Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed one of the world’s toughest anti-LGBTQIA+ laws on May 29, calling for life imprisonment for anyone engaging in gay sex and the death penalty for 'aggravated homosexuality.' The law broadly defines 'aggravated homosexuality' as same-sex relations involving HIV positive individuals, minors, or other vulnerable people.
Although being gay was already illegal in Uganda, the clampdown has drawn widespread criticism from numerous human rights groups, world leaders, and Ugandans. President Joe Biden issued a statement calling for the immediate repeal of the law and threatening sanctions against the African nation.
'The enactment of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act is a tragic violation of universal human rights—one that is not worthy of the Ugandan people, and one that jeopardizes the prospects of critical economic growth for the entire country. I join with people around the world—including many in Uganda—in calling for its immediate repeal,' Biden said in a statement. He added, 'I have directed my National Security Council to evaluate the implications of this law on all aspects of U.S. engagement with Uganda.'
Anita Annet Among, the Ugandan Parliament speaker, announced the signing of the bill via Twitter, writing that Museveni had 'answered the cries of our people.' Among added, 'With a lot of humility, I thank my colleagues the Members of Parliament for withstanding all the pressure from bullies and doomsday conspiracy theorists in the interest of our country.'
An earlier draft of the bill had criminalized the offense of homosexuality, meaning that simply identifying as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community was punishable by imprisonment. That draft passed from lawmakers to the president but sparked an initial wave of international outrage, prompting Museveni to request an amended version that didn’t criminalize identifying as LGBTQIA+ but rather anyone engaging in same-sex acts.
