Uganda’s harsh anti-gay bill is now law
It is part of a culture war in Africa that has ties to the West
Homosexuality in Uganda has been punishable by life imprisonment since colonial Britain outlawed it in 1950. But today’s lawmakers have deemed that too lenient. A new law signed on May 26th by President Yoweri Museveni provides for the death penalty for some same-sex acts, including those that might spread HIV. Other clauses envisage long prison sentences for “promoting” homosexuality or even for renting a room to a gay couple. “We have a culture to protect,” said Anita Among, parliament’s speaker. “The Western world will not come to rule Uganda.”
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “A harsh anti-gay bill is now law”
From the June 3rd 2023 edition
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