Immigration Equality Executive Director Slams Uganda’s Anti-LGBTQ Bill

New York, NY (April 21, 2023)— Uganda’s Parliament is making final changes to a sweeping anti-LGBTQ bill passed with near unanimous support last month. The legislation—which punishes same-sex relations with life in prison and in some cases the death penalty—will then return to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni for final approval.

Immigration Equality’s Executive Director, Aaron C. Morris, responded with the following statement: 

 “We are appalled by the Ugandan Parliament’s passage of extreme anti-LGBTQ legislation, and we call on President Museveni to veto the bill immediately. If enacted, this bill would codify life-threatening discrimination against queer Ugandans, people who already face violence and murder simply for existing.

“Immigration Equality has represented many clients from Uganda in their asylum claims. So many of them survived unspeakable persecution from their families and their government, including beatings, imprisonment, and ostracism. No one should ever be subject to such violence. 

“This horrific bill sanctions and condones egregious human rights violations—sentencing LGBTQ people to death or life in prison. It is an all-out assault on queer people, and carries the severest penalties for people living with HIV. This move will result in the murder of LGBTQ people, and will scare many away from seeking HIV care for fear of being arrested.” 

“As countries in the world promote state-sanctioned persecution of LGBTQ individuals, it is crucial for the U.S. government not only to condemn these attacks, but also to take proactive steps to provide safe haven for queer refugees in the United States. Immigration Equality will do everything in our power to ensure that U.S. immigration laws continue to protect the LGBTQ community from deportation to places where it is fundamentally unsafe.”