Uganda’s Anti-Gay Law Destroys Lives One Year Later

In the year since Uganda’s strict anti-LGBTQ+ law passed, queer Ugandans are experiencing a rise in violence, arrests, and healthcare crises. 

Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 was passed into law in March 2023 and allows long prison sentences and even executions for same-gender activities. This made Uganda the fourth African country where homosexuality is punishable by the death penalty, and this law is one of the most aggressive anti-LGBTQ+ laws in the continent. 

Since the law has been passed, many LGBTQ+ people in Uganda have experienced vastly greater levels of violence. Philip, a 30-year-old gay man in Uganda, told LGBTQ Nation about his experiences since the bill was passed, which includes being beaten in public. Public assault for femme-appearing men and visibly queer people has increased immensely since the legalization of violent homophobia.

“I was about to board a bus with two of my friends last September when we were attacked and beaten up over our feminine mannerisms. A stranger accosted us to ask why we were behaving like women. We ignored and tried walking away when he pulled one of my friends back and struck him in the face,” Philip explains. “Before we knew it, we were surrounded by people who began hitting us with whatever they could find. They beat us up badly for no reason while onlookers stood by and just watched,” he continues.

The law criminalizes people who simply identify as LGBTQ+ (even if they are not caught having sex) and even criminalizes those who know someone who is LGBTQ+. A 25-year-old gay man, Akello, told LGBTQ Nation how his parents, who had kicked him out four years earlier, called the police to arrest him after the passing of the bill. “I was still preparing for work that morning when the police stormed our apartment with my father and arrested me and my friend,” Akello says. “We were locked up and tortured for two weeks before they eventually let us go.” He and his friend were beaten by both the cops and their fellow inmates and were given an eviction notice once they were finally released. 

Additionally, a public health crisis has emerged as the anti-LGBTQ+ laws continue to drive queer people away from healthcare services, causing an intensification of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Uganda. As healthcare is not recognized for LGBTQ+ people in the country, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) provide healthcare to queer people in Uganda. But these organizations are continuously getting attacked, making access to healthcare for queer people even more difficult. 

Despite only just over a year having passed since this bill was passed, its effect has been devastating. For the sake of the queer people living in Uganda, we hope human rights organizations and the general world population become more informed on the tragedies occurring in Uganda.

Photo courtesy of social media