Ahead of Mother’s Day on Sunday and facing the risk of criminal penalties for “promotion of homosexuality,” a group of Ugandan mothers of LGBTQ+ people are gathering on Thursday to call for protection, dignity, and equal rights for their families, Human Rights Watch and Chapter Four Uganda said today.

The protest occurs under the shadow of Uganda’s draconian Anti-Homosexuality Act, which includes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” and up to 20 years in prison for “promoting homosexuality.”

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High Court rules in favor of men tortured for alleged homosexuality in victory for LGBTQ+ Ugandans
Ugandans have been living under a brutal anti-homosexuality law for the past year.

The so-called “Kill the Gays” bill was signed into law in May 2023 and upheld by Uganda’s High Court in April 2024.

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“Ugandan mothers are speaking out to demonstrate that supporting the rights of LGBT people is not incompatible with family or African values,” said Larissa Kojoué, researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The Anti-Homosexuality Act does not just endanger LGBT individuals, it places serious strain on their families, particularly mothers, who are usually the primary caregivers and often bear the emotional and social consequences of their children’s pain.”

In concert with the demonstration, Human Rights Watch and PFLAG-Uganda released a short documentary and narrative about the mothers’ struggle to protect their children.

“These mothers are showing what courage and care look like under repression,” said Clare Byarugaba, founder of PFLAG-Uganda. “Their experiences highlight how Uganda’s anti-LGBT law harms not only individuals, but entire families, which the country is mandated to protect under Article 19 of Uganda’s Constitution. Their message is rooted in hope that their resistance will inspire others in Africa to stand in solidarity and create a safe environment for all.”

The protest comes ahead of a Human Rights Watch report examining the impact of the Anti-Homosexuality Act. After the law came into force in May 2023, local groups reported that the LGBTQ+ community in Uganda experienced increased attacks and discrimination by government officials, vigilantes, and others who describe homosexuality as “degenerate” and the product of nefarious Western influences. 

President Yoweri Museveni congratulated lawmakers who stood up to “international pressure and shielded Uganda’s moral fabric during the passing of the bill.”

In a letter petitioning Museveni not to sign the legislation in 2023, a group of seven Ugandan mothers wrote: “We are not promoters of any agenda; we are Ugandan mothers who have had to overcome many of our own biases to fully understand, accept, and love our children.”

A surge in abuse against the LGBTQ+ community began in Uganda before the “Kill the Gays” bill was even signed — including mob attacks, rape, extortion, and torture. Museveni’s signature on the legislation only emboldened and legally endorsed those anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments in defiance of human rights organizations and Western governments.

LGBTQ+ people have been summarily rounded up and arrested based on “tips” from neighbors. In January last year, prominent Ugandan LGBTQ+ rights activist Steven Kabuye was stabbed and left for dead outside his home by two men on a motorcycle who had been following him for a number of days. 

In October, Open for Business, a coalition of global companies dedicated to LGBTQ+ inclusion, released a report on the law’s impact on the East African nation’s economy.

“It is estimated that in the twelve months following the AHA’s passage, Uganda has made an economic loss of between $470 million and $1.6 billion,” according to the report. The latter figure amounts to 3.2% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

In 2023, President Joe Biden announced Uganda’s expulsion from a U.S.-Africa trade pact for “gross violations of internationally recognized human rights” following implementation of the Kill the Gays law. He called for the law’s repeal.

In a rare legal victory for LGBTQ+ people in the country, Uganda’s High Court in November ruled in favor of a group of 20 gay men who were tortured by police in 2020. Their arrests came after a private residence was “invaded by a mob,” according to the ruling.

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