Why Uganda's Anti-LGBTQ Law Is Bad for Africa | Opinion
death sentence in some instances. In Kenya, we knew this moment would come. Since the Ugandan Parliament passed this measure, we've been girding ourselves for the aftermath.
Its hateful influence, however, has been reverberating for months.We saw it when protests erupted across Kenya after our Supreme Court ruled that LGBTQ rights groups could register as nongovernmental organizations (at one rally, a young boy could be heard shouting, "Behead LGBT people.").
We saw it when politicians took to social media to condemn same-sex relations (already illegal in Kenya). And we see it in the egregious anti-LGBTQ bill now making its way through our parliament—the latest sign that another wave of homophobia is sweeping across East Africa.This bigotry is not homegrown.
It is fueled by Western conservative Christian groups. In fact, the organizers behind the recent protests here have been linked to the passage of Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act as well as an orchestrated push for other African nations to follow suit.Grassroots activists in Kenya are banding together to protect the LGBTQ community, but we cannot fight this battle alone.
