who are pushing the LGBT agenda in Africa.” This isn’t the first time such sentiments have been expressed—Russia also recently passed a law labeling a supposed unified western “LGBT public movement” as an extremist organization, likewise severely limiting LGBTQ+ rights and causing many to seek egress from the country.