ISSUE: DNA #282 – Swimwear | BUY
Around the world, the LGBTQIA+ community is celebrating our freedoms and our hard-won rights, but there is devastating news from Africa.
In Uganda this June, the country passed into law the Anti-Homosexuality Act, which can impose the death penalty or life imprisonment for expressions of homosexuality.
The law defines “recruitment, promotion and funding” of same-sex “activities” as punishable by up to 20 years in jail. It applies the death sentence for something called “aggravated homosexuality”, which involves sex with or between people who are underage, or with people who are HIV-positive. Identifying as LGBTQIA+ is now illegal. This makes Uganda, potentially, the most dangerous place in the world for LGBTQIA+ people, depending on how the law is policed and enforced.
As repugnant as the Anti-Homosexuality Act is, the ripple of consequences is dire and profound. For example, how can health organisations working towards the eradication of HIV effectively continue if they cannot openly discuss sex? Does teaching safe-sex practices between men constitute the “promotion” of same-sex activities?
Could an NGO’s employment of a Ugandan to work in HIV health count as “recruitment”? Is distributing leaflets on HIV and other health issues “promotion”? Is passing on a gay-themed book between friends promotion? Is a work of art, literature or music promotion? Is inviting someone to join a soccer team that includes homosexuals “recruitment”?
It’s easy to see how the law could be used for extortion, too. Pay up or I’ll report you to the police for being homosexual. This kind of blackmail could be used against anyone, regardless of their sexuality. Do you have a grudge against someone? Tell the cops they’re gay and send them to prison for 20 years.
Around the world, governments are, generally, increasing LGBTQIA+ civil rights, not restricting them. So, why would Uganda introduce such a law? The human rights violations aside, the law will, according to the World Bank, be bad for business: tourism will be negatively impacted, foreign investment will decrease, NGOs will cease operations taking millions of dollars of aid with them. Of the 389 MPs in Uganda’s parliament, only two voted against the bill’s passage. What possible advantage is there in this law?
It is impossible to read the minds of Ugandan lawmakers but a little perspective on the country’s leadership could offer a clue.
President Yoweri Museveni has been in power since 1986 when he seized control of the country in a violent coup. Since then, Uganda has become a wealthier nation; it has prospered – but that wealth has not benefited the average Ugandan. In fact, according to the World Bank, 30 per cent of Ugandans can be classified as poor, and 50 per cent are at risk of falling into poverty in the event of an economic downturn.
Ninety per cent of farmers report that production is low due to climate change, while countries around Uganda are developing their economies away from subsistence farming much faster.
Afro Barometer, an African research organisation, says three-quarters of Ugandans believe corruption is getting worse, that the government is not doing enough about it, and that if you report corruption, you will face serious consequences. Nearly 70 per cent said “most or all” Ugandan police are corrupt.
To remain popular and in power, President Museveni cannot claim good economic management of the country. Nor can he claim he is tough on corruption. He can claim, however, that with his world-beating anti-gay laws, he’s keeping Ugandans safe from… gay soccer teams. Yes, I’m making light of a terrible situation, but it’s no less absurd than Museveni’s own stated reason for the law, being, that homosexuality threatens the “procreation of the human race”. The global population just hit 8 billion. Uganda’s popular is currently 45 million and is expected to reach 141 million by 2065.
So it’s pretty easy to draw a line here and suggest that Museveni is using scare tactics and populism to maintain power. By creating a false threat and then being seen to act against it, he appears strong and capable, and distracts everyone from the fact that the country’s wealth is not trickling down to them and that life is a struggle. It is, however, the LGBTQIA+ people of Uganda who will carry this terrible and unjust burden.
I wanted to write something light and uplifting this month about our sexy swimwear issue or about celebrating Pride, but the Ugandan situation weighed heavily on my mind. As we celebrate Pride, and how much we’ve achieved, let’s also remember that the struggle continues elsewhere.
Andrew Creagh, Founding Editor
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