Uganda's Anti-Gay Bill Debate Fueled by U.S. Evangelical Rhetoric

Uganda’s parliament will debate a bill that criminalizes same-sex activity and the “promotion” or “abetting” of homosexuality. The president has called for a medical opinion on homosexual “deviancy.” The debate follows a January probe into alleged school promotion of homosexuality and the recent shutdown of the NGO Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG).

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U.S. evangelicals Scott Lively, Caleb Lee Brundidge and Exodus International board member Don Schmierer gave anti-gay talks that preceded the 2009 “Kill the gays” bill. Ugandan actors include Elisha Mukisa, who alleges SMUG recruitment; Stephen Langa of the Family Life Network; former trans activist George Oundo; and former lesbian activist Val Kalende, who later apologized for renouncing lesbianism.

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Don Schmierer claimed that “56 percent of homosexuals experienced abuse as children, which turned them into homosexuals.” The Mukisa video repeats a narrative that NGOs lure minors into gay pornography, a claim amplified on social media.

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Uganda’s president called for a medical assessment of homosexual “deviancy.” The NGO board announced SMUG’s registration denial as “undesirable.” Parliament will consider criminal penalties for sexual acts and advocacy. U.S. evangelicals have framed homosexuality as a Western import meant to “spread the disease” to children, a framing echoed in parliamentary debate.

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Observers note that the ex-gay framework, once waning in the United States, is being exported to Africa to sustain anti-LGBTQ+ campaigns. The article’s author argues the rhetoric creates a false foreign enemy, allowing local homophobes to claim anticolonial legitimacy while depending on U.S. evangelical support. Activist Val Kalende’s public apology illustrates internal dissent.

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• “Uganda must be for God Almighty not for Bum lickers the Gays. SMUG an NGO is recruiting young children into Homosexuality and acting the gay. They need to be arrested.” — @Ashernamanya, Twitter user

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• “Schmierer spoke on a lack of good upbringing as a cause of homosexuality and was quoted as saying that 56 percent of homosexuals experienced abuse as children, which turned them into homosexuals.” — Don Schmierer, Exodus International board member

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• “many of them are out after my children and your children” — Jerry Falwell, U.S. preacher (1981 letter)

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The 56 percent abuse claim lacks independent verification. SMUG’s shutdown is presented as based on Mukisa’s evidence, but no corroborating documentation is provided. The bill’s exact legal scope remains unclear.

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Parliament’s vote will decide whether the criminal provisions are enacted, potentially expanding penalties and reinforcing U.S. evangelical influence on Uganda’s anti-LGBTQ+ policy.

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