Just before the law was passed, members of the Fòs Feminista alliance sent this letter to President Museveni to explain why the Anti-homosexuality Bill could have terrible effects on the people of Uganda. The letter is available in 4 languages.
Dear President Museveni
We write to you as Fòs Feminista: International Alliance for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice representing more than two hundred organizations worldwide, to urge you to not assent to any version of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill that the Ugandan parliament passed on March 21, 2023. We strongly oppose the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which is a brutal attack on the people of Uganda and contributes to a global setback for human rights, gender equality, and public health in Uganda.
The Anti-Homosexuality Bill instills fear, insecurity, and violence. LGBTQI people across Uganda have already suffered direct and indirect attacks because of passage of the legislation. This includes blackmail, social exclusion, fear of attending health clinics, and violence.
Criminalization of individuals based on their identity is not only a violation of human rights, but also an affront to public health. Countries across Africa that criminalize LGBTQI people have a higher prevalence of HIV compared to countries that do not criminalize people for their sexual and gender identity. Discriminatory laws and policies like the Anti-Homosexuality Bill halt progress on public health efforts like HIV and AIDS, end lives, and ultimately harm the entire society.
As Global South-led organizations, we do not want to see you codify attacks on LGBTQI people brought to our communities through colonization. Around the world, countries are repealing archaic colonial policies that inspire violence against LGBTQI people. Angola, Botswana, Cook Islands, Gabon, Lesotho, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, and Singapore, and have all recently repealed colonial-era measures attacking LGBTQI people in acts of national sovereignty. Additionally, some countries like Bolivia, Fiji, and South Africa have taken further steps with their respective constitutions by prohibiting unfair discrimination on the grounds of gender identity and sexual orientation. Under your leadership, Uganda has the potential to emulate these rights too.
The Anti-Homosexuality Bill curtails Uganda’s democratic efforts by inhibiting civil society organizations from equally and meaningfully participating in civic and political spaces. The shrinking of civil society and scapegoating of intentionally marginalized communities like LGBTQI people is not only a symptom of backsliding democracies and authoritarian governments but a core component of it. If signed, the Anti-Homosexuality Bill threatens all Ugandan civil society organizations working at the nexus of health, human rights, and democracy, impeding their work to advance social change, including to uphold the right to health in Uganda.
We urge you, President Museveni, to not assent to any version of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill and instead take action to prohibit discrimination and violence against LGBTQI people.
As a transnational connector of feminist movements and organizations, we call on you to ensure that all people in Uganda, including LGBTQI people, have the support, information, and services they need to make their own choices about their bodies, sexuality, and lives.
Sincerely,
ANFAM
Anis – Institute of Bioethics
Asociación Chilena de Protección de la Familia – APROFA
Asociación Civil de Planificación Familiar – PLAFAM
Asociación Coordinadora de la Mujer
Asociación Panameña para el Planeamiento de la Familia – APLAFA
ASTRA Network on SRHR
Centro de Asesoría y Acompañamiento de las Mujeres, Siempreviva
Centro Ecuatoriano para la Promoción y Acción de las Mujeres – CEPAM Guayaquil
CIES
Corporación Miles
Diverse Voices and Action (DIVA) for Equality
Education as a Vaccine – EVA
Fòs Feminista
Foundation for Women and Family Planning
Fundación Halü Bienestar Humano
Generation Initiative for Women and Youth Network – GIWYN
INCODESI
Kenya Sex Workers Alliance
Lesbianas y Feministas por el Derecho a la Información – Línea aborto Chiapas
Mujeres Indígenas por CIARENA
Odara Instituto da Mulher Negra
PROFAMIL Haiti
Red de Mujeres Afrolatinoamericanas, Afrocaribeñas y de la Diáspora
Red de Acceso al Aborto Seguro – REDAAS
The YP Foundation
Women for a Change
Women for Women’s Human Rights – WWHR
Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights – WGNRR
Women´s International Network for Guatemalan Solutions – WINGS
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