The Bill
Uganda just passed a new law in 2023 called the Anti-Homosexuality Act. It restricts freedom of speech on LGBT topics, gives out tough punishments for gay acts like life in prison or even the death penalty for worse cases (think of sex offending acts like abuse of authority or intimidation), and bans any efforts to promote homosexuality, with up to 20 years in jail.
Most people in Uganda support the bill, and President Museveni signed it into law on May 26, 2023, after reading it multiple times in Parliament and after earlier versions were turned down.
For example, Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act that was signed in 2014, tried to make same-sex relations criminal, with penalties up to death—though that was later cut back to life in prison—but the courts struck it down that year.
In 2021, Uganda also passed a Sexual Offences Bill that made same-sex relationships illegal, but Museveni put a stop to it, saying that it looked too much like already existing laws.
On 21 March 2023, the anti-gay bill of Uganda was officially passed.
The highest maximum penalty is for promoting homosexuality, which means imprisonment for 20 years. This includes organizing Pride marches, supporting an LGBT member and displaying an LGBT flag on your house.
Many countries like the US, UK, Canada, Germany, the EU are criticizing these laws.
Amnesty International has described the bill, which criminalizes consensual same-sex relationships between adults, as “appalling,” “ambiguous,” and “vaguely worded”.
The organisation also claimed this bill violates the human rights of all people, including:
- Rights to equality and non-discrimination
- Protection of personal liberty
- Protection from cruel or degrading treatment
- Privacy
The Impact
This bill has had a massive impact on all of us.
One girl of our community had the dream to become a music artist when living in Uganda.
At 25 years old, she lived there with fellow upcoming artists who used to appear at different music events and perform as caten raisers.
One day, over twenty young artists, including her, were in their usual rented space. With police and army patrols ramping up before elections, security suddenly targeted protesters. Police entered, searched their rooms, and found LGBTQ and trans flags, leading to arrests. She narrowly escaped with her housemates.
From then on, she had to hide, as police sought them. The next day, the District Police Commander announced they were cracking down on homosexuals with LGBTQ and trans flags in their homes. Fearful, she desperately sought a way to escape.
That’s how she found herself in Kenya ,where she encountered two painful years of struggle.
She was not helped but instead chased away, and in the end of 2023 she decided to go anywhere else where she could find safety.
Current situation
Currently she is living in the Gorom Refugees camp in South Sudan, where her life is in danger.
The situation in Gorom is so terrifying that the government plus the host community didn’t know their gender identity in the beginning, but with time they found out that LGBTQ folks are existing in Gorom South Sudan. This has led to the collapse of Across, the organization that had registered their cases in secret and many government officials have lost their jobs because of helping LGBTQ folks. Right now the government plus the host community are forcing them to evacuate without any assistance and the UNHCR (who supplied them with food and other necessities) can also do nothing, since they are out of funds.
Evacuation
So, the lives of the community living in the Gorom Refugees camp is in danger! They need to evacuate as soon as possible, since anyone found in the camp can be imprisoned or deported.
I beg you to support us all with funds, so we can leave town and hopefully find safety at last!
The Impact
But the bill itself is not the only reason why we fled. Even before the bill passed through, some of us were outed against our will, and the community wanted to kill us because of it. Whether it was because of religion or other reasons, they made it very clear they didn’t want us in their lives.
One of us got outed to her biological parents, and that did not end up well. Her parents told her she had ashamed her family, and she became a target for them. She had started her small retail shop, but it got attacked and burnt. As if the denial of acceptance from her parents wasn’t enough, she lost everything she had worked so hard for and had to flee.
She had to escape to Kenya where she lived for three years, in very harsh circumstances. Kenya is no longer accepting any case of LGBTQ issues from 2023 until now, so she had to leave before it got worse. Because LGBTQ folks were attacked and injured constantly, and we even lost lives inside the Kakuma Refugee Camp Kenya. So we saw no option but to flee again.
War
We fled to South Sudan, but with not much luck, since the country fell at war. All around the camp was war, we were even attacked and had to run from bullets, it was terrible.
Since we’re LGBTQ, we didn’t have access to work, so we relied on an Agency who gave us very little resources. Eventually we were given ten days leave, or else we would be imprisoned or deported.
Some of us are still in the Gorom Refugee camp, as they cannot afford any transportation to evacuate.
The other part fled to Juba Town, but with not much luck either. We face a lot of discrimination, racism and homo- and transphobia, so we have to hide indoors and risk our lives if we have to get outside. It’s terribly hard to get a job here, because we are not from here so we don’t speak the language.
And we are very much willing to learn the language, but that might take a while.
Meanwhile, we’re here, hidden and we’re starving so, so much.
Please help us get our resources and funds, so we can survive!
We’re living in a place where rain leaks into the house, with no materials to fix it.
Trigger Warning: Weaponized attack. LGBTQ refugees flee from bullets.