LGBT rights in Uganda

LGBT rights in Uganda covers the legal and social conditions of LGBT people living in Uganda.

LGBT life in Uganda
Homosexuality is regarded as a taboo in Uganda (as it is in many other parts of Africa), a country whose LGBT population is estimated to be 500,000. Homosexuality has been referred to as "carnal knowledge of another against the order of nature" by the Ugandan government.

Penal Code Act 1950 (revised)

“Any person who— (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; (b) has carnal knowledge of an animal; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature, commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment for life.”
 * § 145 (sexually neutral)

“Any person who, whether in public or in private, commits any act of gross indecency with another person or procures another person to commit any act of gross indecency with him or her or attempts to procure the commission of any such act by any person with himself or herself or with another person, whether in public or in private, commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment for seven years.”
 * § 148 (sexually neutral)

Other: § 146 prohibits “attempts“ to commit offence specified in § 145 [7 years]

According to Jessica Stern of Human Rights Watch, "For years, President Yoweri Museveni's government routinely threatens and vilifies lesbians and gays, and subjects sexual rights activists to harassment." The U.S. State Department's 2006 Country Report on Human Rights for Uganda stated that homosexuals "faced widespread discrimination and legal restrictions." It is illegal for homosexuals to engage in sexual acts; the maximum sentence for engaging in such acts is life imprisonment.

Gays and lesbians face discrimination and harassment at the hands of the media, police, teachers, and other groups; in fact, a Ugandan newspaper, The Red Pepper, published a list of allegedly gay men, many of whom suffered harassment as a result.

Radio Simba was fined over $1,000 and forced to issue a public apology after hosting homosexuals on a live talk show; Information Minister Nsaba Buturo said the measure reflected Ugandans' wish to uphold "God's moral values." "We are not going to give them the opportunity to recruit others," he added.

Earlier that year, Human Rights Watch reported that Uganda's "abstinence-until-marriage" HIV programs "intrinsically discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation."

Ban on same-sex marriages
On September 29, 2005, President Museveni signed into law a constitutional amendment proscribing same-sex marriages, making Uganda the second country in the world to do so. According to the amendment, “marriage is lawful only if entered into between a man and a woman,” and “it is unlawful for same-sex couples to marry"