We speak with Ugandan LGBTQ activist Frank Mugisha about a draconian new anti-gay bill the country is on the verge of imposing, which makes it a crime to identify as queer, considers all same-sex conduct to be nonconsensual, and even allows for the death penalty in certain cases. Both the Biden administration and the U.N. secretary-general are urging Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni not to sign the bill into law. Mugisha says anti-LGBTQ measures in Uganda reflect the legacy of British colonialism, which introduced anti-sodomy laws across Africa, as well as the influence of the U.S. religious right. “The homophobia and transphobia we are seeing toward queer and trans people in Uganda is from the West,” says Mugisha, Uganda’s most prominent gay rights activist, who could face decades in prison for “promotion” of homosexuality under the new legislation.
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.