Uganda passes law criminalising identifying as LGBTQ

A new law in Uganda makes it a crime to identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ).

The law which was passed on Tuesday in parliament includes penalties such as life imprisonment and death penalty.

TheCable had reported how the east African country was considering passing the law.

The proposed bill also threatened landlords who rent houses to gay people with a prison sentence.

According to Human Rights Watch, Uganda’s new law is the first to punish those merely identifying as LGBTQ.

The country’s penal codes permit life imprisonment for same-sex relations but the new law passes a death sentence for “aggravated homosexuality”.

Aggravated homosexuality involves gay sex with people under the age of 18 or when the perpetrator is HIV positive, among other categories, according to the law.

As well as making identifying as gay illegal, friends, family and members of the community would have a duty to report individuals in same-sex relationships to the authorities.

People who “promote” homosexuality and “abet” and “conspire” to engage in same-sex relations also face threats.

Videos on social media showed widespread support in Uganda’s parliament after the bill was passed.

Cheers and applause in Uganda parliament as new bill making it illegal to identify as LGBT passes https://t.co/qkPQsB5nNe pic.twitter.com/Svmasv95qQ

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— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) March 22, 2023

Human right groups and LGBTQ activists have since kicked against Uganda’s new law, saying it is “repressive” and would lead to fear of more attacks on gay people in the already deeply conservative east African country.

Same-sex relations are banned in about 30 African countries including Nigeria.