21 U.S. Reps. condemn Uganda's 'draconian' anti-LGBTQ+ law: 'State-sponsored violence'

Dozens of U.S. Representatives have introduced a resolution condemning Uganda's "draconian" anti-LGBTQ+ law.

Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 (AHA23) punishes individuals who engage in consensual same-sex sexual relations with life in prison, making certain instances punishable by death. The law also levies 20 years in prison for the “promotion of homosexuality” against any organization that “promotes or encourages homosexuality or the observance and normalization of [homosexual] conduct.”

After Uganda's highest court upheld the law in April, 21 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Reps. Mark Takano and Joyce Beatty, are now introducing a resolution condemning the legislation, calling for the continuation of sanctions against the country's officials and for the law to be repealed.

“It is difficult to overstate the gross inhumanity of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act,” Takano said. “Instead of focusing on rooting out corruption or ending extrajudicial killings, the Ugandan Parliament, President, and Constitutional Court have chosen to mark LGBTQ+ Ugandans as less than human. Congress must not be silent in the face of such systematic, state-sponsored discrimination."

Beatty called the legislation "one of the harshest anti-LGBTQI+ laws the world has seen," which has created deadly consequences for queer people in the country. There have already been cases of men being arrested for “aggravated homosexuality,” with some facing decades in prison or even the death penalty.

“When Ugandan President Museveni signed the Anti-Homosexuality Act into law — one of the harshest anti-LGBTQI+ laws the world has seen — he, alongside the Parliament, signaled to members of the LGBTQI+ community that there is no place in the country that they will be safe from persecution," Beatty said.

“This draconian law stands in clear violation of universal human rights and has already resulted in catastrophic personal outcomes for LGBTQI+ Ugandans, further discouraging them from seeking vital health services and facilitating a culture that supports state-sponsored violence," she continued. "This resolution shows that members of the United States Congress stand with LGBTQI+ Ugandans and demands immediate repeal of this unjust law so that all Ugandans can lead safe, healthy lives free from fear.”