Last week in Holyrood, a motion was submitted by Scottish Conservative MSP Jamie Greene, responding to the passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda last month. The Bill, which received the support of all but two of the 289 legislators, introduces life imprisonment and the death penalty for “the offence of aggravated homosexuality”, in effect punishing people seen to be openly gay. The country is already one of the most anti-LGBT+ in the world, with no discrimination protections existing for LGBT+ people. The existing law punishes homosexual activity with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, but this current Bill seeks to further criminalise LGBT+ people in the country.
The Bill has been widely condemned by other nations, including the UK. In Westminster, the all-party parliamentary group on LGBTQ+ Rights released a statement saying:
“Speaking with human rights activists on the ground, they need to hear that the world is watching and is prepared to support those standing up for rights in their countries”.
The motion opens “That the Parliament notes with concern Uganda’s recently passed Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which, it understands, is being largely seen as one of the toughest pieces of anti-gay legislation in Africa”.
It expressed concern at the little-discussed consequences of the Bill, such as an increase in blackmail against LGBT+ people in Uganda, as well as a rise in hate crimes against gay people as a result of the passage of this Bill. Furthermore, the detention or deportation of outside organisations protecting LGBT rights in the country works to further limit the support that can be given to the people who will be most affected if this Bill is signed into law. However, the motion takes the time to “commend the campaigning efforts of many LGBT+ rights activists, both in Uganda and across Africa, in raising awareness of what it sees as these aggressive measures.
The motion ends by expressing hope that the Bill will be vetoed by Uganda’s President, Yoweri Museveni, who has the ability to refuse to sign it into law if he so chooses. However, Museveni has previously expressed support for anti-LGBT+ legislation, calling on other African leaders to “reject the promotion of homosexuality”, describing it as a threat to the continuation of the human race.
Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill represents just one of many anti-LGBT+ laws debated and passed around the world. In the United States of America, it was reported that a record number of anti-LGBT+ bills had been introduced in state legislatures across the country, mostly targeting education and healthcare services. In the USA, these Bills disproportionately impact LGBT+ people from minority ethnic communities, as they often have to face the effects of these Bills without other structural protections, and they are more likely to face stigma from relatives around their sexual or gender identity. Each of these Bills should be highlighted and opposed to ensure that the LGBT+ rights which politicians from all parties have fought for in the UK are not diminished as they are in many countries.