Uganda dominates international media headlines after passing the anti-homosexuality bill

 Uganda has dominated all news headlines across the world after the country's parliament passed the anti-homosexuality bill on Tuesday 21st.

All  the major international news agencies have made the passing of the anti-homosexuality bill in Uganda a headline story.

Parliament  passed sweeping antigay legislation that proposes tough new penalties for same-sex relationships and criminalises anyone identifying as LGBTQ.


“The ayes have it,” Parliamentary Speaker Anita Annet Among said after the final vote, adding that the “bill passed in record time”.

Legislators amended significant portions of the original draft law, with all but one speaking against the bill. Supporters of the tough legislation say it is needed to punish a broader array of LGBTQ activities, which they say threaten traditional values of Ugandans.

The legislation will now be sent to President Yoweri Museveni to be signed into law.



Discussion about the bill in parliament was heated up with politicians conflating child sexual abuse with consensual same-sex activity between adults.

“Our creator God is happy [about] what is happening … I support the bill to protect the future of our children,” legislator David Bahati said during the debate on the bill.

“This is about the sovereignty of our nation, nobody should blackmail us, nobody should intimidate us.”

In addition to same-sex intercourse, the law bans promoting and abetting homosexuality as well as conspiracy to engage in homosexuality.

Violations under the law also involve steep penalties, including death for aggravated homosexuality and life in prison for gay sex. Aggravated homosexuality involves gay sex with people under 18 years old or when a person is HIV positive, among other categories, according to the law.