Uganda Enacts Harsh Anti-LGBTQ Law Fueling Widespread Persecution

Since Uganda enacted its 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act, widely regarded as one of the world's harshest anti-LGBTQ laws, there has been a significant escalation in persecution, violence, and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, their families, and supporters. The law, which prescribes life imprisonment for consensual same-sex relations and the death penalty for 'aggravated homosexuality,' has been upheld by Uganda's Constitutional Court despite international condemnation. Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports that the Ugandan government and its institutions have actively enabled abuses, including arbitrary arrests, extortion, harassment, and physical and sexual violence, fostering an environment of impunity and legitimizing homophobia through official rhetoric and misinformation spread via traditional and social media. These actions have led to increased fear within the LGBTQ+ community and have severely affected their access to health services, employment, housing, and safety, with many victims subjected to blackmail, displacement, and degrading treatment. Activists and rights groups have documented numerous cases of attacks and police abuses, and the law has triggered a broader anti-LGBTQ+ movement supported by political figures, deepening the community’s marginalization and vulnerability. Human rights experts and international bodies have called on Ugandan authorities to urgently address this climate of hate and violence and to uphold fundamental human rights.