Q&A: Trump’s cuts make LGBTQ+ Ugandans more unsafe, activist says

LONDON - U.S. President Donald Trump's foreign aid cuts are making life more dangerous for LGBTQ+ people in Uganda, one of most prominent gay activists in the East African country said.

In 2023, Uganda toughened its colonial-era law criminalising same-sex relations with new legislation that included the death penalty for what it calls serial offenders and a 20-year prison sentence for the "promotion of homosexuality".

Supporters of the anti-LGBTQ+ law have accused Western countries of imposing LGBTQ+ rights on African countries in what they describe as a new form of colonialism.

The United Nations said last year that nearly 600 people faced rights violations and abuses in the year following the passage of the law due to their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

Hundreds of LGBTQ+ Ugandans have left the country, while the anti-LGBTQ+ law has made healthcare providers, particularly those focusing on HIV, fearful of being prosecuted for "promoting homosexuality".

Context sat down with Frank Mugisha, executive director of Sexual Minorities Uganda, during Trust Conference, the Thomson Reuters Foundation's flagship gathering of global leaders and experts in London this week.

What is it like to do LGBTQ+ activism in Uganda?

It is scary, I'll tell you, but it is also a sacrifice. I cannot do many things that many of my colleagues, who are not openly gay, or who are not doing my work, do on a daily basis. So, I have to watch my back all the time and, for example, I have to inform my colleagues of everything I am doing and everywhere I am going. Everyone who knows me is worried about me, they're worried I could get arrested.

But I also get to work with communities and get to defend people and that gives me a lot of joy. However bad it might be for LGBTQ Ugandans, we have a very vibrant, resilient community. We meet up, we support each other, we uplift each other. We have queer joy, very underground and clandestine, but it does happen.

That gives me a purpose in life. And it shows me that anything can be done, even in the most hostile environment.

What has changed in the two years since the Anti-Homosexuality Act became law?

We're seeing more non-state actors 'implementing' the law. People are being denied housing and evicted from their homes, even though the provision regarding housing was removed from the law. Ordinary LGBTQ persons are getting beaten and violated when they're just living their lives.

Many people have been chased away by their own family members, who don't want them to live with them anymore. Others have lost their jobs. We are dealing with more and more cases of people getting arrested, being prosecuted, and then being abused while in police custody.

Many have left the country because they fear for their lives in Uganda, but we've also seen internally displaced LGBTQ persons who have to be hosted in safe houses.

In this context, how have U.S. aid cuts impacted LGBTQ+ Ugandans?

They've had a very negative impact on our community, particularly when it comes to health, for example the fight against HIV/AIDS. The U.S. funded a lot of awareness work for people to know where they could access the services they need, for example, or to train healthcare workers to be more inclusive of LGBTQ people.

But they have also impacted the issue of safety and security, which is huge for us. Every day, people need a place to sleep because their home has been raided by a mob, or because they have been bailed out of prison. The U.S. was providing some funding for emergency response. All that is gone now.

What's next in your fight to repeal the anti-LGBTQ+ law?

We are at the judiciary, at the Supreme Court, which is our highest court in Uganda. If we lose that, that's it. But I am optimistic we can win, although I don't think anything will happen until the next election (in January 2026) is over.

(Reporting by Enrique Anarte and Lucy Middleton in London; Editing by Jon Hemming.)