On May 30, 2023, Uganda enacted the Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2023 (Act No. 6 of 2023) — a sweeping law that criminalizes consensual same-sex relations, perceived "promotion of homosexuality," and a wide range of artistic, media, and digital expressions.
This law isn’t just an attack on LGBTQ+ persons — it is a full-blown assault on freedom of expression, artistic creativity, digital rights, and civil society. Its chilling effect is already being felt across Uganda's creative industry, media houses, human rights NGOs, and online platforms.
Under Section 11 of the Act, anyone — including artists, filmmakers, social media users, NGO staff, journalists, and youth advocates — who so much as “encourages,” “publishes,” or “distributes” content deemed to “promote homosexuality” faces up to 20 years in prison. Even funding or renting space to someone doing this is criminalized.
This law violates:
- Article 29 of the Ugandan Constitution: which protects freedom of expression, association, thought, and belief.
- The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights: specifically Article 9 (freedom of expression) and Article 10 (freedom of association).
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR): especially Articles 19 and 20 on the rights to opinion, expression, and peaceful assembly.
It also contradicts Uganda’s commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).
