Uganda passes horror bill to outlaw LGBTIQ people's existenceUganda have voted to criminalise LGBTIQ people's very existence under a bill that is one of the most oppressive anti-LGBTIQ legislations
by Mambaonline.com
23-03-2023 10:43
in LGBTQIA
MPs in Uganda overwhelmingly passed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill on Tuesday. Photo: Mambaonline
Lawmakers in Uganda have voted to criminalise LGBTIQ people's very existence under a bill that is one of the most oppressive anti-LGBTIQ legislations in the world.
--
The new bill will make identifying as LGBTIQ illegal in Uganda
Even children could be jailed if they engage in same-sex acts
People who provide accommodation to LGBTIQ also face jail time
There are calls for President Museveni to veto the bill
On Tuesday, the Ugandan Parliament overwhelmingly passed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2023.
If signed by President Yoweri Museveni, the bill will add to the already existing colonial-era ban on homosexuality.
ALSO READ: Namibia: Supreme Court keeps gay couple's son in limbo
--
The bill's provisions are shockingly broad and infringe on almost every aspect of LGBTIQ existence.
These acts include promotion of homosexuality and the recruitment of children into homosexuality which have been blamed for the rising incidents of homosexuality in Uganda, said the Chairperson of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, Robina Rwakoojo.
Under the bill's provisions, a person who publicly identifies as LGBTIQ could face 20 years in prison.
According to Uganda's Parliament, the bill also imposes a life sentence in prison for an individual convicted of committing the offence of homosexuality, while the attempt to engage in same-sex sex will attract a seven-year prison term.
--
This deeply repressive legislation will institutionalise discrimination, hatred, and prejudice against LGBTI people Anyone who takes part or assists in a same-sex marriage will be liable to a 10-year prison sentence. So-called aggravated homosexuality can be punished with the death penalty.
ALSO READ: Prof Tim Noakes slammed for homophobic cartoon retweet
Even children could be jailed if they engage in same-sex acts The owner, occupier or manager of premises who knowingly allows their premises to be used for acts of homosexuality will face a 10-year prison sentence.
Any legal entity convicted of promoting homosexuality will pay a major fine of shs1 billion (around US$ 265,000).
Horrifyingly, the bill also provides for a three-year imprisonment for a child convicted of the act of homosexuality.
During the debate on the bill, MP Sarah Opendi mirrored the widespread ignorance about human sexuality in Ugandan society and equated gay people with paedophiles.
She told the speaker that even life imprisonment is not adequate and asserted that these people should be castrated!
MP Fox Odoi Oywelowo presented a minority report saying that the bill is misconceived and duplicates provisions that exist in other laws. It is therefore, the position of the minority that the provisions of the bill, if passed into law will infringe on the rights of Ugandans specifically freedom of expression, association and liberty Oywelowo said.
ALSO READ: Masc gay men discriminate against fem gay men in the workplace
The legislation will be sent to President Museveni who recently described gay people as deviants .
He has the option of vetoing the bill or signing it into law. If it is signed, Museveni and his country will face considerable international backlash.
News of the bill's passage was met with alarm from human rights activists and groups.
Pan Africa ILGA said the bill is another way of using the law to punish people who cause no harm but for being who they are .
It called on the international community, including UN agencies and bodies, diplomatic missions and donor agencies to Uganda, to condemn the bill. They should boycott every attempt by Uganda to discriminate against sexual and gender minorities who cause no harm for being human, said the group.
ALSO READ: Adoption of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill welcomed
Amnesty International called for President Museveni to urgently veto the legislation. This deeply repressive legislation will institutionalise discrimination, hatred, and prejudice against LGBTI people, including those who are perceived to be LGBTI and block the legitimate work of civil society, public health professionals, and community leaders, said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty's Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.
Ugandan LGBTIQ activist Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera defiantly tweeted in response to the bill: I am a lesbian daughter of the soil. Deal with it. Will jail stop me from my feelings towards beautiful women? Your fundamentalism can't work on me.
Article by Roberto Igual
This article was initially published on MAMBAonlie.com
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES BY Mambaonline.com
SOAPIE QUIZ: How well do you know Gqeberha: The Empire'? ENTER HERE & WIN R1 000 in cash!
Africa Stories
02/10/2026
01 October 2026 | Johannesburg, South Africa - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an entity of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), is ...
01/10/2026
Johannesburg, South Africa, 30 September 2026 - The National Film and Video Foun...
23/09/2026
1. ABOUT THE PROGRAMME
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites applications from experienced producers who own or manage a South African product...
23/09/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce the opening...
17/09/2026
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), in partnership with the Nation...
16/09/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites eligible South African pro...
09/09/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites eligible Tier 1 and 2 South African production companies to submit proposals to serve as the Facilitating ...
05/09/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
18/08/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
15/08/2026
14 August 2026 | Johannesburg - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), a...
14/08/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Ar...
08/08/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
28/07/2026
27 July 2026, Johannesburg - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an a...
20/07/2026
The NFVF, an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, has released t...
09/07/2026
08 July 2026, Johannesburg - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an a...
06/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
01/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
10/06/2026
Production and Development Funding supports the creation of compelling, commercially viable, artistic and culturally relevant South African screen content. Deve...
09/06/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is a statutory body mandated to spearhead the equitable growth and development of the South African film and video...
19/05/2026
Press Release
18 May 2026, Johannesburg South Africa has been selected as the...
24/04/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
01/04/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
26/03/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), has been tasked with administering the Sixth Presi...
24/03/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites eligible Tier 1 and 2 South African production companies to submit proposals to serve as the Facilitating ...
15/03/2026
Johannesburg, 14 March 2026 - On 13 and 14 March 2026, the 19th Annual South Afr...
12/03/2026
Johannesburg, 11 March 2026 - The 19th Annual South African Film and Television ...
03/03/2026
Click here for isiXhosa version.
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites aspiring and emerging filmmakers from Matatiele and surrounding areas to...
17/02/2026
Johannesburg, 17 February 2026 - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), ...
09/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture and custodian of the SAFTAs, is calling on all South Afri...
09/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
09/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the call for training provider submissions is open. This funding aims to award grants ...
06/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
04/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites final-year animation students to participate in an exclusive creative showcase at the Annecy International...
02/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in partnership with the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), is calling for applications from experienced Sou...
29/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in collaboration with a distribut...
28/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in partnership with the Oudtshoorn Municipality, invites aspiring and emerging filmmakers to apply for the Sediba...
20/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
07/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in collaboration with a distributor, is commissioning new micro-budget fiction feature films and invites eligible...
31/10/2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
30 October 2025
It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of Segomotso Keorapetse, an award- winning South African television d...
29/10/2025
It's not the wonders of the world that make a place; it's the people. As...
07/10/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
02/10/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce the opening...
30/09/2025
Johannesburg, South Africa, 29 September 2025: The National Film and Video Found...
26/09/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation, an agency of the Department of Sport, Ar...
26/09/2025
https://www.nfvf.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/fully-Inclusive-nfvf-invitatio...
29/08/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
Uganda passes horror bill to outlaw LGBTIQ people's existenceUganda have voted to criminalise LGBTIQ people's very existence under a bill that is one of the most oppressive anti-LGBTIQ legislations
