*Born Gay, Not Recruited, Proclaims Queer Ugandan Activist
Hans Senfuma risks his life to oppose Uganda’s notorious anti-homosexuality act.
Despite Uganda having some of the harshest anti-gay laws, Hans Senfuma, a gay Ugandan, regularly advocates for the entire queer community. The activist has recently said that “our sexualities and identities have never needed permission to shine”. His posts typically feature him holding a sign with a statement like “The LGBTIQ+ community is not a threat to the society or the children” or “Born gay, not recruited”.
These signs challenge harmful and common misperceptions of the LGBTQ+ community such as us confusing children or wanting to recruit them into the community. Additionally, Senfuma challenges religious homophobia by saying that God loves “gays, trans, lesbians” and regularly calls on Uganda’s government to stop persecuting queer Ugandans.
In 2023, the first prosecution for “aggravated homosexuality” took place. This charge is for having sex with someone of the same gender who is HIV positive, under the age of 18, over the age of 75, or disabled. Even if a hypothetical partner does not meet any of these criteria, one can still land a charge of aggravated homosexuality if they are a “serial offender”. In the case of children who are convicted under the anti-homosexuality act, their prison sentences are three years or less. Meanwhile, the anti-homosexuality act does not consider consent a defense against a charge of aggravated homosexuality.
Identifying as gay or queer isn’t criminalized itself, but Uganda’s anti-homosexuality act leaves little room for expression. Attempts to conduct, enter, or even attend same-sex marriages can result in a prison sentence of up to ten years. Meanwhile, “promoting homosexuality” or even just allowing people to be openly queer in a business or rental property can land someone in prison for up to 20 years.
The act even says that citizens have a “duty to report acts of homosexuality”. Those who fail to report acts of homosexuality can be imprisoned for up to 5 years or fined five thousand (5,000) “currency points”. This fine is around $1.38 in US currency, but with Uganda’s average monthly income around 81 USD per capita, such a fine can be a significant setback. Fears of legal consequences can incentivize witch hunts among Ugandans, even though making a false accusation can lead to a one year prison sentence.
In a recent Instagram video, Senfuma advised other persecuted queer people to maintain hope as well as “engage in educating and advocating for acceptance” across the world, especially in countries with lower levels of queer acceptance. In Uganda, the anti homosexuality act has created a “hostile environment” in which many people are afraid to seek “essential services” such as HIV testing and treatment. This leaves as many as 39% of queer Ugandans reporting discrimination and many more avoiding seeking healthcare.
By simply holding signs and talking openly about queerness, Senfuma risks a lengthy prison sentence of 20 years or more for publishing materials that could be interpreted as “material that promotes homosexuality”. A simple post could land him in prison or in a grave. Facing the death penalty is a reality that people charged under the anti-homosexuality act can face, especially if they are prominent activists. Since the last execution in Uganda took place in 2005, however, the death penalty has not been enforced.
Although the death penalty has not been enforced for the infamous anti-homosexuality act yet, that does not mean that it won’t ever be enforced. Additionally, the act allows — or even encourages — private citizens to enforce it via acts of intimidation, violence, and discrimination. Thus, the act grants immunity to people who act aggressively against their fellow countrymen. They just have to suspect that their victim is queer, even if there is no evidence that they have engaged in any sexual acts.
When Steven Kabuye, another gay Ugandan activist, was attacked with a knife, he blamed the attack on a climate of intolerance. Kabuye believes that scapegoating queer Ugandans distracts all Ugandans from “what is really happening in the country”. Additionally, several Ugandan landlords have evicted residents that they suspected of being gay. One father even “removed some of the iron sheets” from the roof of his son’s house insisting that he was “no longer able to put up with the shame of having a homosexual child”. This decision to remove parts of the roof left the son and part of the property “exposed to the elements”. Despite reporting the matter to the police, the son was not given any assistance and was forced to flee.
In April of 2023, President Museveni and First Lady Janet Museveni met with Sharon Slater and members of her organization Family Watch International, a far-right organization based in Arizona. They were at the first African Regional Inter-Parliamentary Conference in Entebbe, Uganda. That year, the conference focused on “global challenges that threaten African families and values”. Janet Museveni even echoed far-right American language when she expressed “concern” about “harmful practices like homosexuality”. The organization later denied lobbying for the anti-homosexuality act.
Many Africans, including Hans Senfuma himself, slam anti-queer laws like the anti-homosexuality act as “un-African” despite claims that these laws protect Africa from Western “sexual colonization”. In framing queerness as a foreign import rather than an integral part of African history, many countries like Uganda manufacture consent for these laws to pass. When laws like the anti-homosexuality act get passed, they don’t get rid of queer people. Instead, they plunge the entire country into repression and misery, not just queer people.
When Poland created “LGBT-free zones”, suicide attempts increased by 16.5% and completed suicides increased by 17% in these zones. In addition to that, the minority stress created by discriminatory laws led to increased negative health outcomes for LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies. Conversely, when anti-discriminatory policies are adopted, these policies decrease rates of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health issues. In addition to that, a 2019 study found that, for each additional protection for sexual minorities, countries gain around $320 per capita in their GDP.
Anti-LGBTQ+ laws like Uganda’s anti-homosexuality act are heavily correlated with authoritarianism around the world. In fact, stoking fear of sexual and gender minorities has been a popular strategy among right-wing politicians around the world. In doing so, these politicians scapegoat queer people by diverting attention away from real issues like corruption and towards an ultimately unproductive culture war. This tactic has been observed in the US as well as in Brazil, Poland, Hungary, and other countries around the world.
