US “Family Values” Lobby Is In The Middle Of Uganda, Kenya And Ghana’s Anti-LGBTQIA+ Push
A fresh wave of anti-LGBTQIA+ proposals across Uganda, Kenya, and Ghana has not only tightened legislation, but it has also raised a bigger question about influence. Activists and lawyers point to a United States-based group, Family Watch International, as pivotal in driving these anti-gay laws. The connection was the focus of a CNN investigation.
The group at the centre of the claims.
Family Watch International (FWI), led by Sharon Slater, describe its work as promoting “family values, while critics argue it exports culture-war politics. Reporting and research published around the same period shows Slater and the group meeting senior Ugandan figures, including Uganda’s first lady, Janet Museveni, in early 2023.
Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, signed in 2023, created some of the harshest penalties on the continent and expanded what can be punished, including speech and support. The law imposes life imprisonment or even the death penalty for certain same-sex conduct.
In April 2024, Uganda’s Constitutional Court upheld most of the law, even as rights groups warned it would deepen fear and violence. Human Rights Watch later reported that abuses rose after the law took effect.
In Kenya, same-sex sexual activity between men is already criminalised, with penalties that can reach 14 years’ imprisonment. A proposed Family Protection Bill would go further, with advocates warning it mirrors parts of Uganda’s approach by widening offences and limiting rights tied to privacy and assembly.
There is credible reporting and analysis from multiple independent sources that Family Watch International (FWI) has been actively involved in influencing attitudes and policy around LGBTQ+ rights in several African countries. Rights groups and activists accuse it of lobbying or otherwise supporting efforts that contributed to anti-gay legislation. FWI denies those claims.
FWI, registered as a nonprofit in the US, campaigns internationally against homosexuality, abortion, contraception, and sex education.
The group has hosted and sponsored conferences and training attended by African parliamentarians and diplomats, where conservative “family values” agendas are promoted, including opposition to LGBTQ+ rights.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, a U.S. civil rights watchdog, designates Family Watch International as a hate group because it promotes anti-LGBTQ+ positions and pseudoscientific claims about homosexuality.
Ghana’s parliament passed the Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill in February 2024, but it was held back while legal challenges played out. In March 2025, Reuters reported lawmakers reintroduced the bill after it had not been signed into law before the previous president’s term ended.
