Australia Slams Uganda’s New Anti-Gay Law

Australia’s Foreign Affairs Penny Wong called out Uganda’s new anti-gay law that includes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality”.

Wong, who is out gay, joined other world leaders including US President Joe Biden and Canadian President Justin Trudeau in condemning the draconian legislation.

“Australia is deeply troubled by Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023,” Wong said in a post on Twitter.

“It is a shocking reversal of human rights, a grave threat to lives and risks decades of health and development progress. Australia stands with the people of Uganda, including the LGBTQIA+ community,” said Wong. 

Australia is deeply troubled by Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023.

It is a shocking reversal of human rights, a grave threat to lives and risks decades of health and development progress.

Australia stands with the people of Uganda, including the LGBTQIA+ community.

— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) May 30, 2023

Uganda Enacts Draconian Anti-Gay Law

Earlier this week, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni signed the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2003 into law. 

Uganda already punishes same-sex acts with life imprisonment. The new law punishes attempted same-sex acts with 10 years imprisonment and imposes a jail term of up to 20 years for those convicted of “promoting homosexuality”. 

It punishes so-called “aggravated homosexuality” with the death penalty. Under the law, aggravated homosexuality includes an HIV-positive person having gay sex with another person. 

According to Equality Australia, the law is one of the harshest anti-LGBTQI laws in the world. 

“It’s devastating to see the threats against LGBTIQ+ people around the world. The laws in Uganda are shocking and an unjust attack by a powerful government on a small community,” Anna Brown, CEO of Equality Australia said in a statement. 

“These laws put members of our community at immediate risk, and I am gravely concerned for the safety of LGBT+ people in Uganda. My thoughts are with the LGBT community in Uganda and for anyone who is asking what they can do, groups are currently working to evacuate people at most urgent risk and get funding to people on the ground. They need our urgent and direct support.”

 ‘Impose Sanctions On Uganda’

LGBTQI organisation Just.Equal Australia called on the federal government to respond “forcefully” against the new law, including imposing sanctions on Uganda and the country’s leaders. 

“Australia has a key role to play in defeating this contemptible law and in protecting the human rights of LGBTIQA+ Ugandans,”  Just. Equal spokesperson Rodney Croome said in a press statement. “It must speak out publicly and impose restrictions and sanctions on Ugandan officials.”

Croome said Australia should restrict the entry of Ugandan leaders and officials involved in implementing the new law and urged the government to increase the intake of LBTQI asylum seekers from Uganda. 

“The Australian Government only received refugee applications from seven LGBTIQA+ Ugandans in the five years between July 1st 2018 and May 17th 2023, despite ongoing persecution in that country,” said Croome.

“Australia must make it clearer it is a safe place for LGBTIQA+ Ugandan refugees and work more closely with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to support applications from those refugees.”