The last two weeks have been a dark time for the LGBTQ+ community in Uganda. As the United States and several other nations celebrate Pride Month this June, advocates in Uganda have been reeling from President Yoweri Museveni’s signing of the Anti-Homosexuality Act, one of the harshest anti-LGBTQ+ laws worldwide. The law imposes the death penalty for certain acts. Some Ugandans began fleeing the country in the weeks before the new law was enacted, and others may follow. But the law, widely condemned by international organizations and foreign leaders, is unlikely to be a major driver of emigration, in part because Uganda was already considered rather hostile to LGBTQ+ rights (a similar law, also widely condemned, was struck down by the courts in 2014) and because neighboring countries offer scarcely more protections. Yet it is a sign of the increasingly bifurcated global landscape for LGBTQ+ rights, with wide-ranging repercussions for people on the move. LGBTQ+ rights remain under threat worldwide, even as they have gained some ground in the West. Sixty-four countries—mostly in Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia—criminalize homosexual acts, of which eight (including Uganda) list the death penalty as possible punishment. In places such as Uganda, the issue is often tied to complicated debates about colonialism, religion, patriarchy, and liberalism. Persecution based on sexuality and gender identity may constitute grounds for asylum in certain instances and certain countries, but protections are not always guaranteed. Applicants must typically offer evidence to support their claim, which can be tricky given its sensitive nature. In recent years, Dutch authorities reassessed the cases of dozens of Ugandans granted asylum on suspicion that their sexual orientation was faked. Regardless of the reasons they fled, LGBTQ+ asylum seekers often face stigma and challenges in their new destinations. This was the case, for instance, for some Ukrainians who arrived in places such as Hungary and Poland, which the European Union has condemned for discriminatory laws. Still, there are signs of progress in other areas, particularly for other categories of people on the move. Last month, Mexico became the latest country to offer passports not specifying the holder’s gender or offering a third option such as an X marker, part of a growing trend that C.L. Quinan described in the Migration Information Source. Increasing recognition of same-sex marriages—including those performed abroad—has also had a profound impact on families’ ability to live and travel together. Days before Museveni signed Uganda’s new law, for instance, Namibia’s high court ruled the government must recognize legal unions of same-sex couples performed abroad, offering a legal victory to couples of mixed nationalities. Global trends rarely conform to simplistic narratives, and that remains the case for LGBTQ+ migrants and travelers. In an ever-changing landscape, these individuals often navigate complex challenges and varying levels of welcome. Best regards, Julian Hattem
Editor, Migration Information Source
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